Justice Processes: Specifying the Mediating Role of Perceptions of Distributive Justice

Abstract

Extant theories suggest that individuals’ perceptions of the fairness of their pay causally intervene between the salary/wages they receive and their emotional responses (e.g., satisfaction) to that level of pay. In addition, it has been argued that the impact of an event evaluated by an individual as unfair depends on the importance of fairness to that individual—an unfair event has a greater effect for those who place greater importance on distributive justice. Despite the centrality of these arguments in the justice literature, current research has not adequately tested them. In this article, the authors propose a general theoretical model based on these arguments. A structural equation model is then estimated using data from a national sample of Protestant clergy. The findings support both the mediating role of ministers’ perceptions of distributive justice and the moderating role of the importance of justice in explaining their level of pay satisfaction.