Mobbing–prevention and management in organizations

Abstract

So far, only a few companies have dealt with the issue of “mobbing”. This article describes some of the variables required for a successful implementation of an anti-mobbing programme, as well as measures of prevention and intervention. A successful anti-mobbing programme depends on the pressure the problem exerts on the company, the competition with other company programmes, the negative image of mobbing, and the slow diffusion of social issues in companies. Various prevention measures are outlined and suggested in connection with the causes of mobbing: changes in work design, changes in leadership behaviour, the protection of the individual social position, and the moral standard of employees. Depending on the stage of conflict escalation, different intervention measures apply. The concepts of appointing contact people for mobbing victims and the setting up of neutral clearing posts are discussed.     

Selected Rorschach Response Characteristics of Sex Offenders

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant differences in certain response characteristics of sex offenders and a random sample of non-sex offenders to Rorschach cards II, IV, VI, and VII. The Rorschach responses of both samples were compared in terms of rejections, form level, sexual locations, overt sexual responses, and reaction time. There were significant differences between the samples in number of rejections and reaction time. It was concluded that these measures were useful in differentiating between the two groups.     

Dieting and Body Image in the Child's World: Conceptualization and Behavior

The authors examined children's (N = 431, aged 7 years to 10 years 9 months) understanding of and reasons for dieting, to validate recent research indicating that perceived body-image dissatisfaction and restrictive eating behaviors occur in preadolescent populations. Scores on 2 sentence-completion tasks confirmed that the children do have a clear understanding of what dieting means in terms of intent and behavior (defined, in this study, as intentional restrictive eating behaviors). The results indicated that children as young as 7 years of age report dissatisfaction with their current body size and deliberately engage in restrictive eating behaviors. These findings provide validation of previous research and emphasize children's capacity to engage in deleterious health behaviors. Given that extreme dieting behaviors are harmful to a child's physical and psychological well-being, the authors concluded that research exploring (a) the genesis of these attitudes and behaviors and (b) their continuity or discontinuity across childhood is required.     

Activity Level and Sex-Stereotyped Toy Choice in Toddler Boys and Girls

In the first study, the motor activity level and vigor of play of 52 toddlers was assessed as they played with a set of sex-role stereotyped and neutral toys. Boys and girls showed the same level of activity, and both were significantly more active when playing with stereotypically masculine toys. In the second study, 27 toddlers were observed playing with toys defined as potentially eliciting high, medium, or low activity within the masculine, feminine, and neutral categories. Again, boys and girls did not differ in overall activity level. All children preferred toys that allowed moderate to high activity, but given this preference, they selected toys stereotyped for their own gender above those stereotyped for the other gender.     

The Nature of the Co-Therapy Relationship

Termination is a complex phase in the total therapeutic process. Criteria for termination of long-term analytic group therapy encompass both intrapsychic and behavioral changes. One of the useful ways of conceptualizing the termination phase is in terms of the issues of separation-individuation. Three different kinds of termination that can occur and the techniques for working with each are described. Multiple transferences are worked with in the long-term analytic group and both real and transferential losses acknowledged. The ability to leave group therapy with a stronger, better defined sense of self is one of the goals of therapy.     

Using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Quality Improvement in Clinical Genetics: an Exploratory Study

International advocacy of patient-centred healthcare delivery has led to emphasis on the (re)design and evaluation of healthcare processes and outcomes from a patient perspective. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have significant potential to inform such attempts. However there is limited understanding of the processes by which this can be achieved. This exploratory study followed attempts to utilise two different PROMs measures to support service quality improvement in clinical genetics. PROMs used were the Genetic Counseling Outcome Scale (GCOS-24), a well-validated clinical genetics-specific PROM and Euroqol (EQ-5D), a generic PROM favoured by the UK National Institute for Health and Excellence (NICE). Both of these PROMs enable pre/post intervention comparison. A service audit tool was also used, premised on a patient-reported experience measure. In addition, the study draws on interviews with clinical staff to identify challenges associated with the use of PROMs (response rate, data collection, analysis). Benefits are also explored and include the provision of insight into patients’ needs; complementing clinical judgement; identification of needs being met, evidencing the benefit of services provided; prompting consideration of areas requiring attention; and encouraging professional development.     

Clinicians' Observations of Family Interactions in the Reunification Process: The Parent Child Checklist

The present article employed a sample of 365 families of children in foster care to conduct a validation test of a newly developed instrument, the Parent Child Checklist (PCC). The PCC is a 54-item direct observation measure assessing parent–child interactions in the context of a family session. The PCC was developed to support the effective implementation of an evidence-based intervention, Parent Management Training-Oregon model, in the Kansas child welfare system. The PCC was designed to capture two scales of child behavior (prosocial and problem behavior) and five parenting domains (encouragement, positive involvement, problem solving, communication skill, and effective discipline). A combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used in this first stage validation of the checklist. Results indicated the PCC scales obtained adequate internal consistency and interrater reliability. The confirmatory factor analysis supported 6 of the 7 expected scale domains; however, a two-factor solution was better - supported among the discipline items, labeled as effective and ineffective discipline. Test–retest reliability ranged from 0.45 to 0.80 across child behavior and parenting domains with alpha levels ranging from 0.65 to 0.88. A behavioral observation rating scale for clinicians that is reliable and feasible to implement can represent a significant improvement to practice-as-usual.     

Pressure to cooperate: Is positive reward interdependence really needed in cooperative learning?

Background. Despite extensive research on cooperative learning, the debate regarding whether or not its effectiveness depends on positive reward interdependence has not yet found clear evidence. Aims. We tested the hypothesis that positive reward interdependence, as compared to reward independence, enhances cooperative learning only if learners work on a ‘routine task’; if the learners work on a ‘true group task’, positive reward interdependence induces the same level of learning as reward independence. Sample. The study involved 62 psychology students during regular workshops. Method. Students worked on two psychology texts in cooperative dyads for three sessions. The type of task was manipulated through resource interdependence: students worked on either identical (routine task) or complementary (true group task) information. Students expected to be assessed with a Multiple Choice Test (MCT) on the two texts. The MCT assessment type was introduced according to two reward interdependence conditions, either individual (reward independence) or common (positive reward interdependence). A follow‐up individual test took place 4 weeks after the third session of dyadic work to examine individual learning. Results. The predicted interaction between the two types of interdependence was significant, indicating that students learned more with positive reward interdependence than with reward independence when they worked on identical information (routine task), whereas students who worked on complementary information (group task) learned the same with or without reward interdependence. Conclusions. This experiment sheds light on the conditions under which positive reward interdependence enhances cooperative learning, and suggests that creating a real group task allows to avoid the need for positive reward interdependence.     

Current Considerations in the Assessment of Youth Narcissism: Indicators of Pathological and Normative Development

The present study summarizes research on youth narcissism and examines the relations between different measures of youth narcissism and various indicators of behavioral, emotional, and social functioning. This area of research has grown dramatically in only a few years and speaks to the recognized role of self-perception in general and narcissism specifically in youth adjustment. Data are presented for 117 adolescents ages 16 to 19 attending a residential program. Results showed a moderate level of association across three measures of youth narcissism. In addition, each of the measures appeared to capture unique variance in different indicators of behavioral and social functioning. The implications of this area of research for conceptualizations of youth personality, assessment, and behavioral problems are discussed.