Relative Deprivation

Relative deprivation is the sense of being deprived of something to which one believes one is entitled and the subsequent emotions, such as anger, frustration, and resentment. Feeling deprived is determined not by objective conditions of deprivation but rather by subjective comparison with others who are apparently better off.

The construct of relative deprivation has been around for a long time, more than six decades, and is employed in many social sciences, including social psychology, sociology, economics, and political science. It has been used to predict a wide variety of behaviors, ranging from the individual experience of stress and depression to civil insurrection and participation in political upheaval and other forms of collective action. Although researchers have theorized and operationalized relative deprivation differently, and sometimes inconsistently, ...