Construal Level Theory Of Psychological Distance Research Articles

Out of sight, out of mind: how pescetarians manage dissonance by creating distance

ABSTRACT For many, there exists a cognitive inconsistency between the practice of eating non-human animals and the belief that animals are morally relevant. This juxtaposition has fittingly been described as the ‘meat paradox’. However, what can be said about the decision to eat only the flesh of fish? The present research seeks to understand what attitudes lead pescetarians to remove terrestrial animals from their plate but still include aquatic animals such as fish. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with self-identifying pescetarians and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes are presented which can be understood by reference to the construal-level theory of psychological distance. Fish were perceived as distant on multiple dimensions which resulted in speciesist (the idea that some species are more important and morally relevant than others) attitudes toward marine animals’ capabilities and the justification of pescetarianism as a compromise between debates of feasibility and ethical desirability.

Factors of effectiveness of green nudges for more eco-responsible behaviour – Systematic review and research directions

Considering the rise of green nudges, our objective is to determine the factors of their effectiveness through a systematic review, following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method, which analyses 28 articles and 73 pro-environmental nudges. Following a redefinition of the concept and a categorisation based on the construal-level theory of psychological distance (opposing the lever of the ‘how’ to that of the ‘why’ of choice), the effectiveness of green nudges is analysed. A relationship of dependence appears between the (in)effectiveness of nudges and (1) the levers, mechanisms and techniques mobilised; (2) the visibility of the behaviour by others; (3) the field of application; and (4) the geographical area. These analyses and the limitations of the work reviewed provide a basis to propose avenues for research. New theoretical insights and recommendations are provided in favour of more effective nudges for the adoption of ecological and responsible behaviours.

At home as an ‘outsider’: Subarnalata and Othappu: The Scent of the Other Side

The phrase ‘at home’ connotes familiarity, happiness and safety, while the image of an ‘outsider’ evokes the opposite sentiments. It is ironical and a seeming contradiction to feel as an ‘outsider’ in one’s own home. Though many literary texts have portrayed the poignant stories of characters who feel alienated within the precincts of their home, it is with the advent of feminist writings that ‘home’ as a site of alterity has been fully explored. The paper, by focusing on two novels, Subarnalata, a Bengali novel published in 1966 (English translation published in 1997), and Othappu, a Malayalam novel published in 2005 (English translation published in 2009), attempts to project the uncritical binaries such as home-outside world, secular-religious, and reason-emotion, and thereby problematises the concept of ‘alterity’ itself. We have tried to look at ‘alterity’ from a psychological perspective and explain it using the construal-level theory of psychological distance.

Editors’ Comments: Is Organizational Behavior Overtheorized?

Academy of Management ReviewVol. 43, No. 4 From the EditorEditors’ Comments: Is Organizational Behavior Overtheorized?Peter H. Kim, Robert E. Ployhart and Cristina B. GibsonPeter H. Kim, Robert E. Ployhart and Cristina B. GibsonPublished Online:11 Oct 2018https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2018.0233AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsDownload CitationsAdd to favoritesTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail View articleREFERENCESBandura, A. 1990. Selective activation and disengagement of moral control. Journal of Social Issues, 46: 27–46. Google ScholarBazerman, M. H., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. 2011. Blind spots Prince-ton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Google ScholarBentham, J. 1781. The principles of morals and legislation Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books. Google ScholarDetert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. 2007. Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open? Academy of Management Journal, 50: 869–884.Link , Google ScholarFelin, T., Foss, N. J., & Ployhart, R. E. 2015. The microfoundations movement in strategy and organization theory. Academy of Management Annals, 9: 575–632.Link , Google ScholarHaidt, J. 2001. The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Psychological Review, 108: 814–834. Google ScholarHannan, M. T., & Freeman, J. 1977. The population ecology of organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 82: 929–964. Google ScholarKant, I. 1785. Grounding for the metaphysics of morals (Translated by J. W. Ellington.) Indianapolis, IN: Hackett. Google ScholarKeltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. 2003. Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110: 265–284. Google ScholarKim, P. H., Pinkley, R. L., & Fragale, A. R. 2005. Power dynamics in negotiation. Academy of Management Review, 30: 799–822.Link , Google ScholarLewin, K. 1951. Field theory in social sciences New York: Harper & Row. Google ScholarMazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. 2008. The dishonesty of honest people: A theory of self-concept maintenance. Journal of Marketing Research, 45: 633–644. Google ScholarMcDaniel, D., & Gibson, C. B. 2012. Emergent ideas in emerging markets: The process of discovery in organizational research. In C. L. WangD. J. Ketchen, Jr.D. D. Bergh (Eds.), West meets East: Building theoretical bridges, vol. 8: 39–59. Bingley, UK: Emerald Press. Google ScholarMonin, B., & Miller, D. T. 2001. Moral credentials and the expression of prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81: 33–43. Google ScholarNemeth, C. J. 1986. Differential contributions of majority and minority influence. Psychological Review, 93: 23–32. Google ScholarThorngate, W. 1976. “In general” vs. “it depends”: Some comments of the Gergen-Schlenker debate. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2: 404–410. Google ScholarTrope, Y., & Liberman, N. 2010. Construal-level theory of psychological distance. Psychological Review, 117: 440–463. Google ScholarUhlmann, E. L., Pizarro, D. A., & Diermeier, D. 2015. A person-centered approach to moral judgment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10: 72–81. Google ScholarVan de Ven, A. H., & Johnson, P. E. 2006. Knowledge for theory and practice. Academy of Management Review, 31: 802–821.Link , Google ScholarWeick, K. E. 1979. The social psychology of organizing (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byGhost in the Machine: On Organizational Theory in the Age of Machine LearningKeith Leavitt, Kira Schabram, Prashanth Hariharan and Christopher M. Barnes25 October 2021 | Academy of Management Review, Vol. 46, No. 4The Dark Side of Construct Convergence: Navigating Consensus, Evolution, and Practical Relevance in Theory BuildingDana McDaniel Sumpter, Danna Greenberg and Sharon H. Kim21 September 2021 | Academy of Management Perspectives, Vol. 35, No. 3 Vol. 43, No. 4 Permissions Metrics in the past 12 months History Published online 11 October 2018 Published in print 1 October 2018 Information© Academy of Management ReviewDownload PDF

Charity, Volunteering Type and Subjective Wellbeing

We examine the impact of volunteering and charitable donations on subjective wellbeing. We further consider if the model of the volunteering work (formal vs. informal) and the geographical location of the charity organisation (local vs. international) people donate to has any impact on subjective wellbeing. Using UK’s Community Life Survey data, we find that volunteering and engagement in charity are positively associated with subjective wellbeing, measured by individual life satisfaction. We show that while there is a positive effect of volunteering and charity on life satisfaction, the level of utility gained depends on the type of charity or volunteering organisation engaged with (i.e. local or international). Specifically, donating to local (neighbourhood) charities as opposed to international/national charities is associated with higher wellbeing. Similarly, engaging in informal volunteering, compared to formal volunteering, is associated with higher wellbeing. To explain our results, we use the construal-level theory of psychological distance, which suggests that people think more concretely of actions and objects that they find spatially and socially close.

Does physical pain impair abstract thinking?

ABSTRACTThe ability to think abstractly constitutes a fundamental dimension of human cognition. Although abstraction has been extensively studied, its emotional and affective antecedents have been largely overlooked. One experiment was conducted to examine whether physical pain affects abstraction. Drawing on Construal Level Theory [Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2010). Construal-level theory of psychological distance. Psychological Review, 117, 440–463] and Loewenstein’s [(1996). Out of control: Visceral influences on behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 65, 272–292] visceral factors theory, we hypothesised that pain impairs abstraction because pain constricts people’s mental horizons and lead to a concrete, inward-focus toward oneself in the here and now. Physical pain was manipulated between subjects (N = 150). The participants either kept their left hand immersed in cold (painful) water or neutral (painless) water while we measured abstract versus concrete behaviour identification, categorisation, and perceptual processing. Bayesian statistical analyses indicate substantial evidence against the hypothesis that pain impairs abstraction. In contrast to many other previously studied cognitive outcomes (e.g. attention), abstraction appears to be largely immune to acute, experimentally induced pain.

Теория конструктов разного уровня Н. Либерман и Я. Троупа

H. Lieberman’s, and J. Troup’s Construal-Level Theory of Psychological Distance is widely known in the English sources of social psychology. Wherein, it is used to explain various phenomena and cognitive memory research, perception and categorization. The review describes the basic tenets of the theory, concerning the relationship of psychological distance and the level of constructs. A brief description and basic key studies of different topics within the theory are included. The importance of the theory constructs at different levels of social cognition is stressed. Basic concepts of the theory are given to describe and explain various phenomena of social cognition. The key researches in the field of the theory are described to deal with such phenomena as the fundamental attribution error, the prediction of social events, behavioral intentions, self-control, goals and means of action. In conclusion, issues that remain unsolved at the present stage of development of the theory are discussed. The study was implemented in the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in 2016, and partially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), grant 15-06-02233 A., “Automatic activation of actions with objects: control mechanisms and conditions of occurrence”.

Psychological proximity and the construal of crime: A commentary on ‘Mapping fear of crime as a context‐dependent everyday experience that varies in space and time’

Fear of crime is a dynamic psychosocial phenomenon, and sophisticated methodologies are necessary in order to explore its multidimensionality and complexity. The experience sampling method (ESM) that is used by Solymosi and colleagues (2015) is a promising methodological way forward in fear of crime research. While acknowledging the advantages of ESM, in this commentary we discuss a potential disadvantage of the method, namely the possibility that ESM can increase the psychological proximity of crime. Drawing upon construal‐level theory of psychological distance, we argue that ESM might sensitize people to think about crime through the lens of personal risk, with a knock‐on effect on the construal of crime.

"Construal-level theory of psychological distance": Correction to Trope and Liberman (2010).

"Construal-level theory of psychological distance": Correction to Trope and Liberman (2010).

Construal-level theory of psychological distance.

People are capable of thinking about the future, the past, remote locations, another person's perspective, and counterfactual alternatives. Without denying the uniqueness of each process, it is proposed that they constitute different forms of traversing psychological distance. Psychological distance is egocentric: Its reference point is the self in the here and now, and the different ways in which an object might be removed from that point-in time, in space, in social distance, and in hypotheticality-constitute different distance dimensions. Transcending the self in the here and now entails mental construal, and the farther removed an object is from direct experience, the higher (more abstract) the level of construal of that object. Supporting this analysis, research shows (a) that the various distances are cognitively related to each other, (b) that they similarly influence and are influenced by level of mental construal, and (c) that they similarly affect prediction, preference, and action.