ABSTRACT
People who evaluate the situations as ‘unfair’ or ‘unjust’, thus expressing limits to their acceptance of social exclusion, inform us about the living conditions and resources that are needed in order to be able to refer to social norms of participation in terms of indignation. The assumption is that the correlation between (unpleasant) work and material compensation should be fair. Indignation appears if the implicit social contract is breached. These interviewees expressed the feeling that they do not receive that which they have earned. In many interviews, indignation is directly connected with a reaffirmation of the social rights to which every citizen is entitled. This reference is made especially with regard to health problems. However, the Bologna material also includes interviews in which indignation based on political assumptions turns into resentment. This seems to occur if people are in competition with each other for available resources.
