Justice processes: Specifying the mediating role of perceptions of distributive justice

Extant theories suggest that individuals' perceptions of the fairness of th eir 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 unfai r event has a greater effect for those who place greater importance on dist ributive justice. Despite the centrality of these arguments in the justice literature, current research has nor adequately tested them. In this articl e, 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 suppers both the mediating role o f ministers' perceptions of distributive justice and the moderating role of the importance of justice in explaining their level of pay satisfaction