Adam was taking a public speaking class and was angry with his instructor. All of his friends were getting good grades except him, and they all told him that he made the best presentations. The instructor's evaluations of his presentations all stated that they were amusing, but were also provided an inadequate explanation of the topic. Adam asked his instructor why all his friends (all his friends in the class happen to be females) were getting good grades and he was not. Adam thought he was learning to be a better speaker and that the instructor was biased towards the females, being one herself. However, Adam did not realize that there were other males in the class getting good grades. This conflict escalated because of