Relative deprivation (RD) is a judgment that one is worse off compared to some standard leading to feelings of anger and resentment. RD Theory suggests that even if individuals' objective circumstances are quite good, they will feel deprived if they compare themselves to others who have resources to which they feel entitled. Since the concept was introduced, it has proven quite useful in explaining and predicting a range of phenomena from poor physical health to participation in collective protest and susceptibility to terrorist recruitment; however, the results have been inconsistent and, in some cases, contradictory. The purpose of this RUI proposal is to conduct a meta-analysis by combining and analyzing statistical effect sizes from previous research in order to examine possible reasons for these contradictory findings. It is hypothesized that the predictive power of RD theory should improve as a direct function of how closely RD measurement reflects RD theory, a methodological confound overlooked in previous research. RD effects are expected to be significantly larger when RD is measured at the same level of analysis as the outcome variable. For example, RD theorists distinguish between individual RD (i.e., a comparison between oneself and a similar other) and group RD (i.e., a comparison between one's group and another group) as these comparisons lead to different responses and behaviors. People who believe their entire group is deprived should be more likely to participate in social movements and actively attempt to change the social system. People who feel deprived as individuals should be more likely to experience physiological stress and depression. Further, it is hypothesized that the power of RD to predict behavior will be significantly larger if respondents report their specific emotional reactions to comparisons. People who recognize an illegitimate group disadvantage and feel angry should be more likely to protest. Others can recognize the same group disadvantage but feel sad or anxious and try to withdraw from the situation. These predictions will be tested using meta-analysis in four areas: [1] participation in collective behavior, [2] attitudes toward other groups, [3] individual behavior, and [4] such internal states as physical health, psychological stress and self-evaluation, drawing from extensive international research literatures in multiple disciplines (sociology, political science and social psychology). The results will enhance the understanding of how people respond to perceived personal and group disadvantage, an important issue for both social science and society. This RUI project also is a unique opportunity to foster undergraduate psychology research at a public state university and provide first-generation college students and students from other under-represented groups the experiences and information that can inspire them to pursue further scientific training.
