Chapter 2: Justice Violations, Emotional Reactions, and Justice-Seeking Responses

As two new employees chat prior to their first meeting with the Human Resource Administrator, one discovers that he is being paid several thousand dollars less per year than his new colleague, despite having the same credentials. Disappointed, the lower-paid employee later discusses the situation with the Human Resource Administrator. He argues that, given their comparable qualifications and job responsibilities, it only seems fair that he and the other employee should be paid the same salary; he believes that would be an equitable resolution.

An instructor grading class projects is distressed to spot a clear instance of plagiarism in one student’s paper. When confronted, the student admits to the transgression and asks the teacher if she can just rewrite the paper. The teacher tells the student that, although the school’s Academic Honesty policy grants instructors some discretion, this particular ethical breach appears to have been a blatant and intentional act. The instructor says that, in her judgment, some punitive sanction is required to be fair to the other students in the class and to make sure that other students know there are consequences for breaking the rules. The student not only has to rewrite the paper but also suffers a grade sanction for the offense.