Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Self-Esteem and Social Influences in Aggressive Reactions to Interactional Injustice

  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to examine the potential negative consequences an organization may face in response to perceptions of interactional injustice. Study 1 found that one potentially negative reaction to perceived injustice can be intended retaliation. In addition, study 1 found that individuals with high self-esteem are most likely to respond negatively to a perceived injustice by indicating that they plan to engage in a retaliatory response. Study 2 explored the effects of one’s situation on intended retaliation behavior. The results again indicate that perceptions of interactional injustice are strongly related to intended retaliation behavior. In addition, the study demonstrates that one’s group can have a significant influence on the perceptions of injustice and one’s subsequent reactions to these injustices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • J. S. Adams (1965) Inequity in social exchange L. Berkowitz (Eds) Advances in experimental social psychology NumberInSeriesVol. 2 Academic Press New York 267–299

    Google Scholar 

  • L. S. Aiken S. G. West (1991) Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions Sage Publications Newbury Park, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • I. Ajzen (1991) ArticleTitleThe theory of planned behavior Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50 179–211 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • I. Ajzen (2001) ArticleTitleNature and operation of attitudes Annual Review of Psychology 52 27–58 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.27 Occurrence Handle11148298

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • I. Ajzen M. Fishbein (1980) Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • C. A. Anderson J. J. Lindsay B. J. Bushman (1999) ArticleTitleResearch in the psychological laboratory: Truth or triviality? Current Directions in Psychological Science 8 3–9 Occurrence Handle10.1111/1467-8721.00002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. L. Ambrose M. A. Seabright M. Schminke (2002) ArticleTitleSabotage in the workplace: The role of organizational injustice Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 89 947–965 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00037-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L. M. Andersson C. M. Pearson (1999) ArticleTitleTit for tat? The spiraling effect of incivility in the workplace Academy of Management Review 24 452–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle, J. L. & Wothke, W. (1999). Amos 4.0. Chicago, IL: Smallwaters Corporation

  • C. J. Armitage M. Conner (2001) ArticleTitleEfficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analytic review British Journal of Social Psychology 40 471–499 Occurrence Handle10.1348/014466601164939 Occurrence Handle11795063

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K. Aquino M. U. Lewis M. Bradfield (1999) ArticleTitleJustice constructs, negative affectivity, and employee deviance: A proposed model and empirical test Journal of Organizational Behavior 20 1073–1091 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199912)20:7<1073::AID-JOB943>3.0.CO;2-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K. Aquino T. M. Tripp R. J. Bies (2001) ArticleTitleHow employees respond to personal offense: The effects of blame attribution, victim status, and offender status on revenge and reconciliation in the workplace Journal of Applied Psychology 86 52–59 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.86.1.52 Occurrence Handle11302233

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • A. Bandura (1973) Aggression: A social learning analysis Prentice-Hall, Inc Englewood Cliffs, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • R. A. Baron J. H. Neuman (1996) ArticleTitleWorkplace violence and workplace aggression: Evidence on their relative frequency and potential causes Aggressive Behavior 22 161–173 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1996)22:3<161::AID-AB1>3.0.CO;2-Q

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. A. Baron J. H. Neuman (1998) ArticleTitleWorkplace aggression—the iceberg beneath the tip of workplace violence: Evidence on its forms, frequency, and targets Public Administration Quarterly 21 446–464

    Google Scholar 

  • R. A. Baron J. H. Neuman D. Geddes (1999) ArticleTitleSocial and personal determinants of workplace aggression: Evidence for the impact of perceived injustice and the Type A behavior pattern Aggressive Behavior 25 281–296 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1999)25:4<281::AID-AB4>3.0.CO;2-J

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C. D. Batson M. J. Bowers E. A. Leonard E. C. Smith (2000) ArticleTitleDoes personal morality exacerbate or restrain retaliation after being harmed? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26 35–45

    Google Scholar 

  • R. F. Baumeister (2001) Ego depletion, the executive function, and self-control: An energy model of the self in personality B. W. Roberts R. Hogan (Eds) Personality psychology in the workplace American Psychological Association Washington, DC 299–316

    Google Scholar 

  • R. F Baumeister B. J. Bushman W. K. Campbell (2000) ArticleTitleSelf-esteem, narcissism, and aggression: Does violence result from low self-esteem or from threatened egotism? Current Directions in Psychological Science 9 26–29 Occurrence Handle10.1111/1467-8721.00053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. F. Baumeister L. Smart J. M. Boden (1996) ArticleTitleRelation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: The dark side of high self-esteem Psychological Review 103 5–33 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0033-295X.103.1.5 Occurrence Handle8650299

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • L. Berkowitz (1993) Aggression: Its causes, consequences, and control Temple University Press Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  • B. A. Bettencourt N. Miller (1996) ArticleTitleGender differences in aggression as a function of provocation: A meta-analysis Psychological Bulletin 119 422–447 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0033-2909.119.3.422 Occurrence Handle8668747

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R. J. Bies J. S. Moag (1986) Interactional justice: Communications criteria of fairness R. J. Lewicki B. H. Sheppard M. H. Bazerman (Eds) Research on negotiation in organizations NumberInSeriesVol. 1 JAI Press Greenwich, CT 43–55

    Google Scholar 

  • R. J. Bies T. M. Tripp (2001) A passion for justice: The rationality and morality of revenge R. Cropanzano (Eds) Justice in the workplace: From theory to practice NumberInSeriesVol. 2 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Mahwah NJ 197–208

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Bjorkqvist K. Osterman K. M. J. Lagerspetz (1994) ArticleTitleSex differences in covert aggression among adults Aggressive Behavior 20 27–33

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Bradfield K. Aquino (1999) ArticleTitleThe effects of blame attributions and offender likableness on forgiveness and revenge in the workplace Journal of Management 25 607–631 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0149-2063(99)00018-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Brockner (1988) Self-esteem at work: Research, theory, and practice Lexington Books Lexington, Massachusetts

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Brockner (2002) ArticleTitleMaking sense of procedural fairness: How high procedural fairness can reduce or heighten the influence of outcome favorability Academy of Management Review 27 58–76

    Google Scholar 

  • J. D. Brown (1998) The self McGraw Hill San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • B. J. Bushman R. F. Baumeister (1998) ArticleTitleThreatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression: Does self-love or self-hate lead to violence? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75 219–229 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0022-3514.75.1.219 Occurrence Handle9686460

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • A. H. Buss (1961) The psychology of aggression Wiley New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • J. D. Campbell L. F. Lavallee (1993.) Who am I? The role of self-concept confusion in understanding the behavior of people with low self-esteem R. F. Baumeister (Eds) Self-esteem: The puzzle of low self-regard Plenum Press New York, NY 3–20

    Google Scholar 

  • G. V. Caprara C. Pastorelli M. Prezia P. Renzi A. Zelli (1987) ArticleTitleIndividual differences and measures of aggression in laboratory studies Personality and Individual Differences 8 885–893 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0191-8869(87)90140-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. A. Colquitt (2001) ArticleTitleOn the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure Journal of Applied Psychology 86 386–400 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.86.3.386 Occurrence Handle11419799

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • C. H. Cooley (1902) Human nature and the social order Scribner New York

    Google Scholar 

  • R. L. Dipboye M. F. Flanagan (1979) ArticleTitleResearch settings in industrial and organizational psychology: Are findings in the field more generalizable than in the laboratory? American Psychologist 34 141–150 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0003-066X.34.2.141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. C. Douglas M. J. Martinko (2001) ArticleTitleExploring the role of individual differences in the prediction of workplace aggression Journal of Applied Psychology 86 547–559 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.86.4.547 Occurrence Handle11519640

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D. B. Fedor W. D. Davis J. M. Maslyn K. Mathieson (2001) ArticleTitlePerformance improvement efforts in response to negative feedback: The roles of source power and recipient self-esteem Journal of Management 27 79–97 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0149-2063(00)00087-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Folger R. A. Baron (1996) Violence and hostility at work: A model of reactions to perceived injustice G. R. VandenBos E. Q. Bulatao (Eds) Violence on the job: Identifying risks and developing solutions American Psychological Association Washington, D.C 51–86

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Fox P. E. Spector D. Miles (2001) ArticleTitleCounterproductive work behavior (CWB) in response to job stressors and organizational justice: Some mediator and moderator tests for autonomy and emotions Journal of Vocational Behavior 59 291–309 Occurrence Handle10.1006/jvbe.2001.1803

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Greenberg (1990) ArticleTitleEmployee theft as a reaction to underpayment inequity: The hidden cost of pay cuts Journal of Applied Psychology 75 561–568 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.75.5.561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Greenberg (1997) The STEAL motive: Managing the social determinants of employee theft R. A. Giacalone J. Greenberg (Eds) Antisocial behavior in organizations SAGE Publications, Inc Thousand Oaks, CA 85–108

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Greenberg (2002) ArticleTitleWho stole the money, and when? Individual and situational determinants of employee theft Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 89 985–1003 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00039-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Greenberg B. J. Alge (1998) Aggressive reactions to workplace injustice R. W. Griffin A. O’Leary-Kelly J. M. Collins (Eds) Dysfunctional behavior in organizations: Violent and deviant behavior part A JAI Press Stamford, CT 83–118

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Greenberg D. E. Eskew (1993) ArticleTitleThe role of role playing in organizational research Journal of Management 19 221–241 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0149-2063(93)90053-P

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • F. Heider (1946) ArticleTitleAttitudes and cognitive organization Journal of Psychology 21 107–112

    Google Scholar 

  • A. O. Hirschman (1970) Exit, voice, and loyalty: Responses to decline in firms, organizations, and states Harvard University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • I. M. Jawahar (2002) ArticleTitleA model of organizational justice and workplace aggression Journal of Management 28 811–834 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0149-2063(02)00189-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • T. A. Judge J. E. Bono (2001) ArticleTitleRelationships of core self-evaluations traits—self-esteem, general self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis Journal of Applied Psychology 86 80–92 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.86.1.80 Occurrence Handle11302235

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K. M. Kacmar R. A. Baron (1999) Organizational politics: The state of the field, links to related processes, and an agenda for future research G. R. Ferris (Eds) Research in personnel and human resource management NumberInSeriesVol. 17 JAI Press Stamford, CT 1–39

    Google Scholar 

  • M. H. Kernis J. Brockner B. S. Frankel (1989) ArticleTitleSelf-esteem and reactions to failure: The mediating role of overgeneralization Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57 707–714 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0022-3514.57.4.707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. H. Kim R. H. Smith N. L. Brigham (1998) ArticleTitleEffects of power imbalance and the presence of third parties on reactions to harm: Upward and downward revenge Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 24 353–361

    Google Scholar 

  • E. A. Lind L. Kray L. Thompson (2001) ArticleTitlePrimacy effects in justice judgments: Testing predictions from fairness heuristic theory Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 85 189–210 Occurrence Handle10.1006/obhd.2000.2937 Occurrence Handle11461198

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • J. E. McGrath (1964) Toward a ‘theory of method’ for research on organizations W. Cooper H. Leavitt M. Shelly (Eds) New perspectives in organizational research Wiley New York 533–556

    Google Scholar 

  • T. R. Mitchell (1985) ArticleTitleAn evaluation of the validity of correlation research conducted in organizations Academy of Management Review 10 192–205

    Google Scholar 

  • R. H. Moorman (1991) ArticleTitleRelationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviors: Do fairness perceptions influence employee citizenship Journal of Applied Psychology 76 845–855 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.76.6.845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. H. Neuman R. A. Baron (1997) Aggression in the workplace R. A. Giacalone J. Greenberg (Eds) Antisocial behavior in organizations SAGE Publications, Inc Thousand Oaks, CA 37–67

    Google Scholar 

  • J. H. Neuman R. A. Baron (1998) ArticleTitleWorkplace violence and workplace aggression: Evidence concerning specific forms, potential causes, and preferred targets Journal of Management 24 391–419 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0149-2063(99)80066-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N. Nicholson G. Johns (1985) ArticleTitleThe absence culture and the psychological contract: Who’s in control of absence? Academy of Management Review 10 397–407

    Google Scholar 

  • A. M. O’Leary-Kelly R. W. Griffin D. J. Glew (1996) ArticleTitleOrganization-motivated aggression: A research framework Academy of Management Review 21 225–253

    Google Scholar 

  • P. M. Podsakoff D. W. Organ (1986) ArticleTitleSelf-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects Journal of Management 12 531–544

    Google Scholar 

  • S. L. Robinson R. J. Bennett (1995) ArticleTitleA typology of deviant workplace behaviors: A multidimensional scaling study Academy of Management Journal 38 555–572

    Google Scholar 

  • S. L. Robinson A. M. O’Leary-Kelly (1998) ArticleTitleMonkey see, monkey do: The influence of work groups on the antisocial behavior of employees Academy of Management Journal 41 658–672

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Rosenberg (1965) Society and the adolescent self-image Princeton University Press Princeton, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • P. R. Sackett J. R. Larson (1990) Research strategies and tactics in industrial and organizational psychology M. D. Dunnette L. M. Hough (Eds) Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, 2nd ed. NumberInSeriesVol. 1 Consulting Psychologists Press Palo Alto, CA 419–489

    Google Scholar 

  • G. R. Salancik J. Pfeffer (1978) ArticleTitleA social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design Administrative Science Quarterly 23 224–253 Occurrence Handle10307892

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • C. Salmivalli (2001) ArticleTitleFeeling good about oneself, being bad to others? Remarks on self-esteem, hostility, and aggressive behavior Aggression and Violent Behavior 6 375–393 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S1359-1789(00)00012-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. P. Skarlicki R. Folger (1997) ArticleTitleRetaliation in the workplace: The roles of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice Journal of Applied Psychology 82 434–443 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.82.3.434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.P. Skarlicki R. Folger P. Tesluk (1999) ArticleTitlePersonality as a moderator in the relationship between fairness and retaliation Academy of Management Journal 42 100–108

    Google Scholar 

  • W. B. Swann (1996) Self-traps: The elusive quest for higher self-esteem Freeman New York W.H

    Google Scholar 

  • J. M. Twenge W. K. Campbell (2003) ArticleTitle“Isn’t it fun to get the respect that we’re going to deserve?” Narcissism, social rejection, and aggression Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 29 261–272 Occurrence Handle10.1177/0146167202239051 Occurrence Handle15272953

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K. Van den Bos E. A. Lind H. A. M. Wilke (2001) The psychology of procedural and distributive justice viewed from the perspective of fairness heuristic theory R. Cropanzano (Eds) Justice in the work place: From theory to practice NumberInSeriesVol. 2 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Mahwah, NJ 49–66

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Watson L. A. Clark A. Tellegen (1988) ArticleTitleDevelopment and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 54 1063–1070 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0022-3514.54.2.296 Occurrence Handle3397865

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • S. Williams (1999) ArticleTitleThe effects of distributive and procedural justice on performance Journal of Psychology 133 183–193

    Google Scholar 

  • D. B. Wiseman I. P. Levin (1996) ArticleTitleComparing risky decision making under conditions of real and hypothetical consequences Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 66 241–250 Occurrence Handle10.1006/obhd.1996.0053

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Washington, Box 358533, 98011, Bothell, Washington, USA

    James P. Burton

  2. University of Washington, Seattle, USA

    Terence R. Mitchell & Thomas W. Lee

Authors
  1. James P. Burton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Terence R. Mitchell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Thomas W. Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James P. Burton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Burton, J.P., Mitchell, T.R. & Lee, T.W. The Role of Self-Esteem and Social Influences in Aggressive Reactions to Interactional Injustice. J Bus Psychol 20, 131–170 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-6995-8

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-6995-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation