Relative deprivation
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Relative deprivation is a situation in which a person or group is deprived of something which they think they are entitled to, while another person or group possesses it. The deprivation is relative between the two parties as a person or group possesses the item while the other does not.
The term can be used in social sciences to describe feelings or measures of economic, political, or social deprivation that are relative rather than absolute.
The concept of relative deprivation has important consequences for both behaviour and attitudes in a society, including feelings of stress, political attitudes, and participation in collective action.
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[edit] Overview
Relative deprivation refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to those of similarly situated and find that they have less than their peers.
Political scientists, have cited 'relative deprivation' as a potential cause of crime and social unrest which can lead, in extreme situations, to political violence such as rioting, terrorism and civil wars. According to this theory, social movements arise when people feel deprived of what they perceive as their 'fair share'.
The 4 preconditions of relative deprivation are: (of object X by person A)
- A does not have X
- A knows of other persons that have X
- A wants to have X
- A believes obtaining X is realistic
Critique of this theory has pointed out that it fails to explain why some people who feel discontent fail to join social movements or take action.
[edit] Related To Poverty
A specific form of relative deprivation is relative poverty. Where a person or group of people find themselves in poverty relative to another party in similar circumstances. Relative poverty is contrasted to the measure of absolute poverty - one that quantifies the number of people below a poverty line, independent of time or place.
As long as some humans seem better off than others, relative deprivation is likely to be experienced by some people.
Political scientists and economists note that relative deprivation is a form of inequality and market failure.
[edit] Quotes
A house may be large or small; as long as the neighbouring houses be constructed to the same size, then all social requirements for residences are achieved. But let there arise next to a house a palace, then the house shrinks to the size of a small hut. The little house now makes it clear that its inmate has no social position at all to maintain, or but a very insignificant one; and then the occupant of the relatively little house will start to find himself more uncomfortable, more dissatisfied, and more cramped within his walls.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Ted Robert Gurr, Why Men Rebel, Princeton University Press, 1970.
