Justice and Emotions

Sociological theories of justice emphasize (a) the level of discrepancy or congruence between shares of resources received relative to individuals’ perceptions of “just shares” and (b) the emotions aroused with either discrepancy or congruence. While these theories tend to have precision and elegance, they generally do not specify the full range of reference points that can be used to establish what is considered a “just share,” nor do they explore the complete array of emotions (and targets of these emotions) aroused during justice evaluations. In this article, an effort is made to expand the conception of reference points elicited in justice evaluations, the structural processes that determine the specific emotions that will be aroused during justice evaluations, and the psychodynamics that mediate among reference points, structural processes, emotional arousal, and targeting of emotional reactions onto self, others, and social structures. The article concludes with some hypotheses about the emotions aroused and targeted during justice evaluations employing varying reference points and arising under specific structural conditions.