Multiple Discrepancies and Pay Satisfaction

In this study, a mail survey was used to measure pay satisfaction, current salary, 4 personal standards of comparison, and basic demographics for 169 mental health professionals. As predicted, pay satisfaction was determined by the simultaneous appraisal of current salary against several personal standards of comparison. Explained variance in pay satisfaction rose from 26.1% when only salary and demographics were used as predictors to 46.7% when discrepancy-related variables associated with 4 standards of comparison also were used. Furthermore, R 2 for the combined discrepancy-related variables associated with all 4 standards of comparison was significantly greater than R 2 for the discrepancy-related variables associated with any single standard. These discrepancy effects took both additive and nonadditive forms. Discrepancy effects were stronger when deserved salary or minimum salary was the standard of comparison than when other's salary or average salary was.