Injustice for all or just for me? Social value orientation predicts responses to own versus other's procedures.
In two experiments, the authors investigated how differences in social value orientation predict evaluations of procedures that were accorded to self and others. Proselfs versus prosocials were either granted or denied an opportunity to voice an opinion in a decision-making process and witnessed how someone else was either granted or denied such an opportunity. Consistent with the hypothesis, procedural evaluations of both proselfs and prosocials were influenced by own procedure when other was granted voice, but only proselfs were influenced by own procedure when other was denied voice. These findings were particularly attributable to prosocials' tendency to evaluate a situation where no-voice procedures are applied consistently between persons more positively than proselfs. It is concluded that proselfs are focused on procedural justice and injustice for self more than prosocials, whereas prosocials value equality in procedures more than proselfs-even when equality implies injustice for all.
Department of Social and OrganizationalPsychology, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, Amsterdam, Netherlands. j.w.van.prooijen@vu.nl
Jan-Willem
JW
van Prooijen
Tomas
T
Ståhl
Daniel
D
Eek
Paul A M
PA
van Lange
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003657:Decision Making; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004532:Ego; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007600:Judgment; D009042:Motivation; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012919:Social Behavior; D012935:Social Justice; D012945:Social Values; D014831:Voice; D055815:Young Adult