Inequity Leads to Distress and a Reduction in Satisfaction: Evidence From a Priming Experiment

Abstract

Considerable research has shown that perceptions of inequity in relationships are associated with distress and relationship dissatisfaction, thus providing support for equity theory’s predictions. The evidence, however, is based primarily on correlational data, making it difficult to determine causality. The reverse causal direction could also explain the correlational findings—dissatisfaction could lead to perceptions of inequity. This study employed experimental priming, in which participants wrote a narrative about a past situation in their relationship, either an underbenefiting situation, an overbenefiting situation, or an equity situation (randomly assigned). Participants who were primed to think about a past underbenefiting inequity reported more distress than those who were primed to think about a past overbenefiting inequity; those who were primed for equity were the least distressed. In addition, the equity/inequity prime affected participants’ score on a satisfaction scale completed in regard to their current relationship. Those who wrote about a past underbenefiting inequity reported lower relationship satisfaction than those who wrote about either an equity or an overbenefiting inequity. The results of this study suggest that making salient inequity situations from one’s relationship may have negative effects on the relationship.