Final answer:
Equity theory focuses on the concept of fairness, where individuals assess their perceived fairness based on the balance of their contributions and rewards in comparison with others. Concepts of distributive justice play a major role in how societies attempt to regulate social fairness in the allocation of goods and services. Theories of justice, including those by Plato and Rawls, give us frameworks to evaluate and strive for a just society.
Step-by-step explanation:
Equity theory is focused on explaining how people work to achieve fairness. This theory posits that individuals are motivated by a sense of fairness in the distribution of rewards and resources, and they assess this fairness by comparing their own ratio of efforts to rewards with the ratios of others. When individuals perceive this balance to be unequal, they might experience a tension that can lead to changes in behaviors or attitudes in an attempt to restore balance.
In sociology, those using a conflict perspective might examine aspects of social movements, focusing on what motivates inequitably treated people to join and what individuals hope to gain from taking part. From a broader perspective, several ideologies were noted for their approach to the concept of distributive justice, a moral framework aiming to ensure fairness in the distribution of wealth, goods, and services. Philosophers like Plato and John Rawls have contributed significantly to the theory of justice, with Rawls proposing two major principles which must guide society to achieve this fairness.
Different perspectives and theories of distributive justice also attend to the principles of effort and compensation, suggesting that rewards should be proportional to the effort expelled or the costs incurred. However, egalitarian theories also suggest that while not all outcomes should necessarily be equal, the basic status and moral worth of individuals should be regarded as equal.