Communal Behavior Research Articles

Exploring the role of personality traits in environmental stewardship: insights from the FIKR (facet, insight, knowledge, and resilience) personality assessment tool

This study investigates the relationship between key personality traits—Self-criticism, Dependence, Nurturance, and Emotional—and their influence on sustainability behaviours, using the FIKR (facet, insight, knowledge, and resilience). A sample of 409 individuals was analyzed to examine correlations between these traits and 19 other personality dimensions, alongside 4 demographic factors. The results reveal significant interactions, particularly how self-criticism negatively correlates with emotional expressiveness, and how nurturance and dependency are positively associated with communal and support-driven sustainability behaviours. The findings underscore the potential for tailoring environmental interventions to specific personality profiles, thereby enhancing individual engagement in sustainability efforts and contributing to the health of biological planetary systems. These insights can inform strategies for promoting long-term environmental stewardship by aligning personal traits with collective sustainability goals, thereby making a significant contribution to the field of environmental psychology.

Emergence of community behaviors in the gut microbiota upon drug treatment

Pharmaceuticals can directly inhibit the growth of gut bacteria, but the degree to which such interactions manifest in complex community settings is an open question. Here, we compared the effects of 30 drugs on a 32-species synthetic community with their effects on each community member in isolation. While most individual drug-species interactions remained the same in the community context, communal behaviors emerged in 26% of all tested cases. Cross-protection during which drug-sensitive species were protected in community was 6 times more frequent than cross-sensitization, the converse phenomenon. Cross-protection decreased and cross-sensitization increased at higher drug concentrations, suggesting that the resilience of microbial communities can collapse when perturbations get stronger. By metabolically profiling drug-treated communities, we showed that both drug biotransformation and bioaccumulation contribute mechanistically to communal protection. As a proof of principle, we molecularly dissected a prominent case: species expressing specific nitroreductases degraded niclosamide, thereby protecting both themselves and sensitive community members.

Women governors in the United States use more communal language than male governors in their State of the State addresses and tweets and achieve greater policy success

This study draws on framing theory to argue that the language used by women politicians may make them more effective in achieving their goals. Large numbers of voters around the world perceive men to be more effective political leaders than women. However, this study of the communications of women and male governors in the United States finds that the opposite is true and that women governors emphasize cooperation and compromise much more when communicating, which could be a factor in their greater efficacy. An analysis of 1,088 policy proposals made by governors in their State of the State addresses finds that women enacted their proposals into law at 1.2 times the rate of their male counterparts. An analysis also finds that, between March 2020 and February 2021, states with women governors had significantly fewer excess deaths due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and significantly lower unemployment rates than states with male governors. Analyses of speeches and tweets by governors find that women governors use significantly more communal, cooperative language than their male counterparts, and these frames might catalyze more communal behavior by partners and constituents and thereby help explain their greater efficacy.

Communal behavior and its exploitation in Tamalia social gall aphids (Aphididae: Tamaliinae)

Communal behavior and its exploitation in Tamalia social gall aphids (Aphididae: Tamaliinae)

Gender and evaluations of leadership behaviors: A meta-analytic review of 50 years of research

As more women have entered the managerial ranks, discussion about differences between men’s and women’s leadership behaviors have persisted. The current study reviews and analyzes 50 years of research to examine gender differences in evaluations of their leadership behaviors. Across 13 new meta-analyses using data from 1970 to 2020, we examine evaluations of leadership behaviors that vary across two dimensions: communal-agentic and effective-ineffective, including: democratic/participative, relationship-oriented/consideration, idealized influence, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, ethical/moral, autocratic/directive, task-oriented/initiating structure, contingent reward, MBE-active, inspirational motivation, MBE-passive, and laissez-faire. The meta-analytic results suggest that women are seen as engaging in more effective agentic and communal leadership behaviors, compared to men, while men are seen as engaging in less effective and more passive leadership behavior, compared to women. Relying on social role theory and arguments from the double standards of competence literature, we also examine whether the relationship between gender and evaluations of leadership behaviors differs across time and levels of leadership. Interestingly, only one primary study across all our analyses utilized an objective instead of a subjective measure of leader behavior, underscoring the imperative for more objective assessments in the future. Practical implications and future research directions are also discussed. All supplemental material can be found at: https://osf.io/enm3d/?view_only=ea99d34911284304a4b2bf61079d5ecd.

CEO gender and climate change commitment: The mediating effect of environmental regulation perception

AbstractThis study delves into the influence of CEO gender on climate change commitment within SMEs in the Mediterranean region. Utilizing data from the sixth wave of the BEEPS survey (2018–2020), we explore the mediating role of environmental regulation perception in this context. Our findings align with social role theory, indicating that women demonstrate heightened ecological and communal behavior, driven by their perception of environmental regulations. We reveal a full mediation link within the EU Mediterranean region, where environmental regulation perception explains women's commitment to environmental causes. However, in the EU neighborhood, we identify a direct significant effect of CEO gender on SMEs' engagement with climate change, particularly in terms of controlling CO2 emissions. Our study sheds light on the limited presence of women in top management positions in the Mediterranean region. Additionally, we highlight the scarcity of environmental regulations for SMEs in the EU neighborhood, with the perception of these regulations as barriers hindering proactive climate change strategies. Therefore, governmental authorities need to develop more stringent environmental regulations while taking into account the financial capacities of SMEs. Providing ecological business education before implementing new regulations could also be beneficial. The study carries significant managerial and social implications, emphasizing the necessity of diverse leadership to promote sustainability and underscoring the importance of tailored regulatory initiatives for effective climate action.

Taxonomic notes on the Zethus olmecus de Saussure, 1875 species group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), with the description of five new species

Zethus Fabricius is the largest genus within Vespidae with nearly 300 species. The genus has a central role on discussion of social evolution, once some species share behavioral features between solitary and social representatives of vespids and the genus has been recovered as phylogenetically closer to social wasps than to other Eumeninae. The Zethus olmecus species group is even more remarkable since there are observations of communal nesting behavior, a fact misused as support for the hypothesis of closer relationship to social wasps. Herein we closely investigate the taxonomy of this group of species, the first step needed for future studies to properly approach its evolution. The taxonomic approach involved examination of external morphology and male genitalia. Five new species are described for the group: Z. bolivari n. sp., Z. hermesi n. sp., Z. hexacirratus n. sp., Z. perilloi n. sp., and Z. utingensis n. sp. The unknown female of Z. peruvicus is also described. An illustrated taxonomic key is presented. Geographical distribution is expanded for Z. peruvicus, Z. pygmaeus, Z. thoracicus, and Z. toltecus. Finally, additional notes and corrections of existing literature are given.

A multi-method study of interpersonal complementarity and mentalization

Research finds cross-sectional relationships between mentalizing impairments and maladaptive personality traits. The current study connects mentalizing impairments to dynamic interpersonal processes using a multi-method design. A sample of 218 participants completed the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC; Dziobek et al., 2006) to assess mentalizing ability. Subsequently, participants rated their agentic and communal behavior and their perception of interaction partners’ agentic and communal behavior over 21-days. Mentalizing ability moderated the within-person relationship between behavior and perception for both agency and communion. Worse performance on the MASC was associated with weaker interpersonal complementarity, suggesting that mentalizing impairments lead to deviations from expected patterns of behavior and perception across interpersonal situations. These findings confirm the assumption of Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory that mentalization impairments can disrupt normative interpersonal processes (Cain et al., 2024; Pincus & Hopwood, 2012).

Gender and leadership evaluations: what happens if we actually measure expectations–behavior incongruence?

PurposeRole congruity theory and gender stereotypes research suggests men are expected to engage in agentic behavior and women in communal behavior as leaders, and that role violation results in backlash. However, extant gender and leadership research does not directly measure expectations–behavior incongruence. Further, researchers have only considered one condition of role incongruence – display of counter-role behavior – and have not considered the outcomes of failing to exhibit role-congruent behavior. Additionally, few studies have examined outcomes for male leaders who violate gender role prescriptions. The present study aims to address these shortcomings by conducting a novel empirical test of role congruity theory.Design/Methodology/approachThis experimental study used polynomial regression to assess how followers evaluated leaders under conditions of incongruence between follower expectations for men and women leaders’ behavior and leaders’ actual behavior (i.e. exceeded and unmet expectations). Respondents read a fictional scenario describing a new male or female supervisor, rated their expectations for the leader’s agentic and communal behavior, read manipulated vignettes describing the leader’s subsequent behavior, rated their perceptions of these behaviors, and evaluated the leader.FindingsFollowers expected higher levels of communal behavior from the female than the male supervisor, but no differences were found in expectations for agentic behavior. Regardless of whether expectations were exceeded or unmet, supervisor gender did not moderate the effects of agentic or communal behavior expectations–perceptions incongruence on leader evaluations in polynomial regression analyses (i.e. male and female supervisors were not evaluated differently when displaying counter-role behavior or failing to display role-congruent behavior).Originality/valueIn addition to providing a novel, direct test of role congruity theory, the study highlighted a double standard in gender role-congruent behavior expectations of men and women leaders. Results failed to support role congruity theory, which has implications for the future of theory in this domain.

How learning-goal-oriented newcomers develop leader-member exchange (LMX): From agentic and communal behavior perspectives

Adopting the dual perspective model of agency and communion and role-making theory of leader–member exchange (LMX) development, this study explored whether and how newcomers with a high learning goal orientation (LGO) develop high-quality social exchange relationships with their leaders. Through a three-wave field survey of 199 organizational newcomers who were graduates entering the workplace, we found a direct and significant relationship between the newcomers’ LGO and LMX. We also found that their agentic and communal behaviors—specifically, self-improvement voice and knowledge sharing, respectively—served as dual mediating mechanisms of this relationship. This study answers the call for more research on how employees’ LGO motivates them to engage in behaviors conducive to social exchange development with their leaders. It also contributes to the emerging research on followership and understanding LMX development beyond the leader–member dyad. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use communal cues to manage population density at breeding sites

Where a female mosquito lays her eggs creates the conditions for reproductive success. Here we identify a communal behavior among ovipositing female mosquitoes. When choosing equal breeding sites, gravid Aedes aegypti aggregate more often than expected. This aggregation occurs when water contact is restricted and does not require the presence of eggs. Instead, the aggregation is regulated by the number of females present at the breeding site. Using assays with both occupied and empty oviposition sites, we show that the Orco olfactory co-receptor and a carbon dioxide receptor, Gr3, detect the presence of mosquitoes. orco mutants aggregate more often in empty sites, suggesting attractive olfactory cues influence females to associate with one another. Gr3 mutant females do not prefer either site, suggesting that the CO2 receptor is necessary to evaluate mosquito population density at breeding sites. Further, raising CO2 levels is sufficient to cause wild-type mosquitoes to avoid empty oviposition sites. Our results demonstrate that female mosquitoes can regulate their own population density at breeding sites using attractive and repellent communal cues.

Study of Communal Behavior of Black-Winged Stilt with other Bird Species in Selected Wetlands of Kota (Rajasthan)

A comprehensive understanding of bird behaviour is essential for developing and enhancing avian life-history theory content and organizing efficient management and conservation plans. The knowledge of the crucial nesting characteristics and the tactics used by birds throughout their life histories often fluctuate between environments. Despite being seen in small groups, the black-winged stilt has an intriguing social behaviour that demonstrates flexibility. These birds are sociable and will often gather in large groups. But during the breeding season, in particular, their social dynamics shift. They break off from their usual groupings now and either form pairs or congregate in bigger groups. During this time, they display specific behavior with other bird species found in their habitat, especially with those species with which they share their feeding and nesting sites. Their various behaviors can be understood on the basis of continuous study of their vocalization, flapping of wings and body posture. In this context, the communal behavior of Black-winged Stilt has been studied at the wetlands Alniya and Abheda ponds located in Kota.

“I too have a responsibility for my partner's life”: Communal coping among Malawian couples living with HIV and cardiometabolic disorders

RationaleHIV and cardiometabolic disorders including hypertension and diabetes pose a serious double threat in Malawi. Supportive couple relationships may be an important resource for managing these conditions. According to the theory of communal coping, couples will more effectively manage illness if they view the illness as “our problem” (shared illness appraisal) and are united in shared behavioral efforts. MethodsThis study qualitatively investigated communal coping of 25 couples living with HIV and hypertension or diabetes in Zomba, Malawi. Partners were interviewed separately regarding relationship quality, shared illness appraisal, communal coping, and dyadic management of illness. ResultsMost participants (80%) were living with HIV, and more than half were also living with hypertension. Most participants expressed high levels of unity and the view that illness was “our problem.” In some couples, partners expected but did not extend help and support and reported little collaboration. Communal coping and dyadic management were strongly gendered. Some women reported a one-sided support relationship in which they gave but did not receive support. Women were also more likely to initiate support interactions and offered more varied support than men. In couples with poor relationship quality and weak communal coping, dyadic management of illness was also weak. Partner support was particularly crucial for dietary changes, as women typically prepared meals for the entire family. Other lifestyle changes that could be supported or hindered by a partner included exercise, stress reduction, and medication adherence. ConclusionWe conclude that gendered power imbalances may influence the extent to which couple-level ideals translate into actual communal coping and health behaviors. Given that spouses and families of patients are also at risk due to shared environments, we call for a shift from an illness management paradigm to a paradigm of optimizing health for spouses and families regardless of diabetes or hypertension diagnosis.

Apparent coordinated and communal hunting behaviours by Erabu sea krait Laticauda semifactiata

Opportunistic observations of Erabu sea kraits (Laticauda semifaciata) provide evidence that this species undertake a novel foraging tactic; coordinated communal hunting. Erabu sea kraits prey on cryptic fish species in highly complex reef habitats. Intra- and interspecific cooperative hunting strategies may increase chances for all members of the hunting party to encounter and capture prey in these complex habitats. Here, we observed 52 instances of communal hunting by Erabu sea kraits with conspecifics and other predatory fishes at recreational dive sites in Southern Lombok, Indonesia. These observations highlight the potential higher cognitive capacity of sea kraits to coordinate activities around communal hunting events.

The Intersectional Role-(In) Congruity Effects of Age and Gender on Leadership Evaluations

Over the past decades, the Western workforce has experienced two notable demographic shifts: there has been an increase in the percentage of women occupying leadership roles and the workforce is aging. Considering these two trends in unison, it would be intuitive that the future workforce will be defined by an increasingly age and gender-diverse group of leaders. However, although the general percentage of female leaders has increased, this percentage decreases sharply in upper leadership and executive roles. The current theory on barriers to female leadership ascension contains conflicting propositions and has largely examined gender issues in isolation from other factors (i.e., age stereotypes). We aim to create consensus across the literature on age and gender-based leader prototypes by investigating intersectional role-congruity bias as a predictor of barriers to career advancement for age and gender-diverse individuals. We integrate fundamental propositions from role congruity theory within an intersectional framework to examine the joint influence that age- and gender-based agentic-communal role norms exert on leadership evaluations. Through the application of experimental vignette methodology across two studies ( N 1 = 163, N 2 = 466), our results suggest that (a) the positive effect of age on leadership prototypicality is attenuated for women, (b) traditional biases associated with female leadership are dependent upon age, and (c) male leaders receive a consistent and age-dependent bonus in ratings when displaying gender atypical communal behaviors. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Communal coping and glycemic control: Daily patterns among young adult couples with type 1 diabetes.

Young adulthood is a time when persons with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) become more fully responsible for diabetes management. Establishing healthy diabetes routines during this period is foundational for successful management across adulthood. Although partner support is generally considered helpful in T1D management, less is known about specific partner behaviors that could benefit glucose levels. The aim of this study was to explore associations between communal coping behaviors and T1D glucose management. During 2018-2020, 23 young married opposite-sex couples (Mage = 25.7 years), wherein one spouse had T1D, completed daily measures of communal coping for 9 consecutive days. Daily average glucose and time-in-range were computed from the person with T1D's glucose meter or continuous glucose monitor. Multilevel model results suggested that higher time-in-range on a given day was predicted by reports of lower daily spousal instrumental support, lower overprotective and controlling behaviors, and by higher emotional support. Controlling spousal behavior on one day was associated with higher time-in-range the next day. At the same time, patient reports of higher average spousal controlling behavior (across all days) were associated with lower time-in-range and higher average glucose. Average glucose was also predicted by communal coping behaviors (especially within-person higher instrumental support), yet results were less robust after covariates were considered. Some young romantic partners may engage in behaviors that are associated with higher average blood glucose and lower time-in-range for the person with T1D. Persons with T1D could communicate to their partners types of support that are helpful versus not. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Cooperative organizational cultures: a factor promoting equal gender representation in leadership

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between feminine gender identity and leadership intention. Based on the theory of planned behavior and social role theory, the indirect relationship between feminine gender identity and leadership intention was analyzed through affective motivation to lead and perceived leadership self-efficacy. In addition, drawing on the person–environment fit theory, feminine gender identity was examined as a moderator of the relationship between cooperative organizational culture and leadership intention.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey was administered among a sample of 183 full-time employees.FindingsResults demonstrated that controlling for sex, perceived leadership self-efficacy mediated the relationship between feminine gender role identity and leadership intention. In addition, feminine gender role identity acted as a moderator in strengthening the relationship between cooperative organizational culture and leadership intention such that highly feminine individuals in high cooperative organizational cultures showed higher intentions to become leaders than did individuals with less feminine identities.Research limitations/implicationsIn research on leadership intentions, it will be important to measure both sex and gender, as gender identity explains variance in important outcomes over and above sex. In addition, beginning to include organizational characteristics (such as perception of culture) in this stream of research is important.Practical implicationsOrganizations wishing to promote more feminine individuals to leadership roles should examine their organizational culture to determine if it is cooperative, as this type of culture allows these individuals to be more intent on seeking leadership roles.Originality/valueThis research adds up to the literature by looking at an organizational factor, culture, and analyzing its role in increasing leadership intention in highly feminine individuals. In addition, by studying gender while controlling for sex, this paper suggests that regardless of sex (being a female or a male), feminine individuals will benefit from a cooperative environment. This includes any individuals (females and males) that identify more with communal behaviors.

Narcissism in Romantic Relationships: Using Communal Activation to Promote Relationship Enhancing Attitudes

Background: People with elevated vulnerable narcissism (VN) or grandiose narcissism (GN) trait levels tend to experience greater difficulties in their romantic relationships than their counterparts with lower levels of VN or GN. Although there are no evidence-based approaches to alter the interpersonal behavior of persons with VN or GN traits, experimental research shows that it is possible to produce relationship-enhancing attitudes in people with GN traits through communal activation (CA). Objective: We examined whether a CA manipulation in the context of relationship education improves attitudes that promote romantic relationship health, and whether VN and GN would moderate these associations. Method: Participants (N women =148, N men = 71) watched psychoeducational videos on relationships and were randomly assigned to either answer questions about the videos’ content (control group) or to complete CA exercises (experimental group) in addition to questionnaires to measure empathy, criticism, commitment, desire for closeness, and communication (positive interaction, demand/withdraw communication, criticize/defend communication) before and after the experimental manipulation. Results: There was a main effect of condition, such that, relative to the control group, fewer improvements in perceived demand/withdraw communication were observed in the experimental condition. VN, but not GN, moderated the link between condition and commitment, demand/withdraw and criticize/defend communication, such that elevated VN levels predicted the most improvement in commitment, demand/withdraw and criticize/defend communication in the experimental condition. Discussion: We conclude with recommendations to adopt ego-enhancing reinforcement for communal behaviors with clients who endorse GN traits and considering less personally relevant CA exercises with clients who endorse VN traits.

Communal egg-laying by the Frontier Bow-fingered Gecko Altiphylax stoliczkai (Steindachner, 1867) in Ladakh, India

Communal egg-laying behaviour in the Frontier Bow-fingered Gecko Altiphylax stoliczkai was investigated within Ladakh’s Indian trans Himalayan region during the summer of 2019. The findings present the first documented evidence of communal egg-laying in the species. Distinct egg-laying sites were identified with crevices containing between four and 10 eggs. Confirmation of species identity was achieved through post-hatching visual identification and genetic tests. Contrary to prevailing notions of one to two eggs per female gekkonid, the observation suggests that communal egg-laying involves multiple females. This behaviour attributes to the unique environmental challenges of high-altitude mountainous terrain, proposing significant reproductive benefits for the species.

What role for solidarity? A frame analysis of the solidarity conceptions of the German Laender governments in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Solidarity experienced a revival during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been an important component of the political discourse in every economic—and therefore also the social—crisis that hit Europe in the last years. This contribution aims to assess the relevance that members of German governing parties at the Laender level attached to solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic. By conducting a frame analysis, we identify calls to different types of solidarity, and brought these in relation to the explanatory power of situational aspects, economic interests and party-political positions. Empirical analysis displays that solidarity is an important, albeit not too frequently used frame, in crisis dialogue. High threat perception (but not actual threat) appears to foster claims to solidarity and other forms of communal behaviour, while the economic situation and party-political stances do not exhibit an equally strong effect. Nevertheless, aligned party-political positions on solidarity go along with a reduced understanding of the concept, which primarily serves as a justification for placing a burden on the caretakers of society. This traditional notion of solidarity is even more prominent amongst leftist party members, a fact raising questions concerning the distinctiveness of German party positions, as well as concerning social equality.