Tattooing: An expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain

The study aimed to explore the motivations underlying the practice of tattooing. There were 100 participants: 50 (30 men, 20 women) with tattoos, and a comparison group of 50 non-tattooed individuals. Participants completed measures of appearance investment, distinctive appearance investment, and need for uniqueness. It was found that tattooed individuals scored higher than the comparison group on need for uniqueness, but not on the appearance investment measures. Among the non-tattooed, need for uniqueness predicted future likelihood of getting a tattoo, and this relationship was mediated by distinctive appearance investment. These results support our conceptualization of tattooing as an expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain.     

Good mercenaries: Performing organizational citizenship behavior in a foreign land

IntroductionResearch on expatriates has typically left underexplored the critical antecedents of expatriates’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).ObjectivesThis study aims to fill this research gap by studying the effects of constructs specific and nonspecific to the expatriate context of expatriates’ OCB performance.MethodsUsing online surveys, data were collected from 200 expatriates and 280 of their coworkers working in 62 host countries. The hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling analysis.ResultsFirst, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, job satisfaction, work adjustment and interaction adjustment all had unique contributions in predicting expatriates’ OCB. Second, there was initial support for the indirect effect of the host country coworkers’ OCB performance targeted at expatriates on expatriates’ OCB-I performance. Finally, the results did not provide support for the indirect effect of personality factors on expatriates’ OCB performance.ConclusionCompared to job satisfaction, expatriates’ personality traits (i.e., Agreeableness and Conscientiousness) may have a stronger effect on expatriates’ OCB performance.     

Evaluation of the 14-h together relationship and financial education program for couples

A 14-h version of TOGETHER, a relationship and financial education program for couples (Author, 2015), was evaluated by comparing pre- and post-intervention changes in psychological distress, relationship functioning, and financial management in couples that participated in this shorter 14-h workshop (14HW) version, in the original 20-h workshop (20HW) version, or in a control group that received no intervention. The total sample included 649 community couples (14HW group: 320; 20HW group:182; control group: 147) recruited from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Self-report data were analyzed through dyadic multilevel models to test mean differences within each group (control, 14HW, and 20HW) and across groups from pre-intervention to post-intervention controlling for demographic differences and baseline measurement of variables. Compared to the 20HW version, the 14HW format had lower attrition and greater participation. In addition, improvements in positive conflict management, relationship quality and satisfaction, and commitment, and reductions in negative conflict management and difficulties paying bills were not significantly different from the 20HW group, but they were significantly different from the control group. Participants reported high levels of program satisfaction. Limitations and programmatic implications, as well as the need for further evaluations of the 14HW version, are discussed.     

Different functions of emotion regulation in linking harmony seeking and rejection avoidance to life satisfaction and social support in Germany,Hong Kong,and Japan

This study examined whether two facets of interdependence, harmony seeking and rejection avoidance, were differently related to life satisfaction and social support from friends across cultures through the differential use of emotion regulation strategies. Specifically, we propose that individuals who seek harmony and avoid rejection regulate emotions differently to achieve social adaptation in their sociocultural contexts. University students from Germany (n = 129), Hong Kong (n = 136), and Japan (n = 123) completed our online survey. Data were analysed through multigroup structural equation modelling. Across cultures, harmony seeking was positively while rejection avoidance was negatively related to indices of social functioning (life satisfaction or social support). For Germans, emotion regulation (more rumination, less reappraisal, more suppression) completely mediated the associations of rejection avoidance with life satisfaction. Germans may emotionally overreact when fearing rejection, which is reflected in using dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies. In contrast, rejection avoidance was only weakly related to emotional dysregulation among Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese who might be adapted to fearing exclusion due to living in low relational mobility societies. Our findings demonstrate cultural similarities and differences in the interplay of harmony seeking and rejection avoidance with emotion regulation, life satisfaction, and social support.     

A longitudinal study of “we-talk” as a predictor of marital satisfaction

We-talk, the use of first-person plural pronouns over the use of singular pronouns when describing relationship events, is regarded as a linguistic indicator of marital relationship functioning. A meta-analysis revealed that we-talk is positively associated with relationship satisfaction. However, this literature is based mostly on cross-sectional studies. This study tested the hypothesis that we-talk would be associated with greater marital satisfaction over time. The sample comprised 77 couples enrolled in a longitudinal study of parents of preschool-aged children. We-talk was assessed at baseline during a marital discussion task about parenting challenges. Couples completed a measure of marital satisfaction at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. An actor–partner interdependence model examined the effects of spouses' we-talk on their own marital satisfaction (actor effects), and their partners' marital satisfaction (partner effects). Results indicated a positive partner effect of we-talk at baseline, but not over time. Moreover, there was an actor effect of we-talk on changes in marital satisfaction over time, whereby low actor we-talk was associated with a reduction in marital satisfaction, but high actor we-talk was not associated with such a decrease. These findings suggest that greater cognitive interdependence, as indicated by we-talk, may protect from declines in marital satisfaction over time.     

Mirror,mirror on the wall,who is the fairest dancer of them all? A naturalistic lens model study on the judgment of dance performance

Success as a dancer is closely associated with positive dance judgments by perceivers. Although dancers’ physical appearance (attractiveness, style) might affect dance judgments beyond dance-specific attributes (technique, expression), they have largely been unconsidered in previous studies. To contribute to a comprehensive explanation of real-life dance judgments, we applied the lens model, an approach explicitly developed to explain the emergence of social judgments by multiple attributes. Therefore, video-records of 70 solo performances were (1) rated regarding dancers’ physical appearance, technique, and expression and (2) judged by 33 perceivers. Results of cross-classified mixed-effects models revealed that attributes of all domains were significantly related to dance judgements. Considered simultaneously, however, only dance-specific attributes contributed to the prediction of dance judgments. Additional moderation analyses underscored the importance of perceivers’ expertise in judging dance. We discuss the lens model as suitable framework for a naturalistic approach to the study of aesthetic experiences and sports performances.     

Life satisfaction trajectories among junior high school students in China: The role of parent–child communication

A 3-year follow-up test (from grades 7 to 9) was administered to 807 junior high school students from two regions in Hunan Province, China, using multilevel analysis to examine trends in junior high school students' life satisfaction, differences by gender and location of life and the effects of father–child/mother–child communication on the development of life satisfaction. The results showed that (1) Chinese junior high school students' life satisfaction showed a decreasing trend from the seventh grade to the ninth grade, and there was a significant decreasing process in the eighth grade; (2) father–child communication and mother–child communication had a significant positive predictive effect on Chinese junior high school students' life satisfaction and (3) father–child communication and mother–child communication had a significant negative predictive effect on the decreasing trend of life satisfaction, in which the effect of mother–child communication was particularly significant.     

Effects of the coronavirus pandemic on perceived capitalization support provision and receipt

The coronavirus pandemic has influenced relationship dynamics due to heightened stress, increased isolation, and the need for social distancing. Prior work suggests receiving support for positive events (“capitalization support”) during this time could boost well-being, but only if it is provided in a manner that is active (involved) and constructive (supportive), as opposed to passive (uninvolved) and/or destructive (discouraging). Given the need for reduced social contact, we predicted the pandemic would make providing active, constructive support more challenging and might increase the frequency of passive support. We conducted two studies to explore how perceptions of capitalization methods may have shifted during the pandemic using an online participant pool (MTurk). Overall, we found that participants reported receiving significantly less active-constructive capitalization support and receiving more passive-constructive support during the pandemic (compared to pre-pandemic perceptions). In addition, we found that those who reported receiving and providing more active-constructive support tended to report more positive well-being outcomes. Interestingly, passive-constructive support was also associated with greater well-being for recipients (counter to prior research that has shown it associated with only costs). Overall, our data suggests that capitalization support perceptions are associated with well-being even during the pandemic, but methods of capitalization support perceived may have shifted during the pandemic.     

Does remote work erode trust in organizations? A within-person investigation in the COVID-19 context

The global COVID-19 pandemic led to a widespread increase in remote work arrangements. This trend raised concerns regarding the potential negative ramifications it might have for organizational trust and cooperation. We explored the initial effect of COVID-19 induced remote work on trust in organizations: trust in co-workers, trust in the supervisor and in the organization at large. In a four-wave longitudinal survey of remote workers (N ∼ 1000) in the UK conducted between May 2020 and August 2020 (first COVID wave), we examined the association between the share of remote work (out of total working hours) and different forms of trust at work. The results showed that, for the same individual, increasing the share of working hours spent remotely was associated with more trust in the organization at large (but not in the supervisor and co-workers). Further, during the months where individuals spent more time working remotely, they experienced lower turnover intentions (but not less burnout or more work engagement, productivity, and satisfaction) compared to the months where they spent less time working remotely. The results contribute to the literature on flexible work arrangements, organizational trust, and other work outcomes.     

社交网站真实自我呈现对生活满意度的影响:线上积极反馈和一般自我概念的链式中介作用

为探讨社交网站真实自我呈现、线上积极反馈、一般自我概念和青少年生活满意度的关系,采用社交网站真实自我呈现问卷、线上积极反馈问卷、一般自我概念量表和生活满意度量表对554名中学生进行调查,结果发现:(1)社交网站真实自我呈现、线上积极反馈、一般自我概念和生活满意度两两之间显著正相关;(2)社交网站真实自我呈现对生活满意度没有直接预测作用,但能通过三条路径的间接作用影响青少年生活满意度:通过线上积极反馈的中介作用;通过一般自我概念的中介作用;通过线上积极反馈和一般自我概念的链式中介作用。研究结果进一步揭示社交网站真实自我呈现对生活满意度的作用机制,能为社交网络时代的青少年发展自我概念与提升生活满意度提供有益建议。