Individual Self-concept Research Articles

Insatiable, Individualistic, and Investing in Oneself: Examining Employee Greed from COR Theory

Despite the frequent attribution of greed as a primary cause of inefficiency and dysfunction within the workplace, research examining the influence of greed on employee work behavior remains scant. The present study seeks to address this gap by examining how, why, and when greed motivates employees to advance their own interests over the interests of others, and, in turn, contribute to organizational and work-unit functioning. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, we contend that greed activates the individual self-concept, which in turn motivates employees to conserve their resources by withholding helping behavior, and acquire resources by engaging in self-serving voice. In addition, we explore the potential for increased resource access – via the quality of the relationship with one’s leader – to amplify these effects. Survey data was collected across two- waves from 218 employees at a large Chinese logistic company. Our results indicate that greed exerts a negative indirect effect on employee helping behavior, and a positive indirect effect on employee self-serving voice, via individual self-concept. However, these indirect effects are significant only in the presence of high-quality leader-member relationships with such indirect effects becoming non-significant in low-quality leader-member relationships. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical implications of this research.

Supplemental Material for Effects of School-Average Achievement on Individual Self-Concept and Achievement: Unmasking Phantom Effects Masquerading as True Compositional Effects

Supplemental Material for Effects of School-Average Achievement on Individual Self-Concept and Achievement: Unmasking Phantom Effects Masquerading as True Compositional Effects

Peranan Program Keagamaan Terhadap Pemulihan Konsep Kendiri Banduan Wanita di Malaysia

According to the statistics of Malaysian Prisons Department (MPD), women offender population is increasing from year to year (in 2011; 8,230 people, in 2012; 8,774 people, in 2013; 11,221 people). Some studies showed, the tendency to take action deviating is associated with an individual self-concept. In the meantime, the MPD has developed a recovery module to prisoners. Among the major modules implemented are modules religious. Consequently, the study was conducted to identify the current state of the self-concept of women offenders and identify the role of religious programs on the recovery of their self-concept. Basic Scale Questionnaire Religious Values ​​Devian (BRVSD) was used to determine the extent of respondents religiosity and Six Factor Self Concept Scale (SFSCS) was used to determine the state of their self-concept. A total of 141 women offenders involved in the study. The results showed a recovery program through religious approach be able to influence self-concept of women offenders. Accordingly, high religious understandingand   strength of faith as well as great implementation of worship and shari`ah can develop more positive self-concept of women offenders.

Young Syrian Consumer Styles

This paper aims to explore the decision-making styles of Syrian young adults, and to examine the cross-cultural applicability of the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) to an Arab population. Its aim is to advance understanding of contemporary consumer behaviour in the Arab world. Participants in the study described were undergraduate students at Damascus University and the results confirmed a six-factor consumer decision-making style. Social motivation was found to be an important factor for consumption. Syrians were more likely to relate to a brand or product to the extent where a cognitive match existed between an individual's self-concept and a positive value-expressive attribute. In addition, brand names formed cognitive reflections of product quality rather than formal assessments of quality in products. The results of this study could help in generalising theories developed in western societies to Arab populations, as well as in the better understanding of Arab consumer decision-making styles. Practical implications for practitioners and international marketers are also proposed.

Constructing future expectations in adolescence: relation to individual characteristics and ecological assets in family and friends

Required to manage multiple developmental tasks, multiple systems and processes are involved in making adolescents thinking about and making plans for the future. The current study aims at exploring the manner in which individual (optimism, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-concept) and contextual factors (family and peer influences) contribute to the construction of adolescents’ future expectations. 1509 youth (891 females and 618 males) with different socio-economical backgrounds were questioned using an online platform. Compared with their counterparts, girls, adolescents who were not experiencing severe material deprivation, those with high self-concept, displaying little depressive symptoms, and high level of optimism have more positive future expectations. As most of the available empirical data come from Western countries, these results complement the existing data in the area of emerging adulthood.

Reintroducing differences linguistically!

Different models have defined the term disability and grouped persons with disabilities accordingly. Time and again, various terms and phrases have been used in different languages to identity persons according to the differences in their bodies and the level of functioning of those bodies. Analogies and metaphors create stereotypes and can affect the formation of an individual's self-concept. Clichés like "divyang", ie one who has some divine powers to compensate for the deficiency in the body, based on the supercrip theory of disability, can distort the self-concept and hamper identity formation. Society and the state cannot and must not shrug off their responsibility by using such sugar-coated terms to label individuals. The real requirement is the creation of a nondisabling environment and the provision of equal opportunities to those with disabilities rather than coining of new terms.

TINJAUAN KONSEP DIRI DAN DIMENSINYA PADA ANAK DALAM MASA KANAK-KANAK AKHIR

Individual self-concept is manifested in things that is related to that individual. Views about one’s self, self-evaluation, and expectation to one’s self formed the individual self-concept. Awareness of self-concept from the view of psychology would help a good and positive self-concept. This positive self-concept would in turn develop positive behaviours and interactions in daily life. This article discuss the concept of self-concept from psychological literatures and perspective. Dimensions, aspects, and factors of self-concept would be discussed and related to children’s situation in late childhood stage. Parents, teachers, and also the surrounding environment have important role in shaping self-concept of children. Social support and positive behavior model from the children’s closest persons and also the community will help in creating positive self-concept that in turn will support the transition to teenager phase. This article hopefully will be able to stimulate researcher to conduct further relevant research concerning children’s self-concept.

The effect of overt and covert narcissism on self-esteem and self-efficacy beyond self-esteem

Past literature has suggested a dual nature of trait based narcissism, comprising overt and covert forms. While several studies have examined the two subtypes in relation to self-esteem, very few studies have examined narcissistic subtypes and self-efficacy. 115 Psychology undergraduates filled in self-report measures of overt narcissism, covert narcissism, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Results demonstrated no significant relationship between overt and covert narcissism, suggesting two distinct subtypes. Overt and covert forms of narcissism were found to significantly contribute to self-efficacy beyond self-esteem. Further, overt narcissism positively predicted both self-esteem and self-efficacy beyond self-esteem. Conversely, covert narcissism was found to negatively predict self-esteem and self-efficacy beyond self-esteem. Overt narcissism subscale associations were also computed, with Power being associated with higher self-efficacy but not self-esteem, suggesting Power to be a more adaptive subscale. The Special Person subscale was associated with higher self-esteem but not self-efficacy, suggesting it forms the maladaptive core of overt narcissism. Exhibitionism was not associated with either self-esteem or self-efficacy. Results appear congruent with past literature, and have given an additional insight into the implications of trait based narcissism regarding self-efficacy. Findings appear to suggest trait based overt narcissism is a more adaptive construct to individual self-concept than covert narcissism.

Insofar as You Can Be Part of Me: The Influence of Intrusive Parenting on Young Adult Children's Couple Identity

What is the role of family of origin in the formation of couple identity (i.e., considering couplehood as central to one's sense of self) among young adults? Two studies tested and supported the hypothesis that intrusive parenting hinders the couple identity of young adults. In Study 1, intrusive parenting was associated with weaker couple identity in a sample of 702 dating partners (351 couples). In Study 2, intrusive parenting was linked to a confused individual self-concept (i.e., lower self-concept clarity), which in turn was associated with weaker couple identity in a sample of 200 dating partners. Extra-relational factors, such as intrusive parenting, can and do predict the quality of couple identity.

Role Breadth Self-Efficacy and Foci of Proactive Behavior: Moderating Role of Collective, Relational, and Individual Self-Concept

ABSTRACT.This study aims to identify the interactive effect of role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) and the three levels of self-concept (collective, relational, and individual) in predicting of different foci of proactive behaviors. Results from 259 matched responses from an airline company in Taiwan showed that RBSE had a positive effect on (1) pro-organizational proactive behavior among those with higher collective self-concept, (2) pro-supervisor proactive behavior among those with higher relational self-concept, and (3) pro-self proactive behavior among those with higher individual self-concept. Our findings provide insights into the moderating role of different levels of self-concept on RBSE-proactive behavior process in terms of specific targets or beneficiaries. Further implications for organizational research and practice are discussed.

Role of private and social self-congruence in consumer's purchase intentions - Pakistani vs. Omani market

The current empirical research investigates the impact of individual's self-concept on his/her purchase intention in Pakistani vs. Omani market. Both actual and ideal states, of ones private and social self-concept and their congruence to brand personality, were selected as the independent variables in the investigation. The impact of the actual self-congruence, ideal self-congruence, actual social self-congruence and ideal social self-congruence was assessed on consumer's purchase intentions. The quantitative research approach was selected along with survey strategy to achieve the study objectives. Self-administered online questionnaires were designed to collect data from consumers residing in capital cities of Pakistan and Oman. Regression analysis results supported the study hypotheses confirming the overall significant positive relationship of all the four dimensions of individual's self-concept and his/her purchase decisions. However, the impact of self-concept in purchase willingness remained significantly different among the consumers from both the regions. The study findings have implication for researchers and practitioners.

The Big-Fish–Little-Pond-Effect revisited: Do different types of assessments matter?

In large-scale assessments such as the PISA study, there is a current shift from traditional paper-and-pencil towards computer-based assessments of students' literacy in reading, math, and science. Thus, research has focused on examining the comparability of test scores and motivational factors across the different assessment types. However, it is currently unclear whether the negative effect of school-average ability on students' individual self-concept (i.e., the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect, BFLPE) is also robust against the shift in assessments. In the present investigation, we consequently evaluate the relations between math self-concept, school-average ability, and the type of assessment. Based on the Norwegian PISA 2012 data set (N = 4686), we employed multilevel structural equation modeling and found that (a) the BFLPE existed for both assessments with a slightly higher effect size for the computer-based assessment; (b) math anxiety moderated the BFLPE, whereas self-efficacy, the availability and use of information and communication technology (ICT) did not. Our results support the robustness of the BFLPE across the different assessments of mathematical literacy and point out that computer-based assessments involve similar social comparisons as traditional paper-and-pencil tests.

Konsep Diri Remaja dari Keluarga Broken Home

Adolescence is a period of transition or the transition from childhood into adulthood. At this time individuals experiencing various changes, both physically and psychologically. This study aims yo determine the self-concept teen from a broken home. The method used was a qualitative research method. Data collection using interviews, observation and documentation. Subject used in the study were adolescents who experienced a broken home. The result of this study are the self-concept of adolescents who experience a broken home leads to positive. Factors that can affect an individuals self-concept formation is significant other who could be close friends or family, the environment, the role of social factors and physical state is of note primarily by teenagers and a factor that was instrumental in the formation of an individual self-concept.

Examining the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect on Students' Self-Concept of Learning Science in Taiwan Based on the TIMSS Databases

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between student self-concept and achievement in science in Taiwan based on the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) model using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and 2007 databases. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the effects of the student-level and school-level science achievement on student self-concept of learning science. The results indicated that student science achievement was positively associated with individual self-concept of learning science in both TIMSS 2003 and 2007. On the contrary, while school-average science achievement was negatively related to student self-concept in TIMSS 2003, it had no statistically significant relationship with student self-concept in TIMSS 2007. The findings of this study shed light on possible explanations for the existence of BFLPE and also lead to an international discussion on the generalization of BFLPE.

Active Lifestyle Concept (ALC): a health and fitness enhancing concept at the workplace

The ongoing changes in society and in the workplace setting have lead to a new major challenge: health problems caused by sedentary lifestyle. With our background and experience of more...

The Relationship Between Employee Fit Perceptions, Job Performance, and Retention: Implications of Perceived Fit

Meaningful work has become an increasingly important job outcome for individuals in recent years. Studies indicate that many employees lack experienced meaningfulness in their work and that organizations have not done a good job at creating meaningful and emotionally satisfying work experiences for employees. A person–job fit approach to meaningful work and employee retention is described that consists of matching individual self-concept with job tasks and behaviors. It is proposed that this self-concept–job fit will be strongly related to meaningful work. It is also proposed that meaningful work is related to important outcome variables valued by organizations, such as increased worker performance and employee retention. Path analysis supports the proposed relationships. Implications for human resource management activities and future research are discussed.

Becoming a Founder: How Founder Role-Identity Affects Entrepreneurial Transitions and Persistence in Founding

By viewing organizational founding as involving a role transition, we highlight the challenges that potential founders face: 1) adjusting to the novel skills and social networks that underpin the new role, and 2) incorporating the new role into an overall self-concept that may consist of contradictory or competing identities. We develop the concept of founder role identity and delineate how two aspects, centrality and complexity, affect potential founders' ability to exit a current work role in order to undertake founding activities, an indicator of successful role transition. Founder centrality denotes the subjective importance of the founder role to an individual's self-concept, while complexity captures diversity and richness in the person's conceptions of the role. After a role transition occurs, we delineate how distinctive configurations of founder role identities influence the extend and type of persistence observed in the face of negative feedback so prevalent during the founding process. By explicitly considering persistence, we are able to link founder role identity to longer-term outcomes, including the overlooked condition of dormancy wherein a role transition has occurred but successful founding has not. Our theorizing seeks to redress an imbalance in theories explaining entrepreneurial activity by developing a more dynamic understanding of the founder's role in determining organizaional founding.

General self-concept and life satisfaction for boys with differing levels of physical coordination: The role of goal orientations and leisure participation

Participation in leisure-time activities, self-concept perceptions and individual dispositional goal orientations were examined as mediators of relationships between physical coordination and self-evaluations of life satisfaction and general self-concept for 173 boys aged 10–13 years. Participants completed seven-day activity diaries and 12-month retrospective recall questionnaires recording participation in leisure-time activities. Self-report measures of self-concept, global life satisfaction and dispositional goal orientations were also completed. Results showed that boys with moderate to severe physical coordination difficulties had significantly lower self-concept perceptions of physical ability and appearance, peer and parent relations and general self-concept, as well as lower life satisfaction than boys with medium to high levels of physical coordination. The relationships between boys’ physical coordination and their self-perceptions of life satisfaction and general self-concept were significantly influenced by individual self-concept appraisals of physical ability and appearance, peer and parent relations. Adopting task-oriented goals was found to positively change the relationship between physical coordination and both general self-concept and life satisfaction. Team sport participation positively mediated the relationship between physical coordination and life satisfaction. The potential for team sport participation and adoption of task-oriented goals to influence life satisfaction for boys with differing levels of physical coordination was discussed.

Assessing the Structure of Self-concept: Evidence for Self-defensive Processes by Using a Sentence Priming Task

It was assumed that the definition of traits that are central to the individual self-concept is adapted to individual competencies (self-concept immunization), i.e., skills that individuals believe themselves to be good at are conceived as diagnostic whereas skills that individuals do not possess are considered as less diagnostic. The mental representation of traits was investigated by semantic priming. Targets were self-relevant traits whereas the primes described observable skills that were either semantically related to the target or not. Corresponding to the hypothesis, priming effects were observed for skills that participants believed themselves to possess and that were related to traits central to the self-concept. The pattern was reversed for participants with low self-esteem, thereby underscoring a coping-theoretical interpretation.

Nondisease genetic testing: reporting of muscle SNPs shows effects on self-concept and health orientation scales

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of genetic self-knowledge (nondisease genotype information) on individual self-concept and Health Orientation Scale (HOS). Adult volunteers (n=257) were recruited from an ongoing genetic association study identifying muscle quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Participants completed psychosocial assessments before and after 12 weeks of resistance training of the nondominant arm. At study exit, a genetic counselor informed participants of genetic test results on three to four genes that have an association with muscle-related traits, and counseled subjects on the potential significance of these findings. The second psychosocial assessment was performed immediately following this counseling session. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale v.2 (TSCS:2) and the HOS showed female subjects to have a significantly greater positive change between first and second assessments, relative to male subjects. Most self-concept subscales improved significantly, when 'neutral' genotypes (no anticipated beneficial or deleterious impact) were reported, compared to positive genotypes. TSCS:2 subscales showing improvement included: total (P=0.013); physical (P=0.004); satisfaction (P=0.019); and behavioral (P=0.047). HOS subscales showing improvement included health image concern (P=0.006); and health expectations (P=0.047). In conclusion, these results suggest that genetic self-knowledge affects self-concept, consistent with the 'attribution' theory. Individuals who received neutral genetic information attributed positive changes from the exercise program to their own abilities, while those who received positive information were more likely to attribute positive changes to their genetics. This study is limited by the ability to determine the direction of the impact of nondisease genetic information presented to participants.