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Individual-based relative deprivation (IRD) decreases prosocial behaviors

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Abstract

Five studies investigated the relationship between individual-based relative deprivation (IRD) and prosocial behaviors. Study 1 found that income satisfaction, a concept closely related to IRD, was negatively associated with prosocial values across cultures. Study 2 found a negative association between IRD and prosocial aspirations among a sample of Chinese university students. Study 3 revealed a negative association between IRD and volunteer behaviors. In Studies 4 and 5, we found that laboratory-induced IRD decreased undergraduate students’ prosocial values and behaviors. Moreover, Study 5 also found that the tendency to prioritize self-interest over others’ mediated the effect of IRD on prosocial behaviors. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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Notes

  1. There is another item in the WVS which assesses prosocial inclinations: “It is important for this person to help the people nearby, to care for their wellbeing.” We did not analyze this item because we think individuals' reactions to this item may be contaminated by social rules prevalent in local societies.

  2. No gender difference existed in either the levels of IRD or the association between IRD and prosocial behaviors in all the studies reported.

  3. The result from a t test also showed that participants in IRD group were less likely to choose the cooperative options (M = 4.06, SD = 3.75) than those in the control group (M = 5.93, SD = 3.68), t(75) = 2.19, p = .03, d = .50, 95 % CI = [.18, 3.56].

  4. Indeed, we also tried to manipulate IRD by telling participants that because of the experimenter's carelessness, they did not have the opportunity to practice in a cognitive task (after they have already failed the task). However, this procedure failed to induce IRD either (Details of this study could be obtained from first author). We found that our participants could very easily justify things happen to them. Hence, the recalling task may be the most reliable procedure to induce IRD.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by Grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China allocated to the first author (Grant No. 31400899).

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  1. Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210053, China

    Hong Zhang, Man Liu & Yuan Tian

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Zhang, H., Liu, M. & Tian, Y. Individual-based relative deprivation (IRD) decreases prosocial behaviors. Motiv Emot 40, 655–666 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-016-9564-8

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