Parents just don't understand: Parent-offspring conflict over mate choice

Previous research reveals that children and parents are not in complete agreement over which traits are most important for the mate of the child. Children tend to prefer traits that suggest genetic quality, whereas parents prefer characteristics that suggest high parental investment and cooperation with the ingroup. Using a sample of parents, mothers (n = 234) and fathers (n =240) the hypothesis was supported; parents perceived characteristics indicating a lack of genetic quality as being more unacceptable to the child, while characteristics indicating a lack of parental investment and cooperation with the ingroup were more unacceptable to themselves. Sex differences between mothers and fathers and sons and daughters were explored.     

When lack of control enhances closeness to others: The case of unemployment and economic threat

When personal control is threatened, people often turn to their own group and show negativity towards others. In three studies, we tested an alternative prediction that the salient lack of personal control (vs. control) experienced in the context of unemployment can lead to connectedness and more positive perception of similar others (e.g., members of groups affected by unemployment or the economic crisis). In two European countries, we found experimental (Study 1: Poland) and correlational (Study 2: Spain) evidence that a lowered sense of control of unemployed people was related to more favorable intergroup evaluations. Furthermore, when lack of control related to unemployment threat was experimentally induced, participants perceived a Greek outgroup more positively, and this effect was mediated by identification with and similarity to this group (Study 3). We discuss the role of the shared experience of collective uncontrollability in promoting positive intergroup relations.     

Interorganisational Relationships in Times of Decline: Implications for Organisational Resilience

We seek to delineate the processes by which work relationships between employees from buyer and supplier organisations can enhance the supplier's resilience. A micro-foundations perspective is taken to study the effect of individual-level relationships on these higher-level processes in the context of a declining organisation—a supplier that has been experiencing a period of size decline, following the transition of some of its stronger competitors to a more advanced generation of products. The findings of a qualitative study indicate that the work relationships built between employees from the supplier and the customers around current product and services offerings can help a declining organisation to cope with setbacks and difficulties. Expanding on the three C's of hardiness (challenge, control, and commitment), we discuss the implications of our research for the study of resilience through the lens of interorganisational work relationships and highlight the different pathways that build these coping and adaptation qualities for the organisation. Specifically, the challenge of transitioning to new products can negatively influence these work relationships unless the supplier organisation provides supportive context by allowing employees to retain the necessary control over what it takes to serve their customers. Furthermore, the supplier should display strong commitment to integrate the new offerings while customers need to mirror this commitment by developing a willingness to adopt these new offerings by the supplier. The findings further suggest that these new offerings can be translated into higher levels of adaptation.