The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy
Sociologists have emphasized that abrupt social changes can evoke subjective deprivation that can create subjective injustice and emotional distress. The global economic crisis offers an opportunity to examine this issue. This article builds on relative deprivation theory and proposes that economic...
Published in: | Sociology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
SAGE Publications
2012
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453790 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0038038512453790 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/0038038512453790 |
id |
crsagepubl:10.1177/0038038512453790 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crsagepubl:10.1177/0038038512453790 2024-06-16T07:40:57+00:00 The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy Ragnarsdóttir, Berglind Hólm Bernburg, Jón Gunnar Ólafsdóttir, Sigrún 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453790 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0038038512453790 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/0038038512453790 en eng SAGE Publications http://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license Sociology volume 47, issue 4, page 755-775 ISSN 0038-0385 1469-8684 journal-article 2012 crsagepubl https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453790 2024-05-19T13:00:27Z Sociologists have emphasized that abrupt social changes can evoke subjective deprivation that can create subjective injustice and emotional distress. The global economic crisis offers an opportunity to examine this issue. This article builds on relative deprivation theory and proposes that economic crises evoke three subjective comparisons that influence distress: comparisons to 1) past outcomes; 2) the situation of others; and 3) expected future outcomes. Using a national survey obtained during the economic crisis in Iceland, we examine how these comparisons influence subjective injustice and emotional distress (anger and depression). Results indicate that perceived reduction in the standard of living has a more pronounced effect on subjective injustice and anger, 1) when individuals think that the crisis has harmed them more than others; and 2) when they have negative expectations about their future. The study implies that subjective comparisons can moderate the effect of sudden social change on distress. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland SAGE Publications Sociology 47 4 755 775 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
SAGE Publications |
op_collection_id |
crsagepubl |
language |
English |
description |
Sociologists have emphasized that abrupt social changes can evoke subjective deprivation that can create subjective injustice and emotional distress. The global economic crisis offers an opportunity to examine this issue. This article builds on relative deprivation theory and proposes that economic crises evoke three subjective comparisons that influence distress: comparisons to 1) past outcomes; 2) the situation of others; and 3) expected future outcomes. Using a national survey obtained during the economic crisis in Iceland, we examine how these comparisons influence subjective injustice and emotional distress (anger and depression). Results indicate that perceived reduction in the standard of living has a more pronounced effect on subjective injustice and anger, 1) when individuals think that the crisis has harmed them more than others; and 2) when they have negative expectations about their future. The study implies that subjective comparisons can moderate the effect of sudden social change on distress. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ragnarsdóttir, Berglind Hólm Bernburg, Jón Gunnar Ólafsdóttir, Sigrún |
spellingShingle |
Ragnarsdóttir, Berglind Hólm Bernburg, Jón Gunnar Ólafsdóttir, Sigrún The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy |
author_facet |
Ragnarsdóttir, Berglind Hólm Bernburg, Jón Gunnar Ólafsdóttir, Sigrún |
author_sort |
Ragnarsdóttir, Berglind Hólm |
title |
The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy |
title_short |
The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy |
title_full |
The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy |
title_fullStr |
The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Global Financial Crisis and Individual Distress: The Role of Subjective Comparisons after the Collapse of the Icelandic Economy |
title_sort |
global financial crisis and individual distress: the role of subjective comparisons after the collapse of the icelandic economy |
publisher |
SAGE Publications |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453790 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0038038512453790 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/0038038512453790 |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Sociology volume 47, issue 4, page 755-775 ISSN 0038-0385 1469-8684 |
op_rights |
http://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038512453790 |
container_title |
Sociology |
container_volume |
47 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
755 |
op_container_end_page |
775 |
_version_ |
1802008004661346304 |