Exclusion, exploitation, and the psychology of fairness
This chapter considers how the original theory fits with new biological studies of how other social animals react to what we humans see as fair or unfair treatment, with neurological studies of brain reactions to fairness and to exclusion, and, of course, with continuing research in social psychology and related disciplines. Social connections and social interaction might soothe the pain of unfairness in the same way they soothe physical pain. The strongest example of self-interest analysis in social psychology is seen in Interdependence Theory, which posits that most social behavior can be explained if one assumes that individuals seek the attainment of individual social rewards. Group Value Theory has proven to be a very useful account of how people analyze procedural and process justice-related experiences and how they use fairness judgments to guide their behavior and to generate attitudes and beliefs.
