Prioritizing Patterns and Life Satisfaction among Ultra-Orthodox Jews: The Moderating Role of the Sense of Community

Abstract

Recent research suggests that individuals differ in the extent to which they seek activities that promote hedonic or eudaimonic well-being. Prioritizing positivity describes a strategy of pursuing happiness by seeking pleasurable activities or circumstances that can lead to naturally occurring positive emotions, while prioritizing meaning describes a strategy of cultivating well-being by purposefully seeking activities that are conducive to experiencing meaning in life. While these notions have been examined among the general population, little is known about how these prioritizing patterns are linked with well-being in closed religious groups, who often promote the benefit of the collective group in lieu of the individual’s personal choices and interests. Based on a sample of 407 Ultra-Orthodox Jewish individuals (mean age?=?33.58, SD?=?8.89), 55.5% of which were women, the results demonstrated that prioritizing meaning and sense of community were positively associated with life satisfaction. Moreover, a significant interaction of sense of community?×?prioritizing positivity was found, indicating a positive connection between prioritizing positivity and life satisfaction for individuals with a high sense of community, but a negative connection for those with a low sense of community. Our findings suggest that even in extremely close-knit community-oriented societies, a strong sense of belonging to a community enables individuals to prioritize more hedonic aspects of their lives in order to promote their life satisfaction.     

The Influence of Participation, Gender and Organizational Sense of Community on Psychological Empowerment: The Moderating Effects of Income

This study explored the influence of participation, gender and organizational sense of community (SOC) on both the intrapersonal and interactional components of psychological empowerment (PE). Participants were residents (n = 562) involved in community organizing efforts in five U.S. communities. Measures of participation and SOC were tailored to community organization contexts. SOC assessed three dimensions: (1) connection of members to the organization; (2) perceptions about the organization as a bridge to other groups and organizations in the broader community; and (3) bond or attachment to the community at large. Income (low, middle and high-income) was tested as a moderator of these relationships. Results showed significant moderating effects of income on the relationship between participation, gender and SOC on both components of PE. Participation was positively related with intrapersonal empowerment across income levels, but positively related with interactional empowerment only for low-income individuals. Gender was only associated with intrapersonal empowerment, and only for low-income individuals. SOC, as expressed through bridging to the broader community, was positively related with interactional PE for all income levels, but with intrapersonal PE for only low and middle-income individuals. In contrast, member connection to the organization was not related to interactional empowerment and significantly related to intrapersonal empowerment only for individuals with higher income. The importance of participation, gender and SOC for different types of empowerment and the impact of income on the SOC-empowerment relationship are discussed.     

社会排斥对消费选择偏向的影响：怀旧的调节作用及社会联结的中介作用

社会排斥会导致许多消极影响,人们会尝试通过各种策略对此进行缓解,而消费是其中重要的一种应对方式。本文通过3个实验考察了社会排斥和消费选择偏向（体验性消费vs.实物性消费）的关系,同时探讨了怀旧的调节作用和社会联结的中介作用。结果发现,社会排斥可以提高消费者对体验性消费的偏好,怀旧调节了社会排斥与体验性消费偏向的关系,并通过社会联结的中介作用进一步缓冲了社会排斥对消费选择偏向的影响。     

The Effects of Mood on Moral Judgment: The Role of Self‐Monitoring1

After being induced, via film clips, into either a positive (happy) or negative (sad) mood, high and low self‐monitors completed a moral reasoning task (the Defining Issues Test). The results indicate that mood had a significant impact on the moral decision making of low, but not high self‐monitors. In particular, low self‐monitors induced into a positive mood demonstrated more sophisticated and principled moral reasoning strategies than did low self‐monitors induced into a negative mood. In contrast, the level of moral reasoning among high self‐monitors did not differ significantly as a function of induced mood.     

虚拟社区公民行为在虚拟社区感与知识共享意图间的中介作用:自我效能感的调节机制

采用问卷法对445名虚拟社区成员及与其比较亲密的其他社区成员进行调查,探讨了虚拟社区感的三个维度(成员感、影响力、沉浸感)对成员知识共享意图的影响及其内在作用机制。结果表明:(1)成员感对成员知识共享意图具有显著的正向预测作用,而影响力和沉浸感的预测作用不显著;(2)虚拟社区公民行为是成员感对成员知识共享意图作用的中介变量;(3)自我效能感在成员感—虚拟社区公民行为—知识共享意图关系中不具有显著的调节效应。     

公平感对社会认知的影响:经济因素的调节作用

目的及方法:基于中国综合社会调查2010年数据,采用多层结构方程模型,探究中国民众公平感对社会认知的作用,及经济因素在其中的调节效应。研究结果:第一,公平感越高,则社会冲突感越低,外在政治效能感越高,越倾向于对社会不平等进行内部归因,即对于社会的整体认知更加积极; 第二,经济因素能调节公平感与社会不平等内归因的关系,具体而言,经济水平越低,则公平感对于社会不平等的内部归因正向预测作用越大。     

自主性动机对创造力的预测：认知抑制的调节作用

执行功能和动机是构成创造力个体差异的重要因素。本研究采用Stroop任务、自主性动机和创造力量表对372名大学生进行问卷调查及实验室研究,以考察认知抑制在自主性动机预测创造力中的调节作用。结果发现：（1）自主性动机显著正向预测流畅性/灵活性/独创性。（2）认知抑制调节自主性动机对流畅性与灵活性的预测作用。具体表现为对高认知抑制能力者,自主性动机显著正向预测流畅性和灵活性,对低认知抑制能力者这一预测作用不显著。该研究深化了自主性动机与创造力关系的研究。     

Comparative Judgment Processes: The Effects of Task Objectives and Time Delay on Product Evaluations

Consumers who compare products may often ignore features that the choice alternatives have in common. As a result, they often evaluate products more favorably when the products have unique positive features but common negative features than when they have unique negative features but common positive ones. Two studies examined contingencies in the occurrence of these “cancellation” effects and explored their implications for people's evaluations of not only the products being compared but other products they encounter subsequently. Some participants were explicitly told to compare two products at the time they received information about them. They not only disregarded the products' common features when initially evaluating these products, but disregarded evaluatively similar features of a third product they encountered some time later. Other participants were initially told to describe each product separately. In this condition, they formed an overall impression of each product individually, and so cancellation effects were not apparent. Nevertheless, their preference for one product over the other was based on a comparison of the products' individual features that they could recall at the time of judgment rather than on the global impressions they had formed when the product information was first presented.     

时间洞察力特质对食品选择偏好的影响:解释水平对内隐偏好的作用

探索两类时间洞察力特质个体外显与内隐食物选择偏好。实验1用《津巴多时间洞察力问卷》选出"现在享乐"和"未来定向"两类个体,考察其外显食物选择偏好,结果发现,与"未来定向"组相比,"现在享乐"个体选择更多垃圾食品。实验2中,两类个体分别接受不同的解释水平操作,之后完成单靶内隐联想测验,以考察其对垃圾食品的内隐态度,并检验解释水平的调节作用。结果发现,与未来定向组相比,现在享乐组对"垃圾食品"存在内隐偏好。此外,对现在享乐者,解释水平改变会对食物选择偏好有显著影响;而对未来定向者,其影响不显著。这表明与未来时间定向者比,现在享乐者在外显、内隐层面对"垃圾食品"有选择偏好,并且解释水平会通过改变心理距离对其内隐选择偏好产生影响。     

Sense of Coherence and Posttraumatic Growth: The Moderating Role of Value Orientation in Chinese and Swiss Bereaved Parents

Sense of Coherence–Revised (SOC-R) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) can be understood as two metaheuristics that are closely linked to resilience and adaption to adversity. This study investigated the association between SOC-R and PTG, as well as the moderating role of value orientations, in a sample of 67 Chinese and Swiss parents who lost their child. Results showed that, cross-culturally, the value of conservation was negatively associated with PTG, and self-transcendence showed a significant moderation effect to enhance the positive relationship between SOC-R and PTG. Implications for clinical practice to facilitate growth by focusing on SOC-R and value orientations were discussed.     

Social Influences on Organizational Attractiveness: Investigating If and When Word of Mouth Matters1

Previous recruitment studies have treated potential applicants as individual decision makers, neglecting informational social influences on organizational attractiveness. The present study investigated if and under what conditions word‐of‐mouth communication matters as a recruitment source. Results (N = 171) indicated that word of mouth had a strong impact on organizational attractiveness, and negative word of mouth interfered with recruitment advertising effects. Word of mouth from a strong tie was perceived as more credible and had a more positive effect on organizational attractiveness. For potential applicants high in self‐monitoring, word of mouth had a stronger effect when presented after recruitment advertising. Finally, the effect of word of mouth on organizational attractiveness was partially mediated by the perceived credibility of recruitment advertising.     

Social Identification and Sense of Community Among Members of a Cooperative Company: The Role of Perceived Organizational Values1

The aim of this study was to investigate, among members of a large cooperative company, the role of worker status (partner vs. employee), length of service, and cooperative values in influencing organizational identification (OI) and organizational sense of community (OSC). The study involved the totality of members of the cooperative (N = 805; 67.7% partners, 32.3% employees), who completed a self‐administered questionnaire, measuring perceived cooperative values, OI, OSC, and, among partners, identification as a partner. The results indicate that partners, more than employees, perceived the cooperative as living up to its core values and scored higher on OI and OSC. The impact of worker status on OI and OSC was mediated by perceived cooperative values.     

Effects of a Self-Efficacy Intervention on Exercise: The Moderating Role of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases

The paper examines the influence of a brief tailored intervention on exercise levels and self-efficacy beliefs in the context of participants' health status. We hypothesised that the effects of a self-efficacy intervention targeting more frequent exercise would be larger among people with diabetes or cardiovascular diseases (CVD), compared to the effects of the intervention among individuals without such diseases. The treatment was tailored to participants' self-efficacy and was delivered by e-mail. Data from 187 adults were collected at two measurement points, with a 6-month follow-up. Participants reported their exercise frequency and self-efficacy scores, along with several social-cognitive variables, such as risk perception and intentions. Besides the influence of the intervention on exercise and self-efficacy, we found that the treatment effects were moderated by diabetes or CVD: Participants with those illnesses benefited from the intervention, compared to people without such diagnosis. Among participants with CVD or diabetes the effects of the intervention on behavior were mediated by changes in efficacy beliefs. The results indicated that a parsimonious treatment may contribute to change in exercise over the longer term, in particular among individuals with a disease related to the respective behavior. Changes in behavior may be explained by changes in respective beliefs.     

Effects of Peer Victimization on Child Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties: The Moderating Role of Parenting

While the harmful effects of peer victimization have been well documented, there is limited research on the parental behaviors as potential moderators of victimization and child mental health outcomes. The current study examined the moderating effects of parental warmth, parental rejection, and child gender on the relation between peer victimization and child mental health difficulties, i.e., emotional and behavioral difficulties. Participants included 425 Chinese elementary school children in grades 3 to 6 (M_age?=?10.59, SD_age?=?1.11), who self-reported on peer victimization experiences, perceived parental warmth and rejection, and mental health difficulties. Data were collected at two-time points, six months apart. Victimization and parental rejection positively predicted child emotional and behavioral difficulties, while parental warmth negatively predicted child emotional and behavioral difficulties at both time points. Victimization significantly predicted emotional difficulties (at time 1) and behavioral difficulties (at time 2) for girls, but not boys. In addition, gender moderated the interaction of victimization and parental rejection in predicting child behavioral difficulties at time 1, i.e., parental rejection exacerbated the effects of peer victimization on behavioral difficulties for girls only. Findings highlight the need to target bullying prevention efforts, and underscore the importance of evaluating peer and parental factors while working with children with emotional and behavioral issues.

     

Goal Systemic Effects in the Context of Choice and Social Judgment

The present paper features a novel approach to motivation and self‐regulation couched in conceptual terms of goal systems theory ( Kruglanski et al., 2002 ). Goal systems theory adopts a cognitive view of motivation and highlights the interrelations of goals and means. The cognitive aspects of the theory have to do with the architecture of cognitions, and the finality of cognitive resources. The motivational aspects of the theory relate to the relation of the goal/means constructs to the dynamics of action and the affective phenomena that accompany goal pursuit. A goal systemic analysis not only affords a better understanding of classic self‐regulatory phenomena, but also offers new insights into various psychological problems such as choice and judgment.     

When Brand Attitudes Affect the Customer Satisfaction‐Loyalty Relation: The Moderating Role of Product Involvement

Drawing on the attitude accessibility and stability theories, we investigate the moderating role of product involvement in the customer satisfaction‐loyalty relation. Structural equation modeling shows that customer satisfaction has both direct and indirect effects on loyalty, whereas ad attitudes and corporate image have only indirect effects through their mediating influence on brand attitudes. Furthermore, product involvement decreases the direct effects of satisfaction on brand attitudes and loyalty, but it increases the indirect effects of ad attitudes and corporate image.     

Unemployment and Life Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of Time Structure and Collectivism1

This study investigated the mitigating role of collectivism and time structure in reaction to unemployment. Participants (N= 229) with different occupational status (employed, students, unemployed) coming from either northern or southern Italy were compared with regard to general life satisfaction. Unemployed were found to show lower life satisfaction. self‐esteem, and happiness than were employed peers or students, but these effects were found to be influenced by both collectivism and time structure. Life satisfaction was lower among unemployed from northern Italy (where individualistic norms prevailed) than from southern Italy (which was found to be more collectivist). Also, among unemployed, life satisfaction tended to be higher among those who perceived their use of time as more structured and purposive. The results suggest that unemployment may have less severe consequences in a collectivistic culture and for people with good time‐structure abilities.     

Effects of Role Assignment and Verbal Interaction on Accuracy and Overconfidence in Interpersonal Judgment1

In an experiment designed to test the effects of role assignment and verbal interaction on accuracy and overconfidence in interpersonal judgment, subjects estimated the questionnaire responses of a randomly assigned partner and assessed their confidence in each estimate. Ninety-five subjects were assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (role vs. no-role) by 2 (verbal interaction vs. no-interaction) design. Results indicated that accuracy was positively related to the weight subjects gave to their own responses in estimating the other person's responses, and both role assignment and verbal interaction caused subjects to give less weight to their own responses. Because they gave less weight to their own responses, subjects in the role conditions were less accurate than those in the no-role conditions, and this reduction in accuracy resulted in greater overconfidence and worse calibration. Practical implications of these results are discussed.