Abstract
We constructed a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating effect of social identification between the psychological distance of the role model and students' sense of purpose and the moderating effect of students' social comparison orientation on the relationship between psychological distance of the role model and students' social identification, which subsequently affects their sense of purpose. Participants were 518 Chinese undergraduates who completed experiments in two studies, and a survey in a third study. Results showed that (a) after excluding the influences of gender and major, psychological distance from their role models negatively predicted participants' sense of purpose; (b) social identification partially mediated the relationship between psychological distance and sense of purpose; and (c) social comparison orientation moderated the negative effects of psychological distance on social identification. Our results show that for the practice of education by example, students should be guided to choose proximal role models as references to enhance their sense of purpose, and thereby reduce the hollow heart phenomenon.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
