What is it in simple terms?

Rejecting unfair splits even at a cost.

Do people dislike getting more?

Somewhat, but much less than getting less.

Inequity Aversion

🧠 Psychology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 27, 2026

Inequity aversion is the tendency to care about differences between one's own and others' outcomes, so that people avoid or reject unfair distributions even at personal cost.

Contents

1. Rejecting unfairness
2. Fehr–Schmidt
3. Critiques
4. FAQ
5. References

Rejecting unfairness

Güth et al.'s (1982) ultimatum game and Adams's equity theory (1965).

Fehr–Schmidt

Fehr and Schmidt (1999); Bolton and Ockenfels (2000); Brosnan and de Waal (2003); Tricomi et al. (2010).

Critiques

Charness and Rabin (2002) favour efficiency and maximin concerns; reciprocity offers another reading; see relative deprivation.

FAQ

What is it in simple terms?: Rejecting unfair splits even at a cost.
Do people dislike getting more?: Somewhat, but much less than getting less.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

Fehr, E., & Schmidt, K. M. (1999). A theory of fairness, competition, and cooperation. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 114(3), 817–868. The canonical model separating disadvantageous and advantageous inequity.
Bolton, G. E., & Ockenfels, A. (2000). ERC: A theory of equity, reciprocity, and competition. American Economic Review, 90(1), 166–193. An alternative model based on relative shares.
Charness, G., & Rabin, M. (2002). Understanding social preferences with simple tests. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117(3), 817–869. Simple games testing rival social-preference models.
Brosnan, S. F., & de Waal, F. B. M. (2003). Monkeys reject unequal pay. Nature, 425(6955), 297–299. Shows capuchins reject unequal rewards, suggesting evolutionary roots.
Güth, W., Schmittberger, R., & Schwarze, B. (1982). An experimental analysis of ultimatum bargaining. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 3(4), 367–388. The first ultimatum-game experiment, showing rejection of unfair offers.
Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2, 267–299. The equity-theory classic on input–outcome ratios.
Tricomi, E., Rangel, A., Camerer, C. F., & O'Doherty, J. P. (2010). Neural evidence for inequality-averse social preferences. Nature, 463(7284), 1089–1091. Brain-imaging evidence for inequality-averse preferences.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '불평등 회피' on CampusDown →

Ultimatum GameWhat the ultimatum game is: a proposer offers a split that a responder can only accept or reject, how results depart from theory, fairness models such as Fehr–Schmidt, the 15-society study and neuroeconomic findings.📈 Economics Adams' Equity TheoryAdams' equity theory explained: comparing one's ratio of outcomes to inputs with others, reactions to under- and over-reward, six ways people restore equity, and its link to organisational justice.💼 Business Relative deprivationWhat is relative deprivation? How it differs from absolute deprivation, the surprising findings of Stouffer’s The American Soldier (1949), Runciman’s egoistic and fraternal deprivation, what a 2012 meta-analysis of 210 studies found, and how social media comparison fits in.👥 Sociology Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsMaslow's hierarchy of needs explained: definition, the five levels, deficiency vs. growth needs, the pyramid myth, empirical criticisms and limitations, report examples for social work, nursing and business, and references.🧠 Psychology

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This article was last updated on October 27, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.