The intergroup sensitivity effect in mergers and acquisitions: Testing the role of merger motives

Research has shown that people are more defensive to criticism when it stems from an outgroup member, compared to an ingroup member (the intergroup sensitivity effect: ISE). We conducted two online vignette experiments to examine the ISE in the context of an organizational merger and the role of merger motives for the ISE. We predicted that the ISE would also emerge in mergers and acquisitions (M&As), but people would respond less negatively to criticism from the outgroup when the motive for the merger is described as achieving synergies rather than growth. In Experiment 1 (N = 452), which did not mention any motives behind the acquisition, a significant ISE emerged. Experiment 2 (N = 587) again showed an ISE regardless of the merger motive. In both experiments, the ISE was mediated by perceptions of the outgroup criticism as less legitimate and constructive. Overall, this research points to the intergroup sensitivity effect as a relevant phenomenon during post-merger integration.     

Lay theories and ageist attitudes at work: Essentialist beliefs about cognitive aging,fixed mindsets,and cyclical perception of time are linked to ageist attitudes toward older workers

To resolve the problem of ageist attitudes in organizational contexts, the psychological processes that contribute to their endorsement must be investigated. We suggest that lay theories of aging (essentialist beliefs about cognitive aging, EBCA), fixed versus growth mindsets, and lay theories of time (LTT, perceptions of time as change versus. repetition) represent a set of beliefs linked to ageist attitudes toward older workers. We also propose that relationships between these beliefs and ageism are mediated by stereotypical perceptions of older workers. In a pilot study, we constructed a measure of ageist attitudes toward older workers (AATOW). In the main study, we surveyed 166 younger workers (18–30 years old, employed full-time), measuring EBCA, mindsets, LTT, age-related stereotypes, and AATOW. The results demonstrated that there were significant relationships between EBCA, fixed mindset, LTT, and ageist attitudes. The relationships between EBCA and ageism, and mindsets and ageism were mediated by perceptions of older workers as not adaptable, while the relationship between LTT and ageism was not mediated by age-related stereotypes. Implications for organizational efforts to nurture an age-inclusive intergenerational workforce are discussed.     

Identification with all humanity—A test of the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the scale in five countries

Identification with all humanity measured as an individual characteristic is an important factor related to social and international relations, such as concern for global issues and human rights, prosocial attitudes, intergroup forgiveness, attitudes toward immigrants, solving global problems, reactions to hate crimes and dehumanisation. We examine the factorial structure, psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Identification with All Humanity (IWAH) scale in student samples from five countries (the United States, Poland, France, Mexico and Chile; N = 1930). Separate confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) for each country showed a second-order model of one superordinate factor with two subfactors. The cross-country validation of the scale, based on multigroup CFA, confirmed configural and metric invariance between countries for raw scores, and full metric invariance for “pure” scores. This study showed that the IWAH scale can be successfully used for cross-country research and the results from different countries can be compared and integrated.     

From ‘Polytheists’ to ‘Partners in the Nation’: Islamist Attitudes Towards Coptic Egyptians in Post-revolutionary Egypt (2011–2013)

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Islamist and Salafi organizations, some of them with a violent past, emerged as political actors and displayed a consistent effort to appear as serious and inclusive political contenders. This article studies the attitudes of actors such as the Salafi Nur Party and al-Gamā?a al-Islāmiyya towards Coptic Egyptians in the post-revolutionary phase (2011–2013). It offers a perspective on how these actors navigated between the new political realities and their ideological positions. It argues that Islamist perceptions of the Copts have changed in response to the actions of the latter and that this is pivotal for understanding political attitudes, which seemed at times both moderate and dogmatic, volatile and contradictory. I therefore aim to go beyond the idea of ‘the Copts’ as a silent and homogenous minority and instead integrate the new form of Coptic activism which became visible and vocal after 2011. This approach helps towards a better understanding of how ‘the Copts’ appeared simultaneously in Salafi political discourses as useful political tools, infidels, enemies and equal citizens.     

The multisensory base of bodily coupling in face-to-face social interactions: Contrasting the case of autism with the Möbius syndrome

The perennial question of how we understand others’ emotions and mental states has undertaken an “interactive turn,” emphasizing the crucial role of low-level bodily coupling and second-personal engagements with others as opposed to the individualistic procedure of mental state attribution or “mindreading.” This raises the important question of what counts as foundational for socio-emotional understanding: high-level mentalistic abilities, low-level bodily coupling, or an integrative combination of both? Recent findings on face-based emotion-recognition in individuals with Möbius syndrome (MS) – a rare form of congenital facial paralysis which prevents facial mimicry – cast doubt on the idea that bodily coupling is the foundational component for socio-emotional understanding. Here we argue that the MS case does not pose a threat to the idea that low-level bodily coupling processes are foundational for social cognition. Rather, despite their lack of automatic facial mirroring, MS patients might benefit from spared multisensory integration processing which allows them to establish alternative channels of bodily coupling via different sensory modalities. We contrast MS- and autistic persons’ lack of automatic facial mimicry and argue that this comparison might help us to shed light on the constitutive and foundational role of low-level bodily coupling for socio-emotional understanding.     

Binge drinking among young adults in Israel: application of the theory of planned behavior

Binge drinking is common among young people, and is an area of concern in many countries worldwide. Israel has seen a steady increase in binge drinking behaviors in recent years among youth and young adults. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a guiding theoretical framework, this study examines whether attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to engage in binge drinking are correlated with individual participation in binge drinking among young adults aged 18–35 in Israel. Participants (n = 213) completed a cross-sectional survey that included measures of the TPB and binge drinking. Correlations between the TPB variables were conducted and multiple and logistic regression models were calculated to predict binge drinking intention and behavior. Findings show that 38% of the sample reported engaging in binge drinking activities in the past 30 days, and that TPB variables significantly predicted both intent to engage in binge drinking and the behavior itself (explaining 68 and 45% of the variance, respectively). These findings enable us to better understand some of the motivations young people may have for engaging in binge drinking. Results and implications for future education and prevention efforts, research and policy are therefore discussed within a social context.     

The roles of chronological age and time perspective in memory positivity

The observation that older adults show enhanced cognition for emotionally positive information has been labeled the positivity effect (Reed, Chan, & Mikels, 2014). According to the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST, Carstensen, 1991), a prominent lifespan development theory, cognition is strongly influenced by motivational goals, and these goals are impacted by subjective time perspective. Although the positivity effect is most commonly observed in older adults, as age usually co-varies with time perspective, the SST posits that time perspective, not age, is the key explanatory factor of positivity. We examined the effects of these predictors on positivity in an episodic memory task in younger and older adults and found that age, not time perspective, was a key predictor of memory positivity. Our results add to the growing literature that challenge the notion that time perspective is the driving force behind age-related differences in emotional processing and functioning.     

Bridging the Divide Between Psychodynamic and Behavioral Approaches for Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

ABSTRACT

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is one of the primary reasons youth are referred to mental health services. Disruptive behavior disorders such as ODD are heterogeneous in their presentation, developmental trajectories, and treatment needs. Given the high attrition rates in child psychotherapy in general, there is a need for a range of interventions tailored to meet the unique needs of each family to help increase familial engagement and positive outcomes for children with ODD.

This article outlines composite clinical case material of a child with ODD who was treated with Regulation Focused Psychotherapy for Children (RFP-C), a manualized, psychodynamic intervention for ODD. The case presented is then reconceptualized from a behavioral parent training perspective. This approach uses parent training to encourage positive parenting practices and reduce coercive reinforcement cycles. The case material and its reconceptualization are followed by a discussion of the distinctions between psychodynamic and behavioral approaches to children with ODD. An integrated psychotherapy approach is proposed, and the benefits and challenges of psychotherapy integration are discussed.     

Emotion differentiation and its relation with emotional well-being in adolescents

Emotion differentiation (ED) refers to the precision with which people can identify and distinguish their emotions and has been associated with well-being in adults. This study investigated ED and its relation with emotional well-being (i.e. depressive symptoms, positivity and negativity intensity and propensity, implicit theories of emotions) in adolescents. We used an experience sampling method with 72 participants (M_age?=?14.00, 71% girls) to assess adolescents’ positive and negative emotions at different time points over the course of two weekends and a baseline questionnaire to assess emotional well-being. Differentiating negative emotions was related to less negativity intensity and propensity, and to the belief that emotions are malleable. Differentiating positive emotions was not related to any of the assessed well-being variables. Together, these results suggest that a detailed awareness of one’s negative emotional states is an important dimension of well-being, also in adolescence.