The power of affirming group values: Group affirmation buffers the self-esteem of women exposed to blatant sexism

Extending the group affirmation literature to the domain of prejudice, this study investigated whether group affirmation buffers the self-esteem of women exposed to blatant sexism. In accordance with Self-Affirmation Theory and group affirmation research, we hypothesized that when one aspect of the collective self is threatened (gender identity), self-esteem can be maintained via the affirmation of an alternative aspect of the collective self. In a 2 × 2 between-participants design, female students were randomly assigned to read about discrimination directed toward women or a non-self-relevant disadvantaged group (the Inuit). All then participated in a (fictitious) second study, in which half completed a group affirmation manipulation (wrote about the top three values of a self-defining group) and half completed a control writing exercise. The self-esteem of women who were threatened by sexism, but group affirmed, was protected from the negative effects of perceiving sexism.     

The Effects of Subtle Sexual Harassment on Women’s Performance in a Job Interview

Although we now know about the long-term consequences of moderate to severe sexual harassment, little is known about the immediate effects of more subtle harassment. The present study was designed to examine real-time consequences of subtle sexual harassment in a job interview using objective indicators of job performance. Fifty women were recruited for a job interview. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two interview conditions during which they were asked either three sexual or non-sexual questions interspersed with standard interview questions. In the former, women applicants spoke less fluently, gave lower quality answers, and asked fewer job relevant questions than did those in the non-sexual interview. It thus appears that even relatively mild harassment disrupts immediate performance.     

Femininity, Mental Weakness, and Difference: Male Students Account for Anorexia Nervosa in Men

The purpose of this study was to examine how men account for the diagnosis in men of anorexia nervosa (AN), a condition commonly associated with women. Male students participated in focus group discussions of topics related to AN. Discussions were tape-recorded with participants' consent, transcribed, and then analyzed using discourse analysis. The participants spontaneously constructed AN as a female-specific condition. When asked to account for AN in men, they distanced AN from hegemonic masculinities in ways that sustained both dominant masculine identities and gender-specific constructions of AN. These findings show how issues of health and gender are interlinked in everyday understandings of AN. Future researchers might usefully consider how the construction of gender-specific illness implicates wider notions of both feminine and masculine gender identities.     

Self-perception of competence in Korean children: Age, sex and home influences

The self-perceived competence of 750 Korean children in kindergarten through the seventh grade was investigated using adaptations of Harter's scales for younger and older children. Measures of family characteristics and the home environment were collected to explore the determinants of variation in self-perceived competence. Adaptations of the competence scales yielded maximum similarity of content across the full age span, and also reflected the Korean emphasis on collectivist, intergenerational social skills and on early, direct training in academic cognitive skills. The results replicate two findings reported for North American and European samples; namely, increasing differentiation of domains of self-perceived competence with age, and decreasing levels of self-perceived competence in the opening years of primary school. In addition, the present study also finds two phenomena not evident in previous reports. First, a significant statistical interaction of grade and sex in the cognitive and physical domain was found, such that girls' self-perceived competence decreased more with age than did that of boys. Second, two social domains were differentiated, one reflecting peer acceptance (like the Harter scales) and the other tapping intergenerational and collectivist social skills that are valued in Korean society. Structural equation modeling revealed different patterns of influence for the four outcome measures. Both the analysis of internal variation and comparison with previous reports highlight the importance of a social and cultural perspective in understanding the development of children's self-perceived competence.     

Early evangelist or reluctant Rudolph? attitudes towards the Christmas commercial campaign

Organisations utilise and maximise marketing at various traditional events during the year. Customised offers are combined with intensive commercial campaigns, which use traditional symbols in order to boost sales volume. The response of customers to these promotional ‘storms’ is complex and diverse. Buyers have developed a series of strategies to deal with the information overload and their attitudes largely determine their response to commercial offers. This paper attempts to investigate the response of customers to the Christmas commercial campaign. Based on customers' attitudes and behaviour, this study proposes an original segmentation of Christmas shoppers, and investigates the use of different advertising channels by different segments. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.     

From attitudes to behaviour: Basic and applied research on the theory of planned behaviour

The present article traces the development of the theory of planned behaviour, from early research on the attitude-behaviour relationship through the theory of reasoned action. In particular, it is argued that a perceived lack of correspondence between attitude and behaviour led to examination of variables that either moderated (e.g., attitude strength, measurement correspondence) or mediated (behavioural intention) the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. Several meta-analytic reviews provide strong empirical support for the theory of planned behaviour, yet several applied and basic issues need to be resolved. The six papers that make up the remainder of this special issue address several of these issues.     

Loneliness and peer relations in childhood

Although loneliness is a normative experience, there is reason to be concerned about children who are chronically lonely in school. Research indicates that children have a fundamental understanding of what it means to be lonely, and that loneliness can be reliably measured in children. Most of the research on loneliness in children has focused on the contributions of children's peer relations to their feelings of well-being at school. Loneliness in children is influenced by how well accepted they are by peers, whether they are overtly victimized, whether they have friends, and the durability and quality of their best friendships. Findings from this emerging area of research provide a differentiated picture of how children's peer experiences come to influence their emotional well-being.     

Predicting uptake of housing services: The role of self-categorization in the theory of planned behaviour

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and self-categorization theory (SCT) were used to predict homeless people’s (n = 80) uptake of housing support services. Homeless people’s uptake behaviour was measured one year after a TPB/SCT-based interview schedule was administered. Congruent with previous research, TPB variables were influential predictors of both intention and behaviour. However, the addition of self-categorization variables, such as friendship group norms and identification as a housing support service user, significantly increased the rate prediction for both intention and behaviour, respectively. The implications of the research are firstly, that social cognition models are useful for understanding uptake of housing support services; and secondly, the addition of self-categorization variables aids in exploring the central role that social norms play in understanding the uptake of these services. These findings are discussed in terms of their impact on theory and practice.     

From attitudes to behaviour: Basic and applied research on the theory of planned behaviour

The present article traces the development of the theory of planned behaviour, from early research on the attitude-behaviour relationship through the theory of reasoned action. In particular, it is argued that a perceived lack of correspondence between attitude and behaviour led to examination of variables that either moderated (e.g., attitude strength, measurement correspondence) or mediated (behavioural intention) the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. Several meta-analytic reviews provide strong empirical support for the theory of planned behaviour, yet several applied and basic issues need to be resolved. The six papers that make up the remainder of this special issue address several of these issues.