Your boss told you that she is giving you a 5 percent raise starting with your next paycheck. You are very pleased to hear this good news until you learn that some of your coworkers earned a 10 percent raise. Now you are unhappy and angry about your raise. Your experience is best explained in terms of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The relative deprivation principle states that we feel discontent when we compare ourselves to others who are better off than us. In this case, the coworker's larger raise creates a sense of relative deprivation for the individual, causing them to feel unhappy and angry about their own raise.

Your Boss Told You That She Is Giving You a 5