The Justice Motive in Social Behavior: Adapting to Times of Scarcity and Change

497 Pages·1981·25.451 MB·English

by  Sally C. Lerner (auth.), Melvin J. Lerner, Sally C. Lerner (eds.)

The Justice Motive in
Social Behavior
ADAPTING TO TIMES OF SCARCITY AND CHANGE
CRITICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL JUSTICE
Series Editor: MELVIN J. LERNER
Ulliversiiy of Waierloo
Waierloo, Olliario, Gil/ada
THE JUSTICE MOTIVE IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: Adapting to Times of
Scarcity and Change
Edited by Melvin J. Lerner and Sally C. Lerner
A C onlinuation Order Plan is available tor this series. A continuation order will brin~ delivery
of each new volume immediately uron rublicatinn Vnlumes arc billed only uron actual
shipment. For further information rlease contact the publisher.
The Justice Motive in
Social Behavior
ADAPTING TO TIMES OF SCARCITY AND CHANGE
Edited by
MEL YIN J. LERNER
and
SALLY C. LERNER
Ulliver5i~1 of Wlilerioo
Wilier/0o, O'lilirio, CtIIltJda
Springer Science+ Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
The justice motive in social behavior.
(Critical issues in social justice)
Based on papers presented at a meeting prior to the annual conference of
the American Psychological Association, 1978, Toronto, Canada.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Social justice—Psychological aspects—Congresses. 2. Social
change—Psychological aspects—Congresses. 3. Adaptability (Psychology)—
Congresses. I. Lerner, Melvin ]., 1929- II. Lerner, Sally C, 1931-
III. Series.
HM216.J88 303.4 81-10605
ISBN 978-1-4899-0431-7 AACR2
ISBN 978-1-4899-0431-7 ISBN 978-1-4899-0429-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-0429-4
© 1981 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1981
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission from the Publisher
For MIRIAM and DANIEL
Contributors
Ellen Berscheid Department of Psychology, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455.
Philip Brickman Department of Psychology and Research
Center for Group Dynamics, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
Bruce Campbell Department of Psychology, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455.
Ellen S. Cohn Department of Psychology, University of New
Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824.
Thomas D. Cook Department of Psychology, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 6020l.
William Damon Department of Psychology, Clark University,
Worcester, Massachusetts 01610.
Andre deCarufel Faculty of Administration, University of
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIN 985.
Morton Deutsch Department of Psychology, Teachers College,
Columbia University, New York, New York
10027.
Nicholas P. Emler Department of Psychology, University of
Dundee, Dundee, Scotland.
Michele A. Fagan Department of Psychology, University of
Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637.
Robert Folger Department of Psychology, Southern
Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275.
Erica Goode Department of Psychology, University of
California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz,
California 95064.
vii
viii CONTRIBUTORS
Jerald Greenberg Faculty of Management, Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio 43210.
Robert Hogan Department of Psychology, The Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.
John G. Holmes Department of Psychology, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L
3Gl.
Rachel Karniol Departm.ent of Psychology, Tel Aviv
University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
Louise H. Kidder Department of Psychology, Temple University,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122.
Robert L. Kidder Department of Sociology, Temple University,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122.
Melvin J. Lerner Department of Psychology, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L
3Gl.
Sally C. Lerner Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3Gl.
Dale T. Miller Department of Psychology, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada V6T 1W5.
Dean E. Peachey Department of Psychology, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L
3Gl.
Barbara Pearlman Department of Psychology, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60201.
Edward E. Sampson Department of Sociology and Social
Anthropology, Clark University, Worcester,
Massachusetts 01610.
Yaacov Schul Department of Psychology and Research
Center for Group Dynamics, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
Carolyn H.Simmons Department of Psychology, University of
Colorado at Denver, Denver, Colorado 80202.
Neil Vidmar Department of Psychology, University of
Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 5C2.
Preface
This volume was conceived out of the concern with what the imminent
future holds for the "have" countries ... those societies, such as the
United States, which are based on complex technology and a high level
of energy consumption. Even the most sanguine projection includes as
base minimum relatively rapid and radical change in all aspects of the
society, reflecting adaptation or reactions to demands created by poten
tial threat to the technological base, sources of energy, to the life-support
system itself. Whatever the source of these threats-whether they are
the result of politically endogeneous or exogeneous forces-they will
elicit changes in our social institutions; changes resulting not only from
attempts to adapt but also from unintended consequences of failures to
adapt.
One reasonable assumption is that whatever the future holds for
us, we would prefer to live in a world of minimal suffering with the
greatest opportunity for fulfilling the human potential. The question
then becomes one of how we can provide for these goals in that scenario
for the imminent future ... a world of threat, change, need to adapt,
diminishing access to that which has been familiar, comfortable, needed.
There is an answer to that question which has unexplored and
potentially important ramifications. Social scientists have generated in
creasing documentation for the common observation that justice plays
a singular and pervasive role in our culture. More specifically, they have
shown that people can and do adapt successfully to changing circum
stances, including those of scarcity and diminishing access . . . if they
perceive their lot to be fair and just. More recently, research has provided
considerable evidence that judgments of fairness and justness are not
simply reflections of the prevailing normative system, but rather are
well-grounded in psychological structure and processes. The implica
tions of this are extremely relevant to the future, since the commitment
to justice and the forms this commitment can take provide an as yet
unexamined potential for creating the directions and the means for suc
cessful adaptation during times of change and scarcity.
ix
x PREFACE
Although the contributors to this volume conceptualize the psy
chology of justice in various ways, they have all demonstrated amply
in their previous work the extent to which the commitment to justice
guides important social behaviors. In this volume, they focus their at
tention on the establishment of guidelines for effective and constructive
solutions to the set of human problems with which we must soon deal.
J.
MELVIN LERNER
SALLY C. LERNER
Waterloo, Ontario
January 17, 1981