Blackwell Reference Online

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The relative deprivation model aims to explain individuals’ decisions to join or start social movements and is based on a certain set of psychological ideas ( Gurr 1970 ). Relative deprivation itself refers to “the gap between what one has and what one expects” ( Brusch 1996 ), particularly in comparison to some specific reference group. The concept of relative deprivation has its roots in the early “frustration-aggression hypothesis” of John Dollard, which suggested that when individuals respond to frustration and do not receive a response that relieves their frustration, such individuals will respond with aggression. Relative deprivation has been used as the mechanism to explain where this frustration emerges from. Analysts of relative deprivation have specified a variety of dimensions of deprivation that individuals may experience. These include aspirational deprivation , or having increasing aspirations that are not realized; decremental deprivation , or when expectations are stable but available resources are declining; and progressive deprivation , or improvement in general social, economic, or power conditions which is followed by a sudden reversal of these trends. In general, in order to experience relative deprivation, an individual must not only experience desire, but also feel that she or he has a right to gain access to the sought-after resources. In addition, she ... log in or subscribe to read full text