The Moral Superiority Effect: Self Versus Other Differences in Satisfaction with Being Overpaid

Peters, Susanne L.; Bos, Kees van den; Bobocel, D. Ramona

doi:10.1023/b:sore.0000041293.24615.f7

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The results of these studies suggest that it is relatively difficult for people to make satisfaction judgments regarding outcomes in which they are advantaged, especially when a friend is the one who is disadvantaged. By means of these studies presented here, as well as in other recent research studies (e.g., Peters, 2005;Peters et al, 2004;Van den Bos et al, 2006), justice researchers get a closer look at the intriguing issue of how advantaged people react to being overpaid. In doing so, the present studies have made a contribution to the existing literature about people's reactions to being overpaid and this may contribute to more precise insights into the psychology of equity processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Thus, when people are being overpaid they are assumed to be in conflict between what makes them pleased and what they believe to be right. This mixed-motive quality of reactions to overpayment has also been recognized by more contemporary social psychologists (see, e.g., Loewenstein, Thompson, & Bazerman, 1989;Messick & Sentis, 1983;Peters, Van den Bos, & Bobocel, 2004;Van den Bos et al, 1997, 1998Van den Bos, Wilke, Lind, & Vermunt, 2006). Soc Just Res (2008) 21:179-191 181…”

Section: Reactions To Being Overpaidmentioning

confidence: 65%

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On the Psychology of the Advantaged: How People React to Being Overpaid

2008

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Based on the idea that overpaid people are in conflict between hedonic principles (i.e., what makes them pleased) and what they believe to be right, two studies tested the hypothesis that it should be relatively difficult for people to make satisfaction judgments regarding outcomes in which they are being advantaged. In line with this hypothesis, Study 1 demonstrated that response latencies of satisfaction judgments were longer when participants were being overpaid, compared to when they were underpaid or equally paid. Study 2 extended these findings by demonstrating that people required more time to make satisfaction judgments when they were overpaid in the context of a close relationship (i.e., in which the conflict between hedonic and concerns for the other's need should be stronger) than when overpaid in the context of a non-close relationship. Theoretical implications regarding the social-cognitive processes underlying reactions to overpayment are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Reactions To Being Overpaidmentioning

confidence: 65%

On the Psychology of the Advantaged: How People React to Being Overpaid

2008

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“…A possible explanation for this finding is provided by Loewenstein et al (1989). These authors argued that people's attitude toward overpayment could be affected more easily and to a greater extent than people's attitudes towards underpayment, because of the greater ambiguity in people's reactions to being overpaid (see also Peters, Van den Bos, & Bobocel, 2004). This might be a reason why the hypothesis regarding underpayment yielded somewhat weaker support and probably needs stronger manipulations to obtain the effects predicted by this hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

When Fairness is Especially Important: Reactions to Being Inequitably Paid in Communal Relationships

Peters¹,

Bos

2008

Soc Just Res

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This article focuses on when justice is especially important to people and, in doing so, explores the social conditions under which the importance of justice may change in social interactions. More specifically, the authors examine how different types of relationships affect evaluations of equitable and inequitable situations. It is argued that when people are confronted with friends as interaction partners, as opposed to unknown others, they are motivated to attend to the needs of their friends (Clark & Mills, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 12-24, 1979) and, therefore, they are not only concerned with their own outcomes, but also with their friends' outcomes. As predicted on the basis of this line of reasoning, two experiments demonstrate that when people's interaction partners are friends, people are indeed more satisfied with being underpaid and less satisfied with being overpaid compared to when their interaction partners are unknown others. In the discussion, it is argued that these findings suggest that justice is especially important to people when they are in communal relationships.

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“…This line of reasoning is not implausible, particularly given that prosocial justice norms also shape other forms of justice to a substantial extent. For instance, distributive justice findings indicate that many people seek equity or equality while evaluating overpayment as unfair (e.g., Adams, 1965;Peters, Van den Bos, & Bobocel, 2004;Walster, Walster, & Berscheid, 1978).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%