Kjell Törnblom

Choice of a Distribution Principle: Crosscultural Evidence on the Effects of Resources

Researchers concerned with resource allocation and distributive justice have paid little attention to the nature of the allocated resource, per se, as a determinant of the criterion according to which distribution takes place. Recently, six studies carried out in Germany, Sweden and the United States have demonstrated the effects of different types of resources upon preference for one of the following three criteria of distribution : contribution, need and equality. As the symbolic meaning of a given resource may vary with the situation in which it is allocated, the influence of different social contexts was studied as well. The findings were briefly described and compared. Expected relationships among resource class, social context and distribution rule were examined in the light of cognitive-developmental considerations and by way of integrating justice theory and resource theory. Finally, it was suggested that the influence of resources on the choice of a criterion may extend to the rewards and punishments which are often associated with the act of distribution.

An Integrative Perspective on Social Justice: Distributive and Procedural Fairness Evaluations of Positive and Negative Outcome Allocations

This paper presents a theoretical framework for the integration of distributive and procedural justice in positive and negative outcome allocations. The framework consists of seven basic assumptions, seven propositions, and seven groups of interrelated hypotheses. The expected outcome offers a coherent program for future justice research based on the realization that distributive and procedural aspects of fairness cannot be meaningfully treated (1) in isolation from one another, and (2) without taking into account the valence of the allocated outcome. The framework should also reveal the need to reassess existing distributive and procedural justice study conclusions that neglected to examine the interactive effects of the allocation outcome (distribution) and the procedure and the outcome valence.

Handbook of social resource theory : theoretical extensions, empirical insights, and social applications

Handbook of social resource theory : theoretical extensions, empirical insights, and social applications

Interrelation of Social Resources Evidence of Pancultural Invariance

Research on the interrelationship among interpersonal resources was conducted in five cultures: those of Israel, the United States, the Philippines, Sweden, and Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans. In spite of differences in language, instrument format, and age of subjects, the results supported the pattern previously hypothesized on theoretical grounds. These results support the notion that interrelationship of resources may be cross-culturally invariant.

Social Psychology of Justice: Origins, Central Issues, Recent Developments, and Future Directions

This article provides an overview of some selected aspects of social psychological theory and research on justice in the allocation of social resources. We start with a brief outline of the origins of systematic inquiries of justice in social psychology. Six central issues in social justice theory and research are discerned and discussed (the definition, dimensionality, and criteria of justice, the salience of the justice motive, the importance of justice, the formation of justice judgments, the cognitive and behavioral reactions to injustice, and the cross-cultural generality of justice considerations). A selective overview of recent applications, developments, and areas of interest are also presented, and some avenues for future research are suggested.

Gender-related sexual attitudes: some crosscultural similarities and differences

We tested the hypothesis that males differentiate love and sex more strongly than females, and that the magnitude of this gender difference is augmented in homosexuals and diminished in married heterosexuals. American and Swedish subjects sorted statements describing behaviors of love, sex, and services into two piles on the basis of perceived similarity. The results of all three studies were consistent with the predictions. In addition, the findings suggest that Americans differentiate love and sex more strongly than Swedes.

Mode of Accomplishing Positive and Negative Outcomes: Its Effect on Fairness Evaluations

In their interactions, people exchange or distribute things that are considered valuable. The distribution of a particular resource can be accomplished in a number of ways and may result in either a positive or a negative outcome. The purpose of this study was to find out if and under what conditions peoples conceptions of justice are similar or different in the contexts of positive and negative outcome allocations. The research is based on Törnbloms (1988) model for positive and negative outcome allocation.Subjects responded to one of eight questionnaires after reading a vignette that described a nuclear test that was conducted in either the United States or Russia. Each questionnaire version differed with respect to whom information about the possible dangers of radiation exposure following the tests should be made available, and whether information or misinformation were delivered or withheld.Findings from this study suggests that positive and negative outcome allocations sometimes follow different and sometimes the same justice principles, all depending on the mode in which the outcome allocation is accomplished. Implications from the design of this study for the interpretation of existing distributive justice and equity studies are also discussed.

Putting the group back into intergroup justice studies

This paper argues that groups have traditionally been conceptualized in two major ways—subjective and objective—which correspond to the different conceptions found within the disciplines of psychology and sociology. We argue that the term “group” is frequently used too carelessly since rarely are readers informed of the conception of group to which the findings are relevant. Findings generated from studies involving one conception of group may not allow valid inferences to groups conceptualized differently. We suggest that a more sociological conception of group is needed to balance the current emphasis based in the psychological tradition. We believe that such a difference in conceptualizing groups could well lead to very different speculations about the nature of intergroup justice relations.

Some Conceptual and Theoretical Issues in Resource Theory of Social Exchange

This chapter by Tornblom and Kazemi discusses a number of issues in SRT which seem to benefit from further developments. Specifically, they ask whether the Foas’ resource classification meets the criteria for a typology, whether there are other dimensions than concreteness and particularism and whether the Foas’ six resource classes can be categorized into subclasses. Tornblom and Kazemi further discuss the validity of some of the exchange rules that the Foas formulated. They also extend the Foas’ two basic behavioral modes of giving and taking into four basic modes of exchange (i.e., giving-giving, giving-requesting, requesting-giving, and requesting-requesting), and this opens up for a host of further distinctions when additional facets like resource valence and resource type are included. Additional issues discussed in this chapter involve the production and acquisition of resources, different types of linkages between the production, acquisition, possession, and provision of resources, and finally the relevance of SRT to the topics of social justice, social exclusion, well-being, social dilemmas, social comparisons, and volunteering. Some of these issues are the focus of several chapters in this handbook.

Advances in Justice Conflict Conceptualization: A New Integrative Framework

A thorough understanding of conflicts is crucial as conflicts may be destructive to the welfare of individuals, groups, and societies. Conflicts are closely related to justice concerns in that perceived injustices give rise to conflicts and destructive conflicts give rise to injustices. However, the notion of conflict is rather underdeveloped and the definition of it often taken for granted in justice theory and research. In this chapter we propose a useful conceptualization and classification of justice conflicts. Specifically, five types of conceptual distributive justice conflicts, five types of social distributive justice conflicts, and three types of a mixture of both are defined and described. Some of these basic types, in turn, encompass two or more subtypes of conflict. These result in different dilemmas and processes, the natures of which are likely to have important implications for conflict resolution. The present chapter highlights several shortcomings of current conceptualizations of justice conflict, and provides a new integrated framework for a more systematic approach.