The role of political skill in the stressor–outcome relationship: Differential predictions for self- and other-reports of political skill

The beneficial role of political skill in stress reactions and performance evaluations has been demonstrated in a substantial amount of empirical research. Most of the research, however, has focused on self-perceptions of political skill. This study examines the differential moderating effects of self- vs. other-rated political skill in the conflict – emotional burnout and performance relationships, using two samples including non-academic staff employees of a large university (N = 839) and a variety of office and retail employees from an automotive organization (N = 142). We argue that self-reported political skill moderates the relationship between conflict and a self-reported strain-related outcome that is important to the individual (i.e., emotional burnout), but that supervisor-rated political skill does not moderate this relationship. Further, we argue that supervisor-rated political skill moderates the relationship between conflict and an outcome important to the supervisor and the organization (i.e., job performance), but that self-reported political skill does not moderate this relationship. Findings partially support our hypotheses as both self and supervisor-rated political skill neutralized the negative effects of conflict on burnout, but only supervisor-rated political skill neutralized the negative effects of conflict on performance. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.     

The effects of priming legal concepts on perceived trust and competitiveness, self-interested attitudes, and competitive behavior

Socio-legal scholars have suggested that, as a ubiquitous social system, law shapes social reality and provides interpretive frameworks for social relations. Across five studies, we tested the idea that the law shapes social reality by fostering the assumptions that people are self-interested, untrustworthy, and competitive. In Studies 1 and 2, we found that people implicitly associated legal concepts with competitiveness. Studies 3-5 showed that these associations had implications for social perceptions, self-interested attitudes, and competitive behavior. After being primed with constructs related to the law, participants perceived social actors as less trustworthy and the situation as more competitive (Study 3), became more against a political issue when it conflicted with their normative self-interest (Study 4), and made more competitive choices during a prisoner’s dilemma game when they believed that social relations were basically zero-sum in nature (Study 5). The implications and applications of these results are discussed.     

Fostering relationship resilience: An intervention for low self-esteem individuals

Low self-esteem individuals (LSEs) tend to react to relationship threats with self-protective and relationship-destructive behaviors that decrease their partners’ satisfaction with the relationship over time (Murray, Bellavia, Rose, & Griffin, 2003). In the current studies, we examined the effects of a theoretically driven intervention on LSEs’ relationship-destructive responses to threats. Participants were induced to reframe their partners’ compliments in a more abstract, meaningful way (the “abstract reframing intervention” or ARI), an intervention that has been shown to increase LSEs’ security in their relationships (Marigold, Holmes, & Ross, 2007). In Study 1, the ARI prevented LSEs from exaggerating the significance of relationship threats and self-protectively derogating their relationship (reported by LSEs in a one-time experimental situation). In Study 2, the ARI reduced LSEs negative, critical behaviors towards their partners (reported by LSEs’ partners for a 2-3 week period). The findings have important implications for breaking the self-fulfilling cycle of insecurity.     

Empathy constrained: Prejudice predicts reduced mental simulation of actions during observation of outgroups

Perception-action-coupling refers to the vicarious activation of the neural system for action during perception of action, and is considered important for forms of interpersonal sensitivity, including empathy. We hypothesize that perception-action-coupling is limited to the ingroup: neural motor networks will fire upon the perception of action, but only when the object-person belongs to the ingroup; if the object-person belongs to an outgroup these motor neurons will not fire. Using electroencephalographic oscillations as an index of perception-action-coupling, we found exactly this: participants displayed activity over motor cortex when acting and when observing ingroups act, but not when observing outgroups - an effect magnified by prejudice and for disliked groups (South-Asians, then Blacks, followed by East Asians). These findings provide evidence from brain activity for yet another detrimental aspect of prejudice: a spontaneous and implicit simulation of others’ action states may be limited to close others and, without active effort, may not be available for outgroups.     

Latent Structure of the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index in Methadone Maintenance Patients

The latent structure of Davis's 28-item Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) measure of empathy was examined in 241 methadone maintenance (MM) patients using factor analytic procedures and the divergent and convergent reliability of the derived structure was determined. Contrary to the four-factor structure determined for the IRI previously, three factors, comprised of 18 items, were found to best represent the construct of empathy in MM patients—an Empathy factor (nine items) combining the Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking factors originally described by Davis, and Fantasy (four items) and Personal Distress (five) factors. Canonical correlation analysis undertaken to determine concurrent validity of the IRI's revealed latent structure supported the validity of the derived Empathy factor as a measure of empathy, but indicated that Personal Distress appeared to be associated with neuroticism. These findings are consistent with more recent factor analytic and validity findings for the IRI.     

Ceding and Succeeding: How the Altruistic Can Benefit from the Selfish in Joint Decisions

We examine how the interplay of two partners’ interpersonal orientations (selfish vs. altruistic) in a decision‐making dyad impacts the extent to which the joint decision matches each partners’ individual a priori preferences. Two experiments, in which we manipulate and measure interpersonal orientations, as well as examine real consumption decisions, demonstrate the benefit of mismatching interpersonal orientations (selfish‐altruistic) in dyadic decisions. Specifically, altruistic and selfish consumers reach joint decisions that better reflect their individual preferences when working with a partner who has the opposite interpersonal orientation (heterogeneous dyad) versus a matching one (homogeneous dyad). Initial evidence suggests that this effect occurs because homogeneous dyads are more prone to engage in negotiation (communication that involves departure from one's initial position to a mutually serving position) than heterogeneous dyads. This leads homogeneous dyads to focus more on equally preferred options than on their own most preferred options, which pushes them further down both partners’ preferences lists. This research contributes to the literature on joint decision making and has important implications for consumer well‐being.     

Lost in the Rhythm: Effects of Rhythm on Subsequent Interpersonal Coordination

Music is a natural human expression present in all cultures, but the functions it serves are still debated. Previous research indicates that rhythm, an essential feature of music, can enhance coordination of movement and increase social bonding. However, the prolonged effects of rhythm have not yet been investigated. In this study, pairs of participants were exposed to one of three kinds of auditory stimuli (rhythmic, arrhythmic, or white‐noise) and subsequently engaged in five trials of a joint‐action task demanding interpersonal coordination. We show that when compared with the other two stimuli, exposure to the rhythmic beat reduced the practice effect in task performance. Analysis of the behavioral data suggests that this reduction results from more temporally coupled motor movements over successive trials and that shared exposure to rhythm facilitates interpersonal motor coupling, which in this context serves to impede the attainment of necessary dynamic coordination. We propose that rhythm has the potential to enhance interpersonal motor coupling, which might serve as a mechanism behind its facilitation of positive social attitudes.     

Que signifie être parent d’un adolescent qui consomme des substances psychoactives ? Étude phénoménologique interprétative transculturelle

This study focuses on the theme of the influence of adolescents on parents, from a transcultural perspective considering the socio-cultural contexts of Belgium and Togo. The research question is: “How do parents experience the influence of their teenagers who is using the psychoactive substances?”. Through an inductive qualitative approach, the study highlighted, not the incidence of this phenomenon, but its existence and meaning, by the method of the interpretative phenomenological analysis. In order to reinforce the validity of the results, triangulations were made: triangulation of data sources (differences and diversity of participant characteristics), environmental triangulation (data collection from indigenous people in Belgium and Togo) and triangulation of investigators (involvement of co-authors at all stages: choice of methods, data collection and analysis). The analysis of the data collected from participants of Belgium brought out the following themes: (1) it is difficult for a parent to set limits on his child who is using the substances, (2) the substance use has benefits as well, (3) massive upset the parents’ emotions, (4) the society doesn’t offer enough protection against marginality, (5) it is necessary to protect oneself from society's accusing gaze. The themes that emerged from the analysis of data from participants of Togo are: (1) I cannot get respect in my own home, (2) exacerbation of parents’ vulnerabilities, (3) beware that society's judgment is humiliating, (4) the chronic disorders have a religious explanation, (5) the relationship with the adolescent is complex and ambivalent. The results of this study thus show that where some participants refer to the difficult character of the adolescent to explain their educational failure, others may suspect, in addition, the intervention of mystical forces. They also suggest that the influence of substance-using teenager has essentially negative meanings and is a powerful factor of the parents’ feelings and their educational practices that must be considered in psychotherapy.     

When victims become culprits: The role of subordinates’ neuroticism in the relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance

Drawing upon the General Aggression Model, we examined the role of subordinates’ neuroticism in strengthening the relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Results revealed that Time 1 abusive supervision was positively related to Time 2 personnel records of workplace deviance measured 18 months later. Further, subordinates’ neuroticism moderated this relationship. Specifically, there was a stronger positive relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance for employees with high as opposed to low levels of neuroticism. These findings highlight the need to account for the role of individual differences in influencing subordinates’ responses to supervisor hostility. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

PTSD symptoms and suicide ideation: Testing the conditional indirect effects of thwarted interpersonal needs and using substances to cope

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and substance use have been associated with increased suicide ideation, but have rarely been examined within a larger theoretical context of suicide risk. The interpersonal theory of suicide posits that feeling disconnected from others (i.e., thwarted belongingness) and feeling like a burden on others (i.e., perceived burdensomeness) are associated with increased suicide ideation. We hypothesized that perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness would mediate the relation between PTSD symptoms and suicide ideation, and that using substances to cope would moderate these relations. Participants were 254 college students reporting exposure to potentially traumatic experiences. Findings from a moderated mediation analysis indicated that perceived burdensomeness, but not thwarted belongingness, mediated the relation between PTSD symptoms and suicide ideation, and using substances to cope moderated this relation. Therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing suicide ideation might benefit from decreasing perceived burdensomeness and the use of substances to cope.