Individual differences in Sensitivity to Befallen Injustice (SBI)

Dispositional Sensitivity to Befallen Injustice (SBI) is proposed as a new construct. A self-report questionnaire with four indicators was developed for measuring SBI (frequency of perceived injustice, intensity of anger following injustice, intrusiveness of thoughts about unjust events, punitivity towards the victimizer). In Study I, structural equation modelling and the general rationale of multitrait-multimethod analysis were used to establish the convergent and discriminant validity if this questionnaire vis à vis measures for Trait Anger, Anger In, Anger Out and Frustration Tolerance as related constructs. In study II, SBI predicted cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions to unjust treatment in the laboratory several weeks after SBI was measured. In study III, SBI predicted cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions to a natural disadvantage that occurred to a person several weeks after SBI was measured. In Study IV, SBI was found to moderate the effect of perceived procedural unfairness in the workplace on self-reported sickness at work and self-reported absence from work. For justice-sensitive employees, the effect of perceived procedural unfairness had a stronger effect on this criterion than for justice-insensitive employees.