Frank's (1984a) theory of interdependent preferences and the competiti
ve wage structure posits that higher paid workers tradeoff income for
status in the organization. Lower paid workers are compensated for the
low status their pay entails. This study tested this theory on a samp
le of police personnel, The results indicated that the desire for stat
us moderated the influence of relative pay on organizational attachmen
t in directions predicted by the theory. implications for compensation
practice and social comparison research are discussed.