Relative gratification from favorable outcomes increases expressed prejudice

Evidence

Yet, a provocative line of recent research suggests that upward mobility may also be associated with prejudice. Guimond and colleagues (e.g., Guimond & Dambrun, 2002) found that relative gratification – a comparison that results in a favorable outcome – is associated with increases in expressed prejudice. They reason that people whose groups are overbenefited may generate justifications, including prejudiced beliefs that protect their advantage. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1516

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to social dominance theory and system justification literature; also to the rationalization-of-advantage mechanisms familiar from Lerner’s just-world research.
• SEED: Angle for an essay: the moral psychology of winning — how beneficiaries of favorable comparisons generate ideological justifications, and what that implies about privilege defense.