ABSTRACT
Like so many students of psychology, I came to the field looking for answers to questions that probably cannot be answered. In my case, the primary question was concerned with the relational character of value experiences. If the pleasantness or painfulness of any particular event is determined by how that event compares with other events we have experienced, does it not follow that there must always be an even balance between pleasure and pain? The logic of this despairing inquiry goes something like this: Life is a succession of events, some of which can be characterized with respect to experienced value (pleasantness, goodness, etc.). A succession of highly valued experiences raises our standards so that what was once satisfying becomes dissatisfying. The psychological process of comparison guarantees an even balance between positive and negative experiences.
