Group-based Emotions and Intergroup Behavior

Abstract

When researchers discuss relative deprivation (RD), they refer to the perception of an undeserved disadvantage, the accompanying emotions, and associated action tendencies. People who notice an unfair relative disadvantage might feel a variety of emotions, including disappointment, depression, surprise, envy, anger, resentment and outrage (Corning, 2000; Folger, 1986, 1987; Mikula, Petri, & Tanzer, 1990). This list of possible emotions raises two questions. First, are some of these emotions more typical than others as a reaction to a perceived unfair disadvantage? Second, what conditions determine which of these emotions are felt? According to cognitive appraisal theories of emotion (Frijda, 1993; Ellsworth, 1994; Roseman, Spindel, & Jose, 1990), people's perceptions or cognitive appraisals of the situation shape how they will feel. The purpose of this chapter is to explore a variety of appraisal dimensions that may distinguish among the various RD emotions. We believe that a closer examination of the specific emotions elicited by perceptions of unfair disadvantages will clarify the relationship between perceptions of RD and subsequent behavioral reactions. We describe the important complexities that emerge as we consider five appraisal dimensions proposed by RD theorists as antecedents of RD: (1) the legitimacy of the intergroup context, (2) who is responsible for the disadvantage, (3) feasibility of any change, (4) social support, and (5) social comparisons. Finally, we discuss whether the cognitive appraisals we describe: (1) cause feelings of deprivation, (2) are the cognitive components of the deprivation experience, or (3) are the consequence of feeling deprived.