Alle Publikationen
2016
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(2016): The conceptual link between social desirability and cultural normativity. In: International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie 51 (6), S. 474-480. DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12261
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26914819 Abstract: Psychologists have a recurrent concern that socially desirable responding (SDR) is a form of response distortion that compromises the validity of self-report measures, especially in high-stakes situations where participants are motivated to make a good impression. Psychologists have used various strategies to minimise SDR or its impact, for example, forced choice responding, ipsatization, and direct measures of social desirability. However, empirical evidence suggests that SDR is a robust phenomenon existing in many cultures and a substantive variable with meaningful associations with other psychological variables and outcomes. Here, we review evidence of the occurrence of SDR across cultures and tie SDR to the study of cultural normativity and cultural consonance in anthropology. We suggest that cultural normativity is an important component of SDR, which may partly explain the adaptiveness of SDR and its association with positive outcomes.
2015
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(2015): Being modest makes you feel bad. Effects of the modesty norm and mortality salience on self-esteem in a collectivistic culture. In: Scandinavian journal of psychology 56 (1), S. 86-98. DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12175
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25346396 Abstract: Terror management research shows that existential terror motivates people to live up to social norms. According to terror management theory (TMT), people can achieve a sense of self-worth through compliance with social norms. However, this has not yet been empirically tested. Modesty has long been known as an important social norm in Eastern cultures, such as China, Japan, and Korea. The current research examined whether conforming to the modesty norm in response to reminders of death concerns increases self-esteem for Chinese. In Study 1, following the modesty norm (i.e., explicit self-effacement) led to decreased implicit self-esteem, however, this was only the case if mortality was salient. In Study 2, violating the modesty norm (i.e., explicit self-enhancement) increased implicit self-esteem - however - again, this was only the case when mortality was salient. These findings indicate that self-esteem cannot be maintained through compliance with the modesty norm. Implications of this research for understanding the interplay between self-esteem and social norms in terror management processes are discussed.
Keywords: Adolescent, China, Culture, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Motivation, Normen, Psychological Theory, Self Concept, Social Behavior, Verhaltensforschung, Young Adult -
(2015): Moral Identity and Adolescent Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors. Interactions with Moral Disengagement and Self-regulation. In: Journal of youth and adolescence 44 (8), S. 1542-1554. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-014-0172-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0172-1 Abstract: Moral identity has been positively linked to prosocial behaviors and negatively linked to antisocial behaviors; but, the processes by which it is linked to such outcomes are unclear. The purpose of the present study was to examine moral identity not only as a predictor, but also as a moderator of relationships between other predictors (moral disengagement and self-regulation) and youth outcomes (prosocial and antisocial behaviors). The sample consisted of 384 adolescents (42 % female), ages 15–18 recruited from across the US using an online survey panel. Latent variables were created for moral identity, moral disengagement, and self-regulation. Structural equation models assessed these latent variables, and interactions of moral identity with moral disengagement and self-regulation, as predictors of prosocial (charity and civic engagement) and antisocial (aggression and rule breaking) behaviors. None of the interactions were significant predicting prosocial behaviors. F or antis ocial behaviors, the interaction between moral identity and moral disengagement predicted aggression, while the interaction between moral identity and self-regulation was significant in predicting aggression and rule breaking. Specifically, at higher levels of moral identity, the positive link between moral disengagement and aggression was weaker, and the negative link between self-regulation and both antisocial behaviors was weaker. Thus, moral identity may buffer against the maladaptive effects of high moral disengagement and low self-regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Keywords: Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Aggression, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Moral, Moral Development, Pädagogische Psychologie, Peer Group, Personality, PSYCHOLOGY, Psychology, Adolescent, Self Concept, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States, Verhaltensforschung -
(2015): Can we learn to treat one another better? A test of a social intelligence curriculum. In: PLoS one 10 (6)
Abstract: This paper reports on the first test of the value of an online curriculum in social intelligence (SI). Built from current social and cognitive neuroscience research findings, the 50 session SI program was administered, with facilitation in Spanish by classroom instructors, to 207 students from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid as part of their undergraduate classes. All materials were translated into Castilian Spanish, including outcome measures of SI that have been used in prior studies to provide valid estimates of two key components of social intelligence: 1) Sensitivity to others and 2) confidence in one’s capacity to manage social situations. Pre- and Posttest were administered to participants in the SI training, and also to 87 students in similar classes who did not receive the program who served as the control group. Gender and emotional intelligence levels at pretest also were examined as potential individual differences that might affect the impact of the program on study outcomes. Repeated measures ANOVAs on study outcomes revealed significant increases, from pre to post, in most measures of social intelligence for program participants in comparison to controls, with no effects of gender or age on program effectiveness. Prior scores on emotional intelligence were not a prerequisite for learning from the program. Some findings suggest ways the program may be improved to have stronger effects. Nonetheless, the findings indicate that the SI program tested here shows considerable promise as a means to increase the willingness of young adults to take the perspective of others and enhance their efficacy for initiating and sustaining positive social connections. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Keywords: Adult, Analysis of Variance, College Students, Curriculum, Emotional Intelligence, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Interaktionsforschung, Lerntheorien, Male, online curriculum, positive social connections, Self Concept, Social intelligence, Social Skills, Soziale Intelligenz, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult 2014
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(2014): Social desirability scales as indicators of self-enhancement and impression management. In: Journal of Personality Assessment 96 (5), S. 532-543. DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2014.916714
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24837586 Abstract: This article presents 2 studies testing Paulhus's (2002) assumption that unconscious self-enhancement and conscious impression management represent separate processes of socially desirable responding (SDR) that can be observed within 2 content domains (egoistic and moralistic bias). In Study 1, we devised egoistic and moralistic SDR scales intended to measure self-enhancement in honest responding and impression management under demands for positive self-presentation. In Study 2, we correlated scores on these scales with external indicators of self-enhancement and impression management. In honest responding, both SDR scales most strongly correlated with self-enhancement indicators, whereas under demands for positive self-presentation they correlated more strongly with external measures of impression management.
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(2014): Grenzen - seelische Struktur und der Einfluss veranderter Arbeits-, Lebens- und Selbstkonzepte. In: Psychodynamische Psychotherapie 13 (3), S. 152-161
Abstract: Seelische Erkrankungen werden zunehmend vor dem Hintergrund veranderter Arbeits- und Lebensbedingungen diskutiert. Aufgrund der Komplexitat der Entstehungsbedingungen dieser Storungen ist die Auseinandersetzung mit den moglichen Ursachen schwierig und entsprechend unvollstandig. Ausgehend vom grundlegenden Aufbau organischer Substanz und Freuds Annahmen zur Funktion eines effektiven Reizschutzes werden Grenzen und deren Auswirkungen auf das Gleichgewicht bzw. Ungleichgewicht untersucht. Reflektiert werden Wachstums- und Machbarkeitsideologien und entsprechende Auswirkungen auf das Selbstbild und die Erwartungen des Individuums an sich selbst und an andere. Die Leugnung der Begrenztheit befordert grandiose Erwartungen und fuhrt, bei entsprechender Disposition, zu seelischer Krankheit. Die Modediagnose "Burnout" hat diesem Phanomen einen Namen gegeben.
2013
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(2013): Kultur und Kognition. Wie das Selbst das Denken formt
Abstract: Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie die Kultur das Selbstkonzept einer Person beeinflusst und welche Konsequenzen das Selbstkonzept fur personliches Erleben und Handeln hat. Das Verhaltnis zwischen dem Einzelnen und sozialen Gruppen, denen der Mensch angehort, bzw. die relative Betonung von Autonomie versus sozialer Eingebundenheit, stellen eine der wichtigsten Kulturdimensionen dar. Entlang dieser Dimension finden sich auch Unterschiede in den Selbstkonzepten der jeweiligen Kulturmitglieder. So konnen Personen sich selbst einerseits vorwiegend durch solche Aspekte definieren, die die eigene Unabhangigkeit betonen (etwa eigene Ansichten, Fahigkeiten oder Eigenschaften). Andererseits kann das Selbst durch solche Merkmale definiert werden, die den sozialen Bezug zu anderen Personen herstellen (zum Beispiel eigene Gruppenmitgliedschaften oder soziale Rollen). Wann immer ein psychologischer Prozess die eigene Person betrifft, wirkt sich der Unterschied in den Selbstkonzepten auf das Ergebnis aus. Dies gilt etwa auch fur subjektive Erklarungen von eigenen und fremden Handlungen. Personen neigen generell dazu, den Einfluss von internen Merkmalen des Handelnden (etwa seine Motive oder Einstellungen) zu uberschatzen, situative Einflusse jedoch nicht ausreichend zu berucksichtigen. Eigene Entscheidungen werden uberdies als Ausdruck der personlichen Identitat angesehen und als solche oftmals auch im Nachhinein gerechtfertigt. Diese Urteilstendenzen sind in solchen Kulturen, die die Autonomie des Einzelnen betonen, besonders stark ausgepragt. Der Vortrag wurde anlasslich des Symposiums turmdersinne "Bewusstsein - Selbst - Ich: Die Hirnforschung und das Subjektive" vom 04. bis 06. Oktober 2013 in Furth aufgezeichnet.
2012
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(2012): A status-enhancement account of overconfidence. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 103 (4), S. 718-735. DOI: 10.1037/a0029395
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22800286 Abstract: In explaining the prevalence of the overconfident belief that one is better than others, prior work has focused on the motive to maintain high self-esteem, abetted by biases in attention, memory, and cognition. An additional possibility is that overconfidence enhances the person's social status. We tested this status-enhancing account of overconfidence in 6 studies. Studies 1-3 found that overconfidence leads to higher social status in both short- and longer-term groups, using naturalistic and experimental designs. Study 4 applied a Brunswikian lens analysis (Brunswik, 1956) and found that overconfidence leads to a behavioral signature that makes the individual appear competent to others. Studies 5 and 6 measured and experimentally manipulated the desire for status and found that the status motive promotes overconfidence. Together, these studies suggest that people might so often believe they are better than others because it helps them achieve higher social status.
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(2012): Wie lässt sich der Einfluss von Kultur auf Erleben und Verhalten messen?. In: Diagnostica 58 (2), S. 53-63. DOI: 10.1026/0012-1924/a000045
Abstract: Die Frage nach dem Einfluss von Kultur auf Erleben und Verhalten hat innerhalb der quantitativen Psychologie erheblich an Bedeutung gewonnen. Zunächst wird geklärt, was unter "Kultur" theoretisch und forschungspraktisch zu verstehen ist, wie sich psychologisch relevante Einflüsse von Kultur nachweisen lassen und welche Variablen diesen Einfluss vermitteln. Der empirische Schwerpunkt liegt auf den deutschsprachigen Adaptionen der "Self-Construal Scale" (SCS), der "Sex-Role Ideology Scale" (SRIS) und der "Tightness-Looseness Scale" (TLS), die ein breites Spektrum an kulturvermittelnden Variablen erfassen. Die adaptierten Skalen wurden bei einer heterogenen deutschen Stichprobe (515 Personen) hinsichtlich ihrer faktoriellen Struktur, Reliabilitäten und Validitätsindikatoren untersucht. Die psychometrischen Eigenschaften erwiesen sich als zufriedenstellend bis gut und als mit den Originalskalen gut vergleichbar. Zusammengenommen bilden die Skalen, erstmals im deutschsprachigen Bereich, eine reliable, multidimensionale Fragebogenbatterie, die den Einfluss von Kultur in testökonomisch vertretbarer Weise messbar macht. zitiert von 15
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(2012): Construal level mind-sets moderate self- and social stereotyping. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 102 (1), S. 51-68. DOI: 10.1037/a0026108
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22059845 Abstract: Construal level theory suggests that events and objects can be represented at either a higher, more abstract level involving consideration of superordinate goals, desirability, global processing, and broad categorizations or a lower, more concrete level involving consideration of subordinate goals, feasibility, local processing, and narrow categorizations. Analogously, social targets (including the self) can be represented more broadly, as members of a group, or more narrowly, as individuals. Because abstract construals induce a similarity focus, they were predicted to increase the perceived fit between social targets and a salient social category. Accordingly, placing individuals into a more abstract construal mind-set via an unrelated task increased the activation and use of stereotypes of salient social groups, stereotype-consistent trait ratings of the self, group identification, and stereotype-consistent performance relative to more concrete construal mind-sets. Thus, nonsocial contextual influences (construal level mind-sets) affect stereotyping of self and others. zitiert von 91
2011
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(2011): Inverse gender gap in Germany. Social dominance orientation among men and women. In: International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie 46 (1), S. 33-45. DOI: 10.1080/00207594.2010.491121
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044131 Abstract: Across cultures studies show that men score higher on social dominance orientation than women. This gender gap is considered invariant, but conflicting explanations are discussed: Some authors refer to evolutionary psychology and perceive the gender gap to be driven by sociobiological factors. Other authors argue that social roles or gender-stereotypical self-construals encouraged by intergroup comparisons are responsible for attitudinal gender difference. In Study 1 we analyzed sex differences in social dominance orientation in three German probability surveys (each n > 2300). Unexpectedly, the analyses yielded an inverse gender gap with higher values for social dominance orientation in women than in men. Interactions with age, education, political conservatism, and perceived inequity indicated that the inverse gender gap can be mainly attributed to older, conservative, (and less educated) respondents, and those who feel they get their deserved share. In Study 2 we replicated the well-known gender gap with men scoring higher than women in social dominance orientation among German students. Results are interpreted on the basis of biocultural interaction, which integrates the sociobiological, social role, and self-construal perspectives. Our unusual findings seem to reflect a struggle for status by members of low-status groups who consider group-based hierarchy the most promising option to improve their status. While younger women take advantage of a relational, feminine self-construal that leads to lower social dominance orientation in young women than in young men, older women are supposed to profit from an agentic self-construal that results in stronger social dominance orientation values. Specific characteristics of the culture in Germany seem to promote this strategy. Here, we discuss the female ideal of the national socialist period and the agentic female social role in the post-war era necessitated by the absence of men.
Keywords: 80 and over, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Female, Gender, Gender Identity, Germany, Geschlechterforschung, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Kulturelle Unterschiede, Kulturforschung, Male, Middle Aged, Politics, Self Concept, Social Dominance, Socialism, Socialization, Stereotyping, Young Adult 2010
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(2010): Creating good relationships: Responsiveness, relationship quality, and interpersonal goals. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 99 (1), S. 78-106. DOI: 10.1037/a0018186
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565187 Abstract: Perceived partner responsiveness is a core feature of close, satisfying relationships. But how does responsiveness originate? Can people create relationships characterized by high responsiveness and, consequently, higher quality relationships? The authors suggest that goals contribute to cycles of responsiveness between two people, improving relationship quality for both of them. The present studies examine (a) how interpersonal goals initiate responsiveness processes in close relationships, (b) the self-perpetuating nature of these processes, and (c) how responsiveness evolves dynamically over time through both intrapersonal projection and reciprocal interpersonal relationship processes. In a semester-long study of 115 roommate dyads, actors' compassionate and self-image goals predicted a cycle of responsiveness between roommates, occurring within weeks and across the semester. In a 3-week study of 65 roommate dyads, actors' goals again predicted cycles of responsiveness between roommates, which then contributed to both actors' and partners' relationship quality. Results suggest that both projection and reciprocation of responsiveness associated with compassionate goals create upward spirals of responsiveness that ultimately enhance relationship quality for both people.
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(2010): Religiosity as self-enhancement. A meta-analysis of the relation between socially desirable responding and religiosity. In: Personality and social psychology review : an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc 14 (1), S. 17-36. DOI: 10.1177/1088868309351002
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19940283 Abstract: In a meta-analysis, the authors test the theoretical formulation that religiosity is a means for self-enhancement. The authors operationalized self-enhancement as socially desirable responding (SDR) and focused on three facets of religiosity: intrinsic, extrinsic, and religion-as-quest. Importantly, they assessed two moderators of the relation between SDR and religiosity. Macro-level culture reflected countries that varied in degree of religiosity (from high to low: United States, Canada, United Kingdom). Micro-level culture reflected U.S. universities high (Christian) versus low (secular) on religiosity. The results were generally consistent with the theoretical formulation. Both macro-level and micro-level culture moderated the relation between SDR and religiosity: This relation was more positive in samples that placed higher value on religiosity (United States > Canada > United Kingdom; Christian universities > secular universities). The evidence suggests that religiosity is partly in the service of self-enhancement.
Keywords: Adolescent, Adult, Canada, Christianity, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Culture, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Metaanalyse, Motivation, Religion, Religion and Psychology, Self Concept, Social Desirability, Social Values, Soziale Erwünschtheit, Sozialpsychologie, United Kingdom, United States, Young Adult 2009
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(2009): The social brain: neural basis of social knowledge. In: Annual review of psychology 60, S. 693-716. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163514
DOI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2588649 Abstract: Social cognition in humans is distinguished by psychological processes that allow us to make inferences about what is going on inside other people-their intentions, feelings, and thoughts. Some of these processes likely account for aspects of human social behavior that are unique, such as our culture and civilization. Most schemes divide social information processing into those processes that are relatively automatic and driven by the stimuli, versus those that are more deliberative and controlled, and sensitive to context and strategy. These distinctions are reflected in the neural structures that underlie social cognition, where there is a recent wealth of data primarily from functional neuroimaging. Here I provide a broad survey of the key abilities, processes, and ways in which to relate these to data from cognitive neuroscience.
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(2009): Do humans have two systems to track beliefs and belief-like states?. In: Psychological Review 116 (4), S. 953-970. DOI: 10.1037/a0016923
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19839692 Abstract: The lack of consensus on how to characterize humans' capacity for belief reasoning has been brought into sharp focus by recent research. Children fail critical tests of belief reasoning before 3 to 4 years of age (H. Wellman, D. Cross, & J. Watson, 2001; H. Wimmer & J. Perner, 1983), yet infants apparently pass false-belief tasks at 13 or 15 months (K. H. Onishi & R. Baillargeon, 2005; L. Surian, S. Caldi, & D. Sperber, 2007). Nonhuman animals also fail critical tests of belief reasoning but can show very complex social behavior (e.g., J. Call & M. Tomasello, 2005). Fluent social interaction in adult humans implies efficient processing of beliefs, yet direct tests suggest that belief reasoning is cognitively demanding, even for adults (e.g., I. A. Apperly, D. Samson, & G. W. Humphreys, 2009). The authors interpret these findings by drawing an analogy with the domain of number cognition, where similarly contrasting results have been observed. They propose that the success of infants and nonhuman animals on some belief reasoning tasks may be best explained by a cognitively efficient but inflexible capacity for tracking belief-like states. In humans, this capacity persists in parallel with a later-developing, more flexible but more cognitively demanding theory-of-mind abilities.
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(2009): Testing a social-cognitive model of moral behavior. The interactive influence of situations and moral identity centrality. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 97 (1), S. 123-141. DOI: 10.1037/a0015406
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19586244 Abstract: This article proposes and tests a social-cognitive framework for examining the joint influence of situational factors and the centrality of moral identity on moral intentions and behaviors. The authors hypothesized that if a situational factor increases the current accessibility of moral identity within the working self-concept, then it strengthens the motivation to act morally. In contrast, if a situational factor decreases the current accessibility of moral identity, then it weakens the motivation to act morally. The authors also expected the influence of situational factors to vary depending on the extent to which moral identity was central to a person's overall self-conception. Hypotheses derived from the framework were tested in 4 studies. The studies used recalling and reading a list of the Ten Commandments (Study 1), writing a story using morally laden terms (Study 4), and the presence of performance-based financial incentives (Studies 2 and 3) as situational factors. Participants' willingness to initiate a cause-related marketing program (Study 1), lie to a job candidate during a salary negotiation (Studies 2 and 3), and contribute to a public good (Study 4) were examined. Results provide strong support for the proposed framework. zitiert von: 551
Keywords: Adolescent, Cues, Culture, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Individuality, Intention, Internal-External Control, Male, Moral, Morals, Motivation, Personality Inventory/statistics & numerical data, Persönlichkeitspsychologie, psychometrics, Self Concept, Social Behavior, Social Environment, Social Perception, Sozialpsychologie, Students/psychology, Verhaltensforschung, Young Adult -
(2009): Development during adolescence of the neural processing of social emotion. In: Journal of cognitive neuroscience 21 (9), S. 1736-1750. DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21121
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn.2009.21121 Abstract: In this fMRI study, we investigated the development between adolescence and adulthood of the neural processing of social emotions. Unlike basic emotions (such as disgust and fear), social emotions (such as guilt and embarrassment) require the representation of another's mental states. Nineteen adolescents (10-18 years) and 10 adults (22-32 years) were scanned while thinking about scenarios featuring either social or basic emotions. In both age groups, the anterior rostral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) was activated during social versus basic emotion. However, adolescents activated a lateral part of the MPFC for social versus basic emotions, whereas adults did not. Relative to adolescents, adults showed higher activity in the left temporal pole for social versus basic emotions. These results show that, although the MPFC is activated during social emotion in both adults and adolescents, adolescents recruit anterior (MPFC) regions more than do adults, and adults recruit posterior (temporal) regions more than do adolescents.
Keywords: Adolescent, Adolescent Development, Adult, Age Factors, Brain Mapping, Brain/anatomy & histology/blood supply/physiology, Emotions/physiology, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods, Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods, Mother-Child Relations, Neuropsychological Tests, Oxygen/blood, Self Concept, Social Perception, Young Adult -
(2009): Give a person power and he or she will show interpersonal sensitivity. The phenomenon and its why and when. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 97 (5), S. 835-850. DOI: 10.1037/a0016234
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19857005 Abstract: The goal of the present research was to investigate whether high or low power leads to more interpersonal sensitivity and what potentially mediates and moderates this effect. In Study 1, 76 participants in either a high- or low-power position interacted; in Study 2, 134 participants were implicitly primed with either high- or low-power or neutral words; and in Study 3, 96 participants were asked to remember a situation in which they felt high or low power (plus a control condition). In Study 4, 157 participants were told to identify with either an egoistic, empathic, or neutral leadership style. In all studies, interpersonal sensitivity, defined as correctly assessing other people, was then measured using different instruments in each study. Consistently, high power resulted in more interpersonal sensitivity than low power. Feeling respected and proud was partially responsible for this effect. Empathic power as a personality trait was related to more interpersonal sensitivity, and high-power individuals who adopted an empathic instead of an egoistic leadership style were more interpersonally sensitive. zitiert von 215
2008
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(2008): Punishing hubris: The perils of overestimating one's status in a group. In: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 34 (1), S. 90-101. DOI: 10.1177/0146167207307489
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18162658 Abstract: Individuals engage in status self-enhancement when they form an overly positive perception of their status in a group. We argue that status self-enhancement incurs social costs and, therefore, most individuals perceive their status accurately. In contrast, theories of positive illusions suggest status self-enhancement is beneficial for the individual and that most individuals overestimate their status. We found supportive evidence for our hypotheses in a social relations analysis of laboratory groups, an experiment that manipulated status self-enhancement, and a study of real-world groups. Individuals who engaged in status self-enhancement were liked less by others and paid less for their work. Moreover, individuals tended to perceive their status highly accurately. Mediation analyses showed that status self-enhancers were socially punished because they were seen as disruptive to group processes.
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(2008): Personality as manifest in word use. Correlations with self-report, acquaintance report, and behavior. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 94 (2), S. 334-346. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.94.2.334
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18211181 Abstract: The use of words is one of the most direct means of expressing thoughts and feelings. However, past studies have had limited success in correlating word use with personality. The purpose of the present study was to identify categories of word use relevant to personality using a broad range of personality data. Using data from 181 participants, the present study correlated word use within a 1-hr life history interview with self-judgments of personality, judgments of personality provided by close acquaintances (who were not exposed to the language sample), and behavioral ratings based on direct observation from a context entirely separate from that from which the language sample was derived. Several categories of word use yielded a large number of correlates with self- and acquaintance personality ratings and behavior. It is suggested that word use is related to personality to a larger degree than previously observed and deserves increased attention as a source of data in personality assessment.
2007
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(2007): Volunteering for charity: Pride, respect, and the commitment of volunteers. In: Journal of Applied Psychology 92 (3), S. 771-785. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.771
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17484556 Abstract: This study builds upon and extends the social-identity-based model of cooperation with the organization (T. R. Tyler, 1999; T. R. Tyler & S. L. Blader, 2000) to examine commitment and cooperative intent among fundraising volunteers. In Study 1, structural equation modeling indicated that pride and respect related to the intent to remain a volunteer with an organization, and that this relation was mediated primarily by normative organizational commitment. In Study 2, structural equation modeling indicated that the perceived importance of volunteer work was related to pride, that perceived organizational support related to the experience of respect, and that pride and respect mediated the relation between perceived importance and support on the one hand and organizational commitment on the other. Overall, the results suggest that volunteer organizations may do well to implement pride and respect in their volunteer policy, for instance to address the reliability problem (J. L. Pearce, 1993).
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(2007): Integrating simulation and theory of mind: from self to social cognition. In: Trends in cognitive sciences 11 (5), S. 194-196. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2007.02.002
2006
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(2006): Knowing your place: Self-perceptions of status in face-to-face groups. In: Journal of personality and social psychology 91 (6), S. 1094-1110. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.91.6.1094
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17144767 Abstract: Status is the prominence, respect, and influence individuals enjoy in the eyes of others. Theories of positive illusions suggest that individuals form overly positive perceptions of their status in face-to-face groups. In contrast, the authors argue that individuals' perceptions of their status are highly accurate--that is, they closely match the group's perception of their status--because forming overly positive status self-perceptions can damage individuals' acceptance in a group. Therefore, the authors further argue that individuals are likely to refrain from status self-enhancement to maintain their belongingness in a group. Support for their hypotheses was found in 2 studies of status in face-to-face groups, using a social relations model approach (D. A. Kenny & L. La Voie, 1984). Individuals showed high accuracy in perceiving their status and even erred on the side of being overly humble. Moreover, enhancement in status self-perceptions was associated with lower levels of social acceptance.
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(2006): Psychosocial and psychodynamic factors influencing health care utilisation. In: Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy 14 (2), S. 69-78. DOI: 10.1007/s10728-006-0013-9
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17195575 Abstract: This paper aims to elucidate some dysfunctional aspects of health care utilisation by combining concepts from modern systems theory and from psychoanalysis. Contemporary health care in industrialised countries can be conceived as a social system in terms of modern systems theory. According to this theory, social systems are operating on the basis of a 'guiding difference,' which in the case of health care is the distinction between 'healthy' and 'ill.' Its rigidity in adhering to the healthy-ill dichotomy exposes health care to being collusively entangled in the interpersonal defence arrangements of patients. In the psychoanalytic view, individual conflicts can be warded off from consciousness not only by intrapsychic defence, but also by interpersonal defence mechanisms. These mechanisms involve the patients' close social environment, often including doctors and hospitals. The functioning and the motivational structure of health care itself shows features of neurotic defence: not only its representatives, but health care as a whole act in a rigid, obsessive manner in order to separate the healthy from the ill and to battle against (presumed) diseases. This obsession sometimes results in excessive diagnostic activism and in inconsiderate application of aggressive medical treatments. Both are inappropriate with regard to the salient problem of modern medicine: the increase of chronic nonfatal diseases like depression and chronic pain. The described defence mechanisms are unconscious not only to patients but also to health care professionals (let alone health politicians), and are contributing to dysfunctional health care overuse.
Keywords: Aggression/psychology, Denken in Kategorien, Health Services/utilization, Humans, Interaktion, Interpersonal Relations, krank vs. gesund, Medizin, Models, Organizational, Motivation, Pathologie, Pflege, Psychoanalytic Theory, psychosozial, Rolle (Beruf), Self Concept, social systems, ethics, soziale Umwelt, systems theory, Wahrnehmungsverzerrungen / Bedeutungszuweisungen 2005
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(2005): Appreciation. Individual differences in finding value and meaning as a unique predictor of subjective well-being. In: Journal of personality 73 (1), S. 79-114. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00305.x
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15660674 Abstract: Adler (2002; Adler & Fagley, 2001) argued that being appreciative facilitates and enhances feelings of well-being and life satisfaction, as well as feelings of connection to what we have, to what we experience, and to life itself. In addition, expressing appreciation to others is believed to build social bonds. Although appreciation is viewed as a disposition, it is also viewed as something people can learn over time, making it an especially valuable construct to measure. Appreciating something (e.g. an event, a person, a behavior, an object) involves noticing and acknowledging its value and meaning and feeling a positive emotional connection to it. We defined eight aspects of appreciation and developed scales to measure them: a focus on what one has ("Have" Focus), Awe, Ritual, Present Moment, Self/Social Comparison, Gratitude, Loss/Adversity, Interpersonal. Scores on the subscales may be totaled to yield a score representing one's overall degree of appreciation (or level of appreciativeness) (coefficient alpha=.94). We also developed an 18-item short form (coefficient alpha=.91) that correlates .95 with scores on the long form. The scales correlated in predicted ways with measures of life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. More importantly, appreciation was significantly related to life satisfaction and positive affect, even after the effects of optimism, spirituality, and emotional self-awareness had been statistically controlled.