Question

2) How does the principle of relative deprivation impact your perception of personal happiness?

Answer 1

• Relative deprivation is the belief that a person will feel deprived or entitled to something based on the comparison to someone else.Relative deprivation theory refers to the idea that feelings of deprivation and discontent are related to a desired point of reference (i.e., reference groups). Feelings of relative deprivation arise when desires become legitimate expectations and those desires are blocked by society.
• It does affect my personal happiness especially related to my work,comparing myself to my co worker comes naturally and I do get depressed when they get a big opportunity,which I think I deserved but never got. A huge pay rise was given to my co worker,which I thought would be given to me since I completed all my projects on time and efficiently.Seeing him getting the reward was a setback for me.Money is important for all of us but the praise one gets at their is also rewarding to be motivated to do the work and be happy doing what you are doing at your job. And,yes I did feel worthless after that,thinking that all my hardwork has gone down the drain.
• These social comparisons to particular reference groups happen all the time,differently for different people. Even though I try not to compare myself with others,but sometimes its inevitable and it does hinder your personal happiness and satisfaction with life.To satisfy one's ego these comparisons are made which determine our level of happiness today.