Showing papers on "Interpersonal relationship published in 2008"

Culture and social support.

Abstract: Social support is one of the most effective means by which people can cope with stressful events. Yet little research has examined whether there are cultural differences in how people utilize their social support networks. A review of studies on culture and social support presents evidence that Asians and Asian Americans are more reluctant to explicitly ask for support from close others than are European Americans because they are more concerned about the potentially negative relational consequences of such behaviors. Asians and Asian Americans are more likely to use and benefit from forms of support that do not involve explicit disclosure of personal stressful events and feelings of distress. Discussion centers on the potential implications of these findings for intercultural interactions and for the use of mental health services by Asians and Asian Americans.

Summarizing 25 Years of Research on Men's Gender Role Conflict Using the Gender Role Conflict Scale New Research Paradigms and Clinical Implications

Abstract: This article reviews 232 empirical studies that used the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS) over the past 25 years (1982-2007). The article introduces the gender role conflict (GRC) construct using past definitions and theoretical models. The research findings for diverse men are summarized and studies related to men's intrapersonal, interpersonal, and therapeutic lives are analyzed. The empirical support, criticism, and challenges to the gender role conflict research program are reviewed. A contextual research paradigm with seven domains is presented and 18 research questions and two research models are discussed to foster more moderation and mediation studies on men's GRC. A new diagnostic schema to assess men's GRC in therapy and during psychoeducational interventions is discussed. The research review concludes that GRC is significantly related to men's psychological and interpersonal problems and therefore an important construct for psychologists and other helping professionals.

Generational differences in psychological traits and their impact on the workplace

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review data from 1.4 million people who completed personality, attitude, psychopathology, or behavior scales between the 1930s and the present and to discuss how those differences may impact today's workplace.Design/methodology/approach – The data are gathered from research reports using psychological scales over the last eight decades, primarily those using college student samples.Findings – Generation Me (sometimes called Gen Y or Millennials) demonstrates higher self‐esteem, narcissism, anxiety, and depression; lower need for social approval; more external locus of control; and women with more agentic traits.Practical implications – Managers should expect to see more employees with unrealistically high expectations, a high need for praise, difficulty with criticism, an increase in creativity demands, job‐hopping, ethics scandals, casual dress, and shifting workplace norms for women. Organizations can respond to these changes with accommodations (e.g. praise pro...

Creating and undermining social support in communal relationships: the role of compassionate and self-image goals.

Abstract: In 2 studies, the authors examined whether relationship goals predict change in social support and trust over time. In Study 1, a group of 199 college freshmen completed pretest and posttest measures of social support and interpersonal trust and completed 10 weekly reports of friendship goals and relationship experiences. Average compassionate goals predicted closeness, clear and connected feelings, and increased social support and trust over the semester; self-image goals attenuated these effects. Average self-image goals predicted conflict, loneliness, and afraid and confused feelings; compassionate goals attenuated these effects. Changes in weekly goals predicted changes in goal-related affect, closeness, loneliness, conflict, and beliefs about mutual and individualistic caring. In Study 2, a group of 65 roommate pairs completed 21 daily reports of their goals for their roommate relationship. Actors' average compassionate and self-image goals interacted to predict changes over 3 weeks in partners' reports of social support received from and given to actors; support that partners gave to actors, in turn, predicted changes in actors' perceived available support, indicating that people with compassionate goals create a supportive environment for themselves and others, but only if they do not have self-image goals.

Does marriage and relationship education work? A meta-analytic study.

Abstract: In this meta-analytic study, the authors examined the efficacy of marriage and relationship education (MRE) on 2 common outcomes: relationship quality and communication skills. A thorough search produced 86 codable reports that yielded 117 studies and more than 500 effect sizes. The effect sizes for relationship quality for experimental studies ranged from d = .30 to .36, while the communication skills effect sizes ranged from d = .43 to .45. Quasi-experimental studies generated smaller effect sizes, but these appeared to be due to pretest group differences. Moderate-dosage programs produced larger effect sizes than did low-dosage programs. For communication skills, published studies had larger effects than those of unpublished studies at follow-up; there were no publication differences for relationship quality. There was no evidence of a gender difference. Unfortunately, a lack of racial/ethnic and economic diversity in the samples prevented reliable conclusions about the effectiveness of MRE for disadvantaged couples, a crucial deficit in the body of research. In addition, intervention outcomes important to policy makers, such as relationship stability and aggression, rarely have been addressed.

Longitudinal linkages between perceived social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms: sequential roles of social causation and social selection.

Abstract: The authors examined social causation and social selection explanations for the association between perceptions of social support and psychological distress. Data came from a sample of 557 victims of natural disaster in Mexico. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that social causation (more social support leading to less posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) explained the support-to-distress relationship in the earlier postdisaster phase, 6 to 12 months after the impact. Both causal mechanisms emerged as significant paths in the midpoint of the study (12 and 18 months). Only social selection (more PTSD leading to less social support) accounted for the support-to-distress relationship at 18 to 24 months after the event. Interpersonal and social dynamics of disasters may explain why these two contrasting causal mechanisms emerged over time.

Social challenges and supports from the perspective of individuals with Asperger syndrome and other autism spectrum disabilities

Abstract: The study describes the perspectives of individuals with Asperger syndrome and other autism spectrum disabilities (ASDs) regarding social challenges and supports. Eighteen adults with ASDs were individually interviewed. They were asked to describe their experiences navigating their social worlds, and recommend effective social supports and strategies for improving social connectedness. Qualitative analyses of the interview transcripts revealed a number of common experiences including a profound sense of isolation, difficulty initiating social interactions, challenges relating to communication, longing for greater intimacy, desire to contribute to one's community, and effort to develop greater social/self-awareness. Commonly recommended social supports included external supports (e.g. activities based on shared interests, highly structured or scripted social activities, and small groups or dyads); communication supports (e.g. alternative modes of communication, explicit communication, and instruction in interpreting and using social cues); and self-initiated strategies for handling social anxiety (e.g. creative/improvisational outlets, physical activity, spiritual practice/organized religion, and time spent alone).

Social intelligence and the biology of leadership.

Abstract: A decade ago in these pages, Goleman published his highly influential article on emotional intelligence and leadership. Now he, a cochair of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, and Boyatzis, a professor at Case Western, extend Goleman's original concept using emerging research about what happens in the brain when people interact. Social intelligence, they say, is a set of interpersonal competencies, built on specific neural circuits, that inspire people to be effective. The authors describe how the brain's mirror neurons enable a person to reproduce the emotions she detects in others and, thereby, have an instant sense of shared experience. Organizational studies document this phenomenon in contexts ranging from face-to-face performance reviews to the daily personal interactions that help a leader retain prized talent. Other social neurons include spindle cells, which allow leaders to quickly choose the best way to respond to someone, and oscillators, which synchronize people's physical movements. Great leaders, the authors believe, are those whose behaviors powerfully leverage this complex system of brain interconnectedness. In a handy chart, the authors share their approach to assessing seven competencies that distinguish socially intelligent from socially unintelligent leaders. Their specific advice to leaders who need to strengthen their social circuitry: Work hard at altering your behavior. They share an example of an executive who became socially smarter by embracing a change program that comprised a 360-degree evaluation, intensive coaching by an organizational psychologist, and long-term collaboration with a mentor. The results stronger relationships with higher-ups and subordinates, better performance of her unit, and a big promotion.

Intimacy and relationship processes in couples' psychosocial adaptation to cancer.

Abstract: The authors highlighted the importance of viewing cancer from a relationship perspective. This perspective not only considers the marital relationship as a resource that individual partners draw upon but also highlights the importance of focusing attention onto the relationship and engaging in communication behaviors aimed at sustaining and/or enhancing the relationship during stressful times. On the basis of existing conceptualizations, empiric research on couples and cancer, and the authors' perspective on the literature, they formulated the relationship intimacy model of couples' psychosocial adaptation to cancer as a first step toward building a framework for researchers and clinicians to inform their work in this area. The model proposes that patients and their partners engage in behaviors that either promote or undermine the level of closeness in their relationship and that the closeness of the marital relationship is an important determinant of patient and partner psychologic adaptation to cancer. Preliminary data from a couples' intimacy-enhancing intervention for breast cancer patients and their partners supported the model. Of the 25 couples who consented to participate in the intervention and completed the preintervention surveys, 15 couples completed all 5 sessions, and 12 couples completed the follow-up survey. The current results suggested that the intervention improved patient and partner perceptions of the closeness of their relationship and reduced their distress. The authors also discuss limitations of the relationship intimacy model as well as future directions for empiric and clinical research on couples' psychosocial adaptation to cancer. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.

Measurement and correlates of prosocial bystander behavior: the case of interpersonal violence.

Abstract: The field of social psychology has long investigated the role of prosocial bystanders in assisting crime victims and helping in emergency situations. This research has usually been experimental and has established important principles about the conditions under which individuals will choose to engage in prosocial bystander behaviors. More recently, interest has grown in applying this work to the important practical problem of preventing interpersonal violence in communities. Yet, to date, there has been little research on the role of bystanders in cases of interpersonal violence. The current study is thus exploratory. Using a sample of 389 undergraduates, the study discusses key issues in the development of measures to investigate these questions and presents preliminary analyses of correlates of bystander behavior in the context of sexual and intimate partner violence.

Social and interpersonal factors relating to adolescent suicidality: a review of the literature

Abstract: This article reviews the empirical literature concerning social and interpersonal variables as risk factors for adolescent suicidality (suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, death by suicide). It also describes major social constructs in theories of suicide and the extent to which studies support their importance to adolescent suicidality. PsychINFO and PubMed searches were conducted for empirical studies focused on family and friend support, social isolation, peer victimization, physical/sexual abuse, or emotional neglect as these relate to adolescent suicidality. Empirical findings converge in documenting the importance of multiple social and interpersonal factors to adolescent suicidality. Research support for the social constructs in several major theories of suicide is summarized and research challenges are discussed.

Merely Activating the Concept of Money Changes Personal and Interpersonal Behavior

Abstract: Money plays a significant role in people's lives, and yet little experimental attention has been given to the psychological underpinnings of money. We systematically varied whether and to what extent the concept of money was activated in participants' minds using methods that minimized participants' conscious awareness of the money cues. On the one hand, participants reminded of money were less helpful than were participants not reminded of money, and they also preferred solitary activities and less physical intimacy. On the other hand, reminders of money prompted participants to work harder on challenging tasks and led to desires to take on more work as compared to participants not reminded of money. In short, even subtle reminders of money elicit big changes in human behavior.

The Relationships Between Service-Learning, Social Justice, Multicultural Competence, and Civic Engagement

Abstract: This study qualitatively examined how participants in a long-term service-learning program described their understanding of and commitment to social justice, multicultural competence, and civic engagement. Interviews with members of a university-sponsored AmeriCorps service-learning program explored participants’ perceptions of the effects of their service. Several participants in this study increased their awareness of inequality, but only some adopted a commitment to social justice. Participants also developed several multicultural skills while interacting with their clients, such as empathy, patience, attachment, reciprocity, trust, and respect. All participants expressed a commitment to continued civic engagement.

The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations

Abstract: 1. Understanding Gender. 2. Dominance and Interdependence. 3. Development of Gender Relations. 4. Content and Origins of Gender Stereotypes. 5. Descriptive and Prescriptive Stereotyping. 6. Self-Sustaining Prophecies. 7. Obstacles to Gender Nonconformity. 8. Sexism in the Workplace. 9. Love and Romance. 10. Sex. 11. Gender and Violence. 12. Progress, Pitfalls, and Remedies.

Shared Reality, System Justification, and the Relational Basis of Ideological Beliefs

Abstract: Although it is tempting to think that one’s political convictions reflect independent and unbiased thinking, research increasingly suggests that ideologies reflect motivational processes. The present paper integrates system justification and shared reality theories to propose that ideologies may function as prepackaged units of interpretation that spread because of basic human motives to understand the world, avoid existential threat, and maintain valued interpersonal relationships. The authors review evidence suggesting that affiliative motives may influence ideological beliefs to align with the progressive or conservative views shared within a given relationship or group. At the same time, such motives may lead disproportionately to the adoption of system-justifying worldviews. Implications for the context dependence of ideological convictions, the role that shared reality may play in group conflicts, and the relational bases of revolutionary change are discussed. Often our need for others is not love at all but only the need to be sustained in our illusions, even as we sustain others in theirs. – Thomas Merton (1979, 23)

Measuring participation of children with disabilities: Issues and challenges

Abstract: Purpose. The aim of this paper is to examine conceptual issues that challenge development of valid and useful measures of children's participation.Method. Ambiguities in the current definition of p...

A multi-level analysis of team climate and interpersonal exchange relationships at work

Abstract: This paper seeks to advance research on interpersonal exchange relationships between supervisors, subordinates, and coworkers at work by integrating social exchange, workplace friendship, and climate research to develop a multi-level model. We tested the model using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) with data obtained from a sample of 215 manager–employee dyads working in 36 teams. At the individual level, leader–member exchange (LMX) was found to be related to workplace friendship. Further, workplace friendship was positively related to team–member exchange (TMX) and mediated the LMX–TMX relationship. At the team level, HLM results indicated that the relationship between LMX and workplace friendship was moderated by affective climate. These findings suggest that high-quality LMX relationships are associated with enhanced workplace friendship between employees, especially when the affective climate is strong.

Reinvigorating the Concept of Situation in Social Psychology

Abstract: The concept of situation has a long and venerable history in social psychology. The author argues that recent approaches to the concept of situation have confused certain important elements. Herein, the author proposes that attention to three of these elements will reinvigorate the concept of situation in social psychology: (a) that the analysis of situations should begin with their objective features; (b) that situations should be conceptualized as affordances; and (c) that the interpersonal core of situations, in particular the extent to which they are influenced by relationships, is the proper and most profitable focus for social psychology. These elements are consistent with recent developments in the study of situated social cognition and may help better define social psychology's position within the sciences.

Differential associations of social support and social connectedness with structural features of social networks and the health status of older adults.

Abstract: Objective: This study explores the extent to which the constructs of social support and social connectedness differ in terms of their associations with the structural characteristics of social netw...

Fundamental dimensions of social judgment

Abstract: In recent years, research on social judgment–including interpersonal perception, group perception, and even selfperception–has converged on the important realization that two fundamental content dimensions underlie these various judgments (Abele & Wojciszke, 2007; Cuddy, Fiske & Glick, 2008; Dubois & Beauvois, 2005; Fiske, Cuddy, & Glick, 2007; Judd, James-Hawkins, Yzerbyt, & Kashima, 2005; Paulhus & John, 1998; Peeters, 1992, 2008; Peeters & Czapinski, 1990; Phalet & Poppe, 1997; Rosenberg, Nelson, & Vivekananthan, 1968; Wiggins, 1979). This special issue presents a collection of recent empirical and theoretical developments in the study of these two dimensions. Different names denote the two fundamental content dimensions, depending on the specific strand of work that is examined. For instance, researchers refer to communion versus agency (Abele & Wojciszke, 2007; Bakan, 1966), warmth versus competence (Cuddy et al. 2008; Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002; Judd, et al., 2005), expressiveness versus instrumentality (Parsons & Bales, 1955), socially versus intellectually good-bad (Rosenberg, et al., 1968), otherprofitability versus self-profitability (Peeters, 1992), social desirability versus social utility (Dubois & Beauvois, 2005), morality versus competence (Wojciszke 2005), and socio-morality vs. taskability (Ybarra, Chan, Park, Burnstein, Monin, & Stanik, in this issue). The first of the two dimensions (e.g., communion, warmth, etc.) is represented by such positive traits as warm, friendly, honest, and good-natured, and by such negative traits as deceitful, cold, and unreliable. The second of the two dimensions (e.g., agency, competence, etc.) is exemplified by such positive traits as competent, assertive, ambitious, and intelligent, and by such negative traits as inefficient, indecisive, passive, and lazy. Although both dimensions play key roles in social judgment, the communion/warmth dimension is regarded as primary because it accounts for more variance in trait ratings (Abele & Wojciszke, 2007, Study 1), is more quickly recognized (Ybarra, Chan, & Park, 2001), and more severely constrains judgments on the other dimension than vice versa (Yzerbyt, Kervyn & Judd, 2008). The organization of traits into these two fundamental dimensions is not incidental, but rather has a functional meaning. Summarizing earlier intuitions (Fiske et al., 2007), Ybarra et al. (in this issue) argue that these two dimensions reflect the two core challenges humans have faced over millennia. The first key challenge concerns social acceptance and connection, clearly critical to survival. The second key challenge concerns the manifestation of skills, competencies, and status, and the pursuit of goals, given available opportunities. One might ask why there are so many different names for these fundamental dimensions. Although we cannot provide an in-depth discussion in this introduction, two issues should be noted. First, the variety of labels for these two dimensions reflects the range of research areas from which they emerged. For instance, the widely acknowledged distinction between warmth and competence is well established in stereotype research (Cuddy et al., 2008; Fiske et al., 2006; Judd et al., 2005). At the same time, the distinction between communion and agency is ubiquitous in research on the self or on gender (Abele, 2003; Abele & Wojciszke, 2007). Second, are these dimensions operationalized similarly, regardless of their idiosyncratic nomeclature? It appears that across research areas, operationalizations of the first dimension (i.e., communion/warmth) converge; researchers in different fields define and operationalize this dimension very similarly. In a way, this corroborates the claim that the communion/warmth dimension is primary in social judgment. For the agency/competence dimension, the convergence is also high for the components of ‘‘competence’’ and ‘‘efficiency.’’ However, the conceptualization of ‘‘agency’’ also stresses traits that refer to motivation and assertiveness (e.g., ambitious, goal-oriented). This facet of the agency/competence dimension is perhaps more important with respect to self-perception and interpersonal perception than with respect to group perception (i.e., stereotypes). The somewhat different ways by which these two dimensions are translated into concrete measures, hence, may stem from different research focuses (e.g. self/others vs. groups/ stereotypes).

How Goal Instrumentality Shapes Relationship Evaluations

Abstract: Findings from 6 experiments support the hypothesis that relationship evaluations and behavioral tendencies are goal dependent, reflecting the instrumentality of significant others for the self's progress toward currently active goals. Experiments 1 and 3 found that active goals can automatically bring to mind significant others who are instrumental for the activated goal, heightening their accessibility relative to noninstrumental others. Experiments 2-5 found that active goals cause individuals to evaluate instrumental others more positively, draw closer to them, and approach them more readily, compared with noninstrumental others. Experiment 6 found that people who engage in goal-dependent interpersonal evaluations are more successful, receiving higher grades. Implications for understanding the social nature of self-regulation and the impact of personal goals on interpersonal relationships are discussed.

Adolescents Online: The Importance of Internet Activity Choices to Salient Relationships

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether using the Internet for different activities affects the quality of close adolescent relationships (i.e., best friendships and romantic relationships). In a one-year longitudinal study of 884 adolescents (Mean age = 15, 46% male), we examined whether visiting chat rooms, using ICQ, using the Internet for general entertainment, or participating in online gaming predicted changes in the quality of best friendships and romantic relationships. Multiple regression analyses indicated that Internet activity choice influenced later relationship quality in both best friendships and romantic relationships. Using instant messaging (ICQ) was positively associated with most aspects of romantic relationship and best friendship quality. In contrast, visiting chat rooms was negatively related to best friendship quality. Using the Internet to play games and for general entertainment predicted decreases in relationship quality with best friends and with romantic partners. These findings reflect the important and complex functions of online socialization for the development and maintenance of relationships in adolescence.

Social Participation for Older People with Aphasia: The Impact of Communication Disability on Friendships

Abstract: Purpose: The language changes experienced by a person with aphasia following a stroke often have sudden and longlasting negative impact on friendships. Friendship relationships are core to social engagement, quality of life, and emotional well-being. The aims of this study were to describe everyday communication with friends for older people with and without aphasia and to examine the nature of actual friendship conversations involving a person with aphasia. Method: This naturalistic inquiry drew data from two phases of research: a participant observation study of 30 older Australians, 15 of whom had aphasia following a stroke, and a collective case study using stimulated recall to examine friendship conversations involving an older person with aphasia. Results: People with aphasia communicated with fewer friends and had smaller social networks. “Friendship” was a core domain of communication for older people and participation in leisure and educational activities was focal in everyday communication with friends. Case study data of conversations between three older people with aphasia and their friends illuminated features of “time,” the role of humour, and friends having shared interests. Conclusion: Aphasia has been found to impact on friendships. A need exists for research and intervention