Relative Deprivation

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🌈 The Big Picture

🎨 The Core Relative Deprivation Family

• 상대적 → relative / comparative. It means something is understood in relation to something else, not by itself.

• 박탈 → deprivation / being deprived of something. It is stronger than simply “not having.”

• 감 → feeling / sense. In words like 상실감 (sense of loss), 소외감 (sense of alienation), and 박탈감 (sense of deprivation), it turns an experience into an emotional state.

• 상대적 박탈감 → a sense of relative deprivation: feeling deprived because one’s situation looks unfairly worse than another person’s or group’s situation.

• 비교 → comparison. Neutral by itself; the emotional result depends on context.

• 불평등 → inequality. Focuses on unfair distribution or unequal conditions.

• 격차 → gap / disparity. Focuses on measurable distance between groups or conditions.

• 위화감 → sense of disharmony / social distance. Often used when visible differences make people feel separated.

• 심리적 위축 → psychological discouragement / shrinking back. Describes the internal effect: confidence or participation becomes smaller.

🛠️ How They Work in a Sentence

• 청년들은 집값 상승으로 상대적 박탈감을 느낄 수 있다.
(Young people may feel relative deprivation because of rising housing prices. 🏠)
청년들 means “young people,” 집값 상승 means “rising housing prices,” and 느끼다 means “to feel.”

• 소득 격차가 커질수록 불평등에 대한 문제의식도 깊어진다.
(As the income gap grows, awareness of inequality also deepens. 📊)
소득 격차 means “income gap,” 커질수록 means “the more it grows,” and 문제의식 means “critical awareness of a problem.”

• 끊임없는 비교는 개인에게 심리적 위축을 가져올 수 있다.
(Constant comparison can bring psychological discouragement to an individual. 🧠)
끊임없는 means “constant,” 개인 means “individual,” and 가져오다 means “to bring about.”

🧩 General Formation Rule

• 상대적 + 박탈감 → 상대적 박탈감
(relative + sense of deprivation → relative deprivation)

• 박탈감 + 을 느끼다 → 박탈감을 느끼다
(to feel a sense of deprivation)

• 격차 + 가 커지다 → 격차가 커지다
(a gap widens)

• 불평등 + 이 심화되다 → 불평등이 심화되다
(inequality intensifies)

• 심리적으로 위축되다 → to become psychologically discouraged / to shrink back emotionally

📚 Cross-check note

🪞 Synonym Alert

• 박탈감 → sense of deprivation; broader and can be absolute or relative.

• 상실감 → sense of loss; focuses on losing something one had or expected.

• 소외감 → sense of alienation; focuses on being left out.

• 열등감 → inferiority complex / sense of inferiority; focuses on feeling personally inferior.

• 위화감 → sense of disharmony or social distance; focuses on discomfort from perceived difference.

• 불공정감 → sense of unfairness; more about fairness judgments than deprivation itself.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

• ❌ 상대적 박탈감 = “jealousy” → ✅ Use relative deprivation when comparison creates a sense of unfair lack; use 질투 for jealousy. 🪞

• ❌ 불평등 and 격차 are identical → ✅ 불평등 stresses unfairness; 격차 stresses the gap itself. ⚖️

• ❌ 박탈감 always means material poverty → ✅ It can be emotional, cultural, educational, social, or economic. 🧠

• ❌ Use 상대적 박탈감 for a tiny everyday complaint → ✅ The phrase sounds weighty and analytical, so use it for meaningful comparison or social context. 🏙️

• ❌ Translate 위축 only as “contraction” → ✅ In human contexts, 심리적 위축 is “psychological discouragement” or “shrinking back emotionally.” 🌧️

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🎯 Practice Hub — Relative Deprivation

 

Welcome to your advanced vocabulary gym for 상대적 박탈감. Today you’ll practice the social vocabulary around comparison, inequality, gaps, and the psychological effects that follow—basically, the vocabulary of “why does this comparison feel heavy?” 🪞⚖️

 

🔊 Audio reminder: Use

Korean Helper Widgets whenever you want to hear a sentence aloud.

 

📝 Instructions: Fill each blank with the most natural Korean word or phrase. Say the completed sentence aloud, check whether the nuance matches the English translation, then open the Answer toggle.

 

Exercise 1 — Core Term Recognition 🪞

A. 사회관계망서비스의 화려한 일상은 일부 이용자에게 ＿＿＿＿을 유발한다.

(Luxurious daily-life posts on social media trigger relative deprivation in some users. 📱)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — Comparison with displayed lifestyles creates the feeling of unfair lack.

B. 그 연구는 빈곤 자체보다 ＿＿＿＿이 사람들의 만족도에 미치는 영향을 다룬다.

(The study deals with how relative deprivation, rather than poverty itself, affects people’s satisfaction. 🔬)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — The contrast with absolute poverty signals the “relative” concept.

C. 같은 일을 해도 보상이 다르다는 인식은 ＿＿＿＿으로 이어질 수 있다.

(The perception that rewards differ despite doing the same work can lead to relative deprivation. 💼)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — The phrase fits when comparison and unfair lack combine.

D. 친구의 성취를 보는 것만으로도 늘 ＿＿＿＿을 느끼는 것은 아니다.

(Simply seeing a friend’s achievement does not always mean feeling relative deprivation. 🏆)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — The sentence warns not to overuse the term for every comparison.

E. 정책 논의에서 ＿＿＿＿은 개인 감정이면서 동시에 사회 구조와 연결된다.

(In policy discussions, relative deprivation is a personal feeling and also connected to social structure. 🏛️)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — This is the lesson’s central bridge between psychology and society.

F. 무분별한 ＿＿＿＿는 자신의 삶을 과소평가하게 만들 수 있다.

(Reckless comparison can make one undervalue one’s own life. 🪞)

Answer

비교 — The sentence names the act of comparing itself.

G. 눈에 보이는 생활 수준의 차이는 ＿＿＿＿을 강화하기도 한다.

(Visible differences in living standards sometimes strengthen relative deprivation. 🏙️)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — A visible difference can deepen the feeling of deprivation.

H. 그 표현은 단순한 ＿＿＿＿보다 사회적 맥락이 강하다.

(The expression has a stronger social context than simple envy. 👀)

Answer

부러움 — 부러움 is envy or admiration, usually lighter than 상대적 박탈감.

I. 계층 이동의 가능성이 낮다고 느낄 때 ＿＿＿＿은 더 커질 수 있다.

(Relative deprivation may grow when people feel that social mobility is unlikely. 🪜)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — Limited mobility plus comparison makes the phrase natural.

J. 광고는 소비 욕망을 자극하며 ＿＿＿＿을 부추길 수 있다.

(Advertising can stimulate consumer desire and fuel relative deprivation. 🛍️)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — 부추기다 means to stir up or fuel a feeling.

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Vocabulary Box

• 상대적 박탈감 → relative deprivation

• 사회관계망서비스 → social networking service

• 화려하다 → to be glamorous

• 유발하다 → to trigger; to cause

• 빈곤 → poverty

• 만족도 → satisfaction level

• 보상 → reward; compensation

• 인식 → perception

• 성취 → achievement

• 정책 논의 → policy discussion

• 사회 구조 → social structure

• 비교 → comparison

• 과소평가하다 → to undervalue

• 생활 수준 → standard of living

• 부러움 → envy; admiration

• 계층 이동 → social mobility

• 소비 욕망 → consumer desire

• 부추기다 → to stir up; to fuel

Tip 💡 상대적 박탈감 is strongest when comparison feels socially meaningful, not merely annoying.

 

Exercise 2 — Gap, Inequality, or Fairness? ⚖️

A. 도시와 농촌의 의료 ＿＿＿＿가 여전히 크다.

(The healthcare gap between cities and rural areas is still large. 🏥)

Answer

격차 — 의료 격차 names the measurable healthcare gap.

B. 자산 ＿＿＿＿은 세대 간 갈등의 원인으로 자주 언급된다.

(Asset inequality is often mentioned as a cause of intergenerational conflict. 🏦)

Answer

불평등 — The sentence highlights unequal distribution, not just distance.

C. 채용 과정이 불투명하면 지원자는 ＿＿＿＿을 느낄 수 있다.

(If the hiring process is opaque, applicants may feel a sense of unfairness. 🧾)

Answer

불공정감 — Procedural fairness is the key clue.

D. 디지털 기기 접근성의 ＿＿＿＿가 학습 기회를 제한한다.

(The gap in access to digital devices limits learning opportunities. 💻)

Answer

격차 — Access differences are often expressed as 접근성의 격차.

E. 임금 ＿＿＿＿이 심화되면 노동자의 불만도 커진다.

(When wage inequality intensifies, workers’ dissatisfaction also grows. 🧰)

Answer

불평등 — 불평등이 심화되다 is a natural collocation.

F. 지역별 문화 시설 ＿＿＿＿는 삶의 질에도 영향을 준다.

(The regional gap in cultural facilities affects quality of life as well. 🎭)

Answer

격차 — Facilities differ by region, so the measurable-distance word fits.

G. 동일한 기여에 다른 평가를 받으면 ＿＿＿＿ 논란이 생긴다.

(When the same contribution receives different evaluations, a fairness controversy arises. 🧑‍⚖️)

Answer

공정성 — The sentence is about fairness as a principle.

H. 교육 기회의 ＿＿＿＿은 장기적으로 소득 차이를 키운다.

(Inequality in educational opportunity increases income differences in the long term. 🎓)

Answer

불평등 — Opportunity is distributed unequally; 교육 기회의 불평등 is natural.

I. 두 집단 사이의 정보 ＿＿＿＿가 정책 참여를 어렵게 한다.

(The information gap between two groups makes policy participation difficult. 📰)

Answer

격차 — 정보 격차 is the standard phrase for an information gap.

J. 사회적 ＿＿＿＿을 줄이려면 제도적 개선이 필요하다.

(To reduce social inequality, institutional improvement is necessary. 🏛️)

Answer

불평등 — 사회적 불평등 is the broad structural term.

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Vocabulary Box

• 격차 → gap; disparity

• 불평등 → inequality

• 불공정감 → sense of unfairness

• 공정성 → fairness

• 도시 → city

• 농촌 → rural area

• 의료 → healthcare

• 자산 → assets

• 세대 간 갈등 → intergenerational conflict

• 채용 과정 → hiring process

• 불투명하다 → to be opaque; not transparent

• 접근성 → accessibility

• 학습 기회 → learning opportunity

• 임금 → wage

• 심화되다 → to intensify

• 문화 시설 → cultural facilities

• 기여 → contribution

• 평가 → evaluation

• 제도적 개선 → institutional improvement

Tip 💡 격차 measures distance; 불평등 evaluates unequal structure; 불공정감 names felt unfairness.

 

Exercise 3 — Emotional Effects and Social Distance 🧠

A. 계속된 비교는 자신감을 낮추고 ＿＿＿＿을 초래할 수 있다.

(Constant comparison can lower confidence and cause psychological discouragement. 🌧️)

Answer

심리적 위축 — Confidence shrinking inward is the core image.

B. 모임에서 반복적으로 배제된 사람은 ＿＿＿＿을 느낄 수 있다.

(A person repeatedly excluded from gatherings may feel alienation. 🚪)

Answer

소외감 — Exclusion from a group points to alienation.

C. 갑작스러운 해고 이후 그는 강한 ＿＿＿＿에 빠졌다.

(After the sudden dismissal, that person fell into a strong sense of loss. 📦)

Answer

상실감 — Losing work or stability points to loss.

D. 화려한 고급 주거지와 낡은 동네가 나란히 있으면 ＿＿＿＿이 생길 수 있다.

(When a luxurious residential area and an old neighborhood sit side by side, a sense of disharmony may arise. 🏘️)

Answer

위화감 — Visible contrast creates social discomfort or disharmony.

E. 자신을 늘 부족하다고 여기는 태도는 ＿＿＿＿을 키운다.

(An attitude of always seeing oneself as lacking strengthens a sense of inferiority. 🪫)

Answer

열등감 — The focus is personal inferiority.

F. 사회적 시선이 두려워 발언을 줄이는 것도 ＿＿＿＿의 한 모습이다.

(Reducing one’s speech out of fear of social judgment is one form of psychological discouragement. 🤐)

Answer

심리적 위축 — The person shrinks back behaviorally and emotionally.

G. 새로운 조직에 적응하지 못하면 구성원은 ＿＿＿＿을 경험할 수 있다.

(If someone cannot adapt to a new organization, the member may experience alienation. 🏢)

Answer

소외감 — The relationship with the group is weakened.

H. 부유층과 서민층의 소비 방식 차이는 때로 ＿＿＿＿을 만든다.

(Differences in consumption styles between the wealthy and ordinary people sometimes create disharmony. 🛒)

Answer

위화감 — The visible mismatch produces social distance.

I. 기대했던 기회를 놓쳤을 때 생기는 허전함은 ＿＿＿＿에 가깝다.

(The emptiness felt after missing an expected opportunity is close to a sense of loss. 🎫)

Answer

상실감 — The key is losing or missing something expected.

J. 경제적 실패가 곧바로 ＿＿＿＿을 뜻하는 것은 아니다.

(Economic failure does not automatically mean a sense of inferiority. 🧭)

Answer

열등감 — The sentence separates life outcome from self-evaluation.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 심리적 위축 → psychological discouragement

• 소외감 → sense of alienation

• 상실감 → sense of loss

• 위화감 → sense of disharmony

• 열등감 → sense of inferiority

• 자신감 → confidence

• 초래하다 → to cause; to bring about

• 배제되다 → to be excluded

• 해고 → dismissal; layoff

• 주거지 → residential area

• 낡다 → to be old; worn-out

• 부족하다 → to be insufficient

• 사회적 시선 → social gaze; social judgment

• 발언 → statement; speaking up

• 적응하다 → to adapt

• 구성원 → member

• 부유층 → wealthy class

• 서민층 → ordinary-income class

• 허전함 → emptiness

Tip 💡 Feelings ending in -감 are not interchangeable; ask what kind of lack, distance, or self-judgment is happening.

 

Exercise 4 — Natural Collocations 🧩

A. 청년 세대의 상대적 박탈감을 ＿＿＿＿ 정책이 필요하다.

(Policies that ease young people’s relative deprivation are necessary. 🌱)

Answer

완화하는 — From 완화하다, meaning to ease or alleviate.

B. 지역 간 소득 격차가 점점 ＿＿＿＿ 있다.

(The income gap between regions is gradually widening. 🗺️)

Answer

벌어지고 — From 벌어지다, a natural verb for a gap widening.

C. 불평등이 ＿＿＿＿ 계층 간 신뢰도 약해진다.

(When inequality intensifies, trust between classes also weakens. ⚖️)

Answer

심화되면 — From 심화되다, meaning to intensify or deepen.

D. 비교 문화가 박탈감을 ＿＿＿＿ 수 있다는 지적이 있다.

(There is criticism that a culture of comparison can fuel deprivation. 🔥)

Answer

부추길 — From 부추기다, meaning to stir up or fuel.

E. 과도한 경쟁은 학생들의 심리적 위축을 ＿＿＿＿.

(Excessive competition causes students’ psychological discouragement. 🧑‍🎓)

Answer

초래한다 — From 초래하다, meaning to cause or bring about, often for negative results.

F. 정부는 교육 기회의 불평등을 ＿＿＿＿ 위해 장학금을 확대했다.

(The government expanded scholarships to reduce inequality in educational opportunity. 🎓)

Answer

줄이기 — From 줄이다, meaning to reduce.

G. 그 발언은 계층 간 위화감을 ＿＿＿＿ 비판을 받았다.

(That remark was criticized for deepening disharmony between classes. 🎙️)

Answer

키운다는 — From 키우다, meaning to grow or increase.

H. 투명한 절차는 불공정감을 ＿＿＿＿ 데 도움이 된다.

(Transparent procedures help reduce the sense of unfairness. 🧾)

Answer

낮추는 — From 낮추다, meaning to lower.

I. 불안정한 노동 환경은 미래에 대한 상실감을 ＿＿＿＿ 수 있다.

(An unstable labor environment can deepen a sense of loss about the future. 🏭)

Answer

깊게 할 — From 깊게 하다, meaning to make deeper.

J. 사회적 안전망은 상대적 박탈감의 확산을 ＿＿＿＿ 역할을 한다.

(A social safety net plays a role in preventing the spread of relative deprivation. 🛟)

Answer

막는 — From 막다, meaning to prevent or block in the ordinary sense of stopping something.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 완화하다 → to ease; to alleviate

• 벌어지다 → to widen; to open up

• 심화되다 → to intensify; to deepen

• 부추기다 → to fuel; to incite

• 초래하다 → to cause; to bring about

• 줄이다 → to reduce

• 키우다 → to increase; to grow

• 낮추다 → to lower

• 깊게 하다 → to deepen

• 막다 → to prevent; to stop

• 청년 세대 → young generation

• 정책 → policy

• 지역 간 → between regions

• 계층 간 → between social classes

• 비교 문화 → culture of comparison

• 과도한 경쟁 → excessive competition

• 장학금 → scholarship

• 사회적 안전망 → social safety net

• 확산 → spread; diffusion

Tip 💡 Advanced vocabulary lives in collocations: 격차가 벌어지다, 불평등이 심화되다, 박탈감을 완화하다.

 

Exercise 5 — Mixed Mastery + Pitfall Patrol 🛡️

A. 단순히 친구의 새 가방이 부러운 상황을 ＿＿＿＿이라고 단정하면 과장될 수 있다.

(It may be exaggerated to label simple envy about a friend’s new bag as relative deprivation. 👜)

Answer

상대적 박탈감 — ❌ Tiny envy = automatic relative deprivation → ✅ Use the term when comparison has meaningful social or psychological weight.

B. 통계에서 두 집단의 점수 차이를 말할 때는 ＿＿＿＿가 가장 직접적이다.

(When talking about the score difference between two groups in statistics, “gap” is the most direct. 📊)

Answer

격차 — ❌ Treating every gap as inequality → ✅ 격차 first names the distance.

C. 분배가 구조적으로 한쪽에 유리하다면 ＿＿＿＿ 문제로 볼 수 있다.

(If distribution structurally favors one side, it can be seen as an inequality problem. ⚖️)

Answer

불평등 — ❌ Using only 격차 → ✅ 불평등 adds the unfair-structure nuance.

D. 사람들 앞에서 자주 무시당하면 발언을 피하는 ＿＿＿＿이 생길 수 있다.

(If someone is often ignored in front of others, psychological discouragement that avoids speaking may develop. 🤐)

Answer

심리적 위축 — ❌ Translating 위축 only physically → ✅ In human contexts, it often means emotional shrinking.

E. 절차가 공정한지 의심하는 감정은 ＿＿＿＿에 가깝다.

(The feeling of doubting whether a procedure is fair is close to a sense of unfairness. 🧾)

Answer

불공정감 — ❌ Calling every negative feeling 박탈감 → ✅ Procedure-focused unfairness is 불공정감.

F. 공동체에서 밀려난 느낌은 ＿＿＿＿으로 표현하는 것이 자연스럽다.

(The feeling of being pushed out of a community is naturally expressed as alienation. 🚪)

Answer

소외감 — ❌ Confusing exclusion with deprivation → ✅ Being left out points to 소외감.

G. 잃어버린 기회에 대한 허전함은 ＿＿＿＿과 관련된다.

(The emptiness about a lost opportunity is related to a sense of loss. 🎟️)

Answer

상실감 — ❌ Relative comparison is not always present → ✅ Loss itself points to 상실감.

H. 호화로운 공간과 열악한 공간이 맞붙어 있을 때 생기는 불편함은 ＿＿＿＿이다.

(The discomfort that arises when luxurious and poor spaces sit side by side is a sense of disharmony. 🏚️)

Answer

위화감 — ❌ Translating it as simple “weirdness” → ✅ 위화감 often means social or visual mismatch.

I. 자신이 남보다 본질적으로 못하다고 믿는 감정은 ＿＿＿＿이다.

(The feeling of believing one is essentially worse than others is a sense of inferiority. 🪫)

Answer

열등감 — ❌ Confusing social comparison with self-inferiority → ✅ 열등감 centers on self-evaluation.

J. 상대적 박탈감을 설명할 때 핵심 단서는 절대적 결핍보다 ＿＿＿＿이다.

(When explaining relative deprivation, the key clue is comparison rather than absolute lack. 🔍)

Answer

비교 — ❌ Treating it as pure poverty → ✅ The defining clue is comparison.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 상대적 박탈감 → relative deprivation

• 부럽다 → to be envious; to admire

• 과장되다 → to be exaggerated

• 격차 → gap; disparity

• 통계 → statistics

• 불평등 → inequality

• 분배 → distribution

• 구조적 → structural

• 심리적 위축 → psychological discouragement

• 무시당하다 → to be ignored; to be dismissed

• 불공정감 → sense of unfairness

• 절차 → procedure

• 소외감 → sense of alienation

• 공동체 → community

• 상실감 → sense of loss

• 허전함 → emptiness

• 위화감 → sense of disharmony

• 호화롭다 → to be luxurious

• 열악하다 → to be poor; inadequate

• 열등감 → sense of inferiority

• 절대적 결핍 → absolute lack

• 비교 → comparison

Tip 💡 Final check: 상대적 박탈감 needs comparison; 불평등 needs unfair structure; 격차 needs distance.

 

🎉 Excellent work. You can now discuss 상대적 박탈감 without flattening it into “envy,” and you can separate the gap, the unfairness, and the inner emotional effect like a vocabulary surgeon with a very tiny scalpel. 🩺✨