Relative Deprivation

Abstract Feeling relatively (rather than objectively) deprived affects how people respond to inequalities. Since documenting this effect, research on relative deprivation has shown that feeling personally deprived motivates individual‐based reactions, whereas feeling that one's group is deprived gives way to group‐based responses to inequality. Subsequent work has examined the antecedents and consequences of feeling relatively deprived, while also highlighting the critical role that affect plays in mediating the relationship between relative deprivation and distinct outcomes. This entry gives an overview of the literature in this area and concludes with a discussion on promising directions for future research.