Low Personal Control Research Articles

Illness perceptions, experiences of stigma and engagement in functional neurological disorder (FND): exploring the role of multidisciplinary group education sessions

BackgroundA critical first step in managing functional neurological disorder (FND) is a positive diagnosis and clear explanation using an understandable illness model. Multidisciplinary group education sessions are one way to...

Illness perception in functional neurological disorder: low illness coherence and personal control

IntroductionIllness perception refers to patients’ subjective representations and appraisals of somatic and mental symptoms. These are relevant for self-management and outcome. In clinical practice, patients with functional neurological disorder (FND)...

Consumer Psychology of Mysterious Consumption: Embracing Uncertainty through a Perception of Control.

Mysterious consumption, characterized by product purchases without knowledge of their exact nature, is gaining popularity in the modern marketplace. In two online experiments, we examined how consumers' psychological states, particularly their sense of personal control, influence their perception and intent to purchase mysterious products in the context of purchasing a random flight ticket. Study 1 demonstrated that when consumers experience low personal control, as opposed to high personal control, they are less likely to value the uncertainty inherent in random flight tickets, resulting in decreased purchase intentions. Study 2 revealed that introducing even limited choice options to random flight tickets can enhance consumers' appreciation of uncertainty, thereby increasing their purchase intention. This effect was especially notable among those initially hesitant to embrace uncertainty, ultimately boosting their intent to purchase. These findings deepen our understanding of consumer psychology surrounding mystery consumption and provide practical insights for marketers seeking to tailor their products and marketing appeals to consumers' psychological states.

An integrative theory of resource discrepancies

AbstractA great deal of work in consumer psychology has been devoted to understanding how individuals manage resource discrepancies. This includes tangible resources – such as money, food, and products – as well as intangible resources – such as time, skills, and social relationships. Resource discrepancies can either be positive – as in the case of having substantial wealth – or negative – as in the case of poverty. Several constructs across the behavioral sciences have been introduced to describe how consumers perceive their various resource discrepancies including, but not limited to, power, social status, scarcity, inequality, and social class. However, little guidance is provided to understand when and why these resource‐based constructs can produce both overlapping and opposing consequences. This conceptual article provides a resolution to this issue by introducing an integrative theory that situates these constructs within the same unifying framework based on two fundamental dimensions: high (vs. low) personal control and self‐ (vs. other‐) dependence. Based on this framework, we offer eight testable propositions and develop a research agenda for academics interested in studying resource discrepancies.

The mutual constitution of culture and psyche: The bidirectional relationship between individuals' perceived control and cultural tightness-looseness.

According to the theory of mutual constitution of culture and psyche, just as culture shapes people, individuals' psychological states can influence culture. We build on compensatory control theory, which suggests that low personal control can lead people to prefer societal systems that impose order, to examine the mutual constitution of personal control and cultural tightness. Specifically, we tested whether individuals' lack of personal control increases their preference for tighter cultures as a means of restoring order and predictability, and whether tighter cultures in turn reduce people's feelings of personal control. Seven studies (five preregistered) with participants from the United States, Singapore, and China examine this cycle of mutual constitution. Specifically, documenting the correlational link between person and culture, we found that Americans lower on personal control preferred to live in tighter states (Study 1). Chinese employees lower on personal control also desired more structure and preferred a tighter organizational culture (Study 2). Employing an experimental causal chain design, Studies 3-5 provided causal evidence for our claim that lack of control increases desire for tighter cultures via the need for structure. Finally, tracing the link back from culture to person, Studies 6a and 6b found that whereas tighter cultures decreased perceptions of individual personal control, they increased people's sense of collective control. Overall, the findings document the process of mutual constitution of culture and psyche: lack of personal control leads people to seek more structured, tighter cultures, and that tighter cultures, in turn, decrease people's sense of personal control but increase their sense of collective control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring barriers and enablers of self-management behaviours in patients with diabetic foot ulcers: A qualitative study from the perceptions of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in primary care.

Exploring barriers and enablers of self-management behaviours in patients with diabetic foot ulcers: A qualitative study from the perceptions of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in primary care.

The Relationship Between Occupation Stereotypes and Turnover Intention of Private Kindergarten Teachers in China-Mainland: A Moderated Mediation Model

In China-mainland, the high turnover rate of private kindergarten teachers has long bothered relevant scholars and policymakers. In the current research, we recruited 692 teachers from Chinese private kindergartens as participants, and then used a questionnaire survey to investigate the relationship between the occupation stereotypes held by private kindergarten teachers on their turnover intention and the acting mechanisms between them. The results of data analyses demonstrated a significantly positive correlation between the occupation stereotypes held private kindergarten teachers and their turnover intention, reflecting those private kindergarten teachers with negative occupation stereotypes were more likely to left the organization in future. Further data analyses showed that personal control sense played a partially mediating role between occupation stereotypes and turnover intention, indicating that private kindergarten teachers with stronger occupation stereotypes tended to perceive lower personal control sense and lower personal control sense further enabled them to generate the intention of leaving the organization. Moreover, we also found that the above mentioned mediation was further moderated by the intolerance of uncertainty of participants (IU) — compared to private kindergarten teachers with high IU, those private kindergarten teachers with low IU were more likely to generating the intention of leaving the organization resulting from the low personal control sense induced by their negative occupation stereotypes. The present research firstly demonstrates the significant correlation between occupation stereotypes and turnover intention of kindergarten teachers in China Mainland, and also provides a meaningful guideline for Chinese government to alleviate the separation tendency of private kindergarten teachers.

With a powerful God, all things are possible: A compensatory control account of occupational aspirations among overqualified policemen

ABSTRACT Research has found occupational aspirations to lead to several positive career and employment outcomes in contexts of high personal agency. However, an investigation into occupational aspirations in contexts of high uncertainty is lacking in the literature. To fill this gap, I investigated occupational aspirations among overqualified policemen whose career plans have been shattered. Specifically, guided by the Compensatory Control Theory (CCT), I investigated the influence of work-related low personal control and belief in a controlling God on occupational aspirations. The study is cross-sectional, and the sample size is 407 policemen drawn from different state commands of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). The data were analyzed using (Hayes, A. F. 2018. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed). New York: Guilford Press) PROCESS macro, model 58. The study findings include the following. First, career-related low personal control led to more belief in a controlling God. Second, individuals high in belief in a controlling God were also high in occupational aspirations. Third, belief in a controlling God mediated the relationship between low personal control and occupational aspirations. Finally, I found that overqualified policemen who were lower in personal control had more belief in a controlling God and more occupational aspirations than those with low personal control. Theoretically, this study extends extant literature on the antecedents of occupational aspirations and practically highlights the positive impact of religious belief on occupational aspirations in contexts of high uncertainty.

Who needs control? A cultural perspective on the process of compensatory control

AbstractCompensatory control theory (CCT) provides a framework for understanding the mechanisms at play when one's personal control is challenged. The model suggests that believing the world is a structured and predictable place is fundamental, insofar as it provides the foundation upon which people can believe they are able to exert control over their environment and act agentically towards goals. Because of this, CCT suggests, when personal control is threatened people try to reaffirm the more foundational belief in structure/predictability in the world, so that they then have a strong foundation to reestablish feelings of personal control and pursue their goals. This review seeks to understand how the basic assumptions of these compensatory control processes unfold in different cultural contexts. Drawing on research and theorizing from cultural psychology, we propose that cultural models of self and agency, culturally prevalent modes of control, and culture‐specific motivations all have implications for compensatory control processes. Culture determines, in part, whether or not personal control deprivation is experienced as a threat to perceiving an orderly world, how/whether individuals respond to low personal control, and the function that responses to restore a sense of order in the world serve. A theoretical model of compensatory control processes across cultures is proposed that has implications for how people cope with a wide range of personal and societal events that potentially threaten their personal control.

Political change as group-based control: Threat to personal control reduces the support for traditional political parties.

People desire agentic representations of their personal and collective selves, such as their own nation. When national agency is put into question, this should increase their inclination to restore it, particularly when they simultaneously lack perceptions of personal control. In this article, we test this hypothesis of group-based control in the context of political elections occurring during socio-economic crises. We propose that people who are reminded of low (vs. high) personal control will have an increased tendency to reject traditional political parties that stand for the maintenance of a non-agentic political system. We experimentally manipulated the salience of low vs. high personal control in five studies and measured participants' intentions to support traditional and new political parties. Across four of five studies, in line with the predictions, low personal control reduced support for the main traditional conservative party (e.g., Partido Popular (PP) in Spain, the Republicans in France). These results appeared in contexts of national economic and/or political crisis, and were most pronounced when low (vs. high) national agency was made salient in Studies 4 and 5. The findings support the notion that rejecting the stability of the national political system can serve as a means to maintain a sense of control through the collective self.

Stereotyping, prejudice, and the role of anxiety for compensatory control

This work examines the influence of personal control and anxiety on stereotyping and prejudice. In two experiments, personal control was manipulated in an autobiographical experience task. In Experiment 1, participants then completed measures of implicit and explicit gender stereotypes. In Experiment 2, implicit and explicit racial prejudice was assessed. Anxiety was tested as a possible mediator of the relationship between personal control and stereotyping and prejudice, respectively. Low personal control was associated with greater gender stereotyping and racial prejudice in explicit measures. Anxiety mediated the relationship between personal control and stereotyping but not between personal control and prejudice. Also, ingroup identification was found to moderate some of the relations between personal control, anxiety and stereotyping and prejudice. The results provide support for stereotyping and prejudice as compensatory control mechanisms, but evidence is mixed regarding the role of anxiety in mediating the processes.

Agency Through the We: Group-Based Control Theory

How do people maintain a sense of control when they realize the noncontingencies in their personal life and their strong interdependence with other people? Why do individuals continue to act on overwhelming collective problems, such as climate change, that are clearly beyond their personal control? Group-based control theory proposes that it is social identification with agentic groups and engagement in collective action that serve to maintain and restore people’s sense of control, especially when their personal control is threatened. As a consequence, group-based control may enable people to act adaptively and stay healthy even when personal control seems futile. These claims are supported by evidence showing increased in-group identification and group-based action intentions following reminders of low personal control. Furthermore, these responses of identifying with agentic in-groups increase people’s perceived control and well-being. This article succinctly presents group-based control theory and relevant empirical findings. It also elaborates on how group-based control relates to other social-identity motives and how it may explain social phenomena.

Low personal control promotes bribery intention: Reciprocity beliefs as a mediator

Low personal control promotes bribery intention: Reciprocity beliefs as a mediator

The impact of illness perception on functionality, pain, stiffness, and activity of daily living after total hip replacement surgery

ObjectiveAccording to the Common Sense Model (CSM), cognitive and emotional representations influence recovery. We used groups of individuals grouping multiple cognitive representations (schemas) to predict the recovery process after total hip arthroplasty (THR). MethodsThe aim of this prospective cohort study with three collection time points was to examine the significance of these schemas for functionality three and six months after THR. We assessed illness perception with the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised and the functionality with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Data were collected four weeks before (n = 317), three (n = 268), and six months after (n = 292) primary THR. Groups of individuals with the same schemas were identified using a two-step cluster analysis across cognitive representations. Controlling for WOMAC variables (functionality, stiffness, pain, and activities of daily living) before THR, we calculated the regression of schemas and emotional representations before THR on WOMAC variables after THR. ResultsBefore THR, two cognitive schemes were found: Schema One: medium identity, long duration, many consequences, low personal and treatment control, and low coherence; Schema Two: low identity, short timeline, low consequences, and high personal and treatment control. Patients with Schema Two had better functionality and lower pain and stiffness three months after surgery compared to those with Schema One. After three months, the influence of cognitive schemas was stronger on functionality than that of emotional representation (f2: 0.04 /0.02). ConclusionFurther study is needed to determine whether a psychological intervention can change Schema One.

Investigating the identification-prejudice link through the lens of national narcissism: The role of defensive group beliefs

The identification-prejudice link describes the defensive stance toward immigrants held by strong national identifiers. Recent research refined this relationship by suggesting that defensive national identification (operationalized through national narcissism), but not secure national identification, was associated with prejudice. While previous research found intergroup threat and conspiracy beliefs to mediate the identification-prejudice link, the need to comprehensively and experimentally test the role of these defensive group beliefs remains in the context of the narcissistic identification-prejudice link. Furthermore, following the group-based control model, we proposed that these defensive group beliefs might be more pronounced among national narcissists compensating for a low personal control. In Study 1 (N = 1104, nationally representative sample), national narcissism, but not secure national identification, was related to prejudice against immigrants, and a serial model composed of perceived intergroup threat and conspiracy beliefs mediated this relationship. These relationships held when controlling for conspiracy mentality, supporting the notion that these conspiracy beliefs were motivated at the intergroup level. In Study 2 (N = 474, pre-registered), we experimentally induced intergroup threat and exposure to conspiracy theories about immigrants. Induced threat increased conspiracy beliefs, and both increased prejudice, corroborating their causal relationship. In Study 3 (N = 350, pre-registered), we induced low personal control and made national narcissism salient to test the group-based control hypothesis. The relationship between measured (but not manipulated) national narcissism and conspiracy beliefs was more pronounced under low personal control. We discuss the role of defensive group beliefs on group-based control and prejudice against immigrants.

The cumulation of ill health and low agency in socially excluded city dwellers in the Netherlands: how to better identify high-risk/high-need population segments with public health survey data

BackgroundPopulation segmentation and risk stratification are important strategies for allocating resources in public health, health care and social care. Social exclusion, which is defined as the cumulation of disadvantages in social, economic, cultural and political domains, is associated with an increased risk of health problems, low agency, and as a consequence, a higher need for health and social care. The aim of this study is to test social exclusion against traditional social stratifiers to identify high-risk/high-need population segments.MethodsWe used data from 33,285 adults from the 2016 Public Health Monitor of four major cities in the Netherlands. To identify at-risk populations for cardiovascular risk, cancer, low self-rated health, anxiety and depression symptoms, and low personal control, we compared relative risks (RR) and population attributable fractions (PAF) for social exclusion, which was measured with the Social Exclusion Index for Health Surveys (SEI-HS), and four traditional social stratifiers, namely, education, income, labour market position and migration background.ResultsThe analyses showed significant associations of social exclusion with all the health indicators and personal control. Particular strong RRs were found for anxiety and depression symptoms (7.95) and low personal control (6.36), with corresponding PAFs of 42 and 35%, respectively. Social exclusion was significantly better at identifying population segments with high anxiety and depression symptoms and low personal control than were the four traditional stratifiers, while the two approaches were similar at identifying other health problems. The combination of social exclusion with a low labour market position (19.5% of the adult population) captured 67% of the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and 60% of the prevalence of low personal control, as well as substantial proportions of the other health indicators.ConclusionsThis study shows that the SEI-HS is a powerful tool for identifying high-risk/high-need population segments in which not only ill health is concentrated, as is the case with traditional social stratifiers, but also a high prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and low personal control are present, in addition to an accumulation of social problems. These findings have implications for health care practice, public health and social interventions in large cities.

Illness perceptions predict distress in patients with chronic kidney disease

BackgroundPatients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) report increased distress associated with their clinical diagnosis. Distress in patients with predialysis CKD, has been linked to several adverse events; including increased risk of hospitalisation, early dialysis initiation and even death, suggesting that distress is a matter of great concern during routine care in predialysis CKD.AimsThe present study aimed to assess the nature of illness perceptions and the level of distress in a CKD cohort diagnosed with different stages of kidney disease. It also aimed to explore the correlates of distress and to create a model for distress and its associated predictors making use of hierarchical regression analysis.MethodsA sample of 200 patients diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease were recruited for this study from the nephrology outpatient clinics of Mater Dei Hospital, Malta. The participants were assessed for their; illness perceptions, treatment beliefs, level of depression and anxiety, coping style, as well as treatment adherence. Routine clinical information was also collected for participants, including a co-morbidity score.ResultsA percentage of 33.5% of the participants reported moderate distress, whilst 9.5% reported severe distress. Stronger illness identity, a perception of timeline as being increasingly chronic or cyclical in nature, greater consequences and higher emotional representations were associated with more advanced stages of CKD. In contrast, lower personal and treatment control and poorer illness coherence were associated with more advanced stages of CKD. Results from the hierarchical regression analysis showed that illness perceptions contributed significantly to distress over and above the clinical kidney factors. Being female, having low haemoglobin and specific illness perceptions including; perceptions of greater symptomatology, longer timeline, low personal control and strong emotional representations, as well as resorting to maladaptive coping, were all significantly associated with distress symptoms. Nevertheless, illness perceptions accounted for the greatest variance in distress thus indicating that the contribution of illness perceptions is greater than that made by the other known covariates.ConclusionIllness perceptions hold a principal role in explaining distress in CKD, relative to other traditional covariates. For this reason, illness perceptions should be addressed as a primary modifiable component in the development of distress in CKD.

Every ending is a new beginning: Poignancy increases consumer preferences for self-made products

Retailers and brands such as IKEA, Home Depot, and Build-a-Bear encourage consumers to ‘make’ their products rather than be passive recipients. While a growing literature explores ‘why’ consumers purchase self-made products, it is less understood ‘how’ marketers can develop effective advertising and marketing communications to promote such products. Building on the functionalist framework of emotion, the present research explores the potential of a mixed emotional appeal – poignancy – that may be useful in enhancing consumer preferences for self-made products. Notably, this effect is mediated by a fresh start mindset and openness to learning. The effect is also attenuated among consumers with a low personal control. In addition to having substantive practical implications to marketers in developing effective communication strategies, this research offers a novel perspective on the effect of poignancy on consumer decision making.

Immediate and delayed psychological effects of province-wide lockdown and personal quarantine during the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected public health and wellbeing. In response to the pandemic threat of the coronavirus epidemic, several countries, including China, adopted lockdown and quarantine policies, which may cause psychological distress. This study aimed to explore the psychological impact of province-wide lockdown and personal quarantine during the COVID-19 outbreak in China as well as the corresponding risk factors and protective factors. We examined the immediate (2-week) and delayed (2-month) impact of province-wide lockdown and personal quarantine on psychological distress in a national sample of 1390 Chinese residents. No immediate impact of province-wide lockdown on psychological distress was observed, whereas personal quarantine increased individuals' anxiety, fear, and anger. Despite the lack of initial association, psychological distress increased among those in province-wide lockdown. Self-stigma and personal control both significantly moderated the association between lockdown and psychological distress, but in different directions. Those with higher self-stigma and lower personal control were more impacted by the lockdown. Government support moderated the impact of quarantine on psychological distress, but not that of lockdown. The delayed effects of lockdown and quarantine on psychological distress were observed, and self-stigma, social support, and perceived control moderate the relationships. This study is the first to demonstrate the psychological costs of province-wide lockdowns on individuals' mental health, providing evidence of the need for mitigation strategies and timely public mental health preparedness in countries with recent outbreaks of COVID-19.

Characterization of pre-transplant psychosocial burden in an integrated national islet transplant program

ABSTRACT The psychological burden experienced by people with diabetes prior to islet transplantation is recognized but has not been studied comprehensively, especially in relation to glycemia. Therefore, we conducted a rigorous pre-operative psychosocial profile of UK islet transplant recipients, and compared groups with higher/lower HbA1 c to test the null hypothesis that pre-transplant hypoglycemia awareness and psychosocial burden would not be related to baseline HbA1 c in this high-risk cohort. Pre-transplant, recipients (n = 44) completed validated hypoglycemia awareness questionnaires and generic/diabetes-specific measures of psychological traits and states. Scores were compared in groups, dichotomized by HbA1 c (≤8% versus >8%). Participants were aged (mean±SD) 53 ± 10 years; 64% were women; with HbA1 c 8.3 ± 1.7%. Median rate of severe hypoglycemia over the preceding 12 months was 13 events/person-year and 90% had impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (Gold/Clarke score ≥4). Participants had elevated fear of hypoglycemia (HFS-II Worry), impaired diabetes-specific quality of life (DQoL) and low generic health status (SF-36; EQ-5D). One quarter reported scores indicating likely anxiety/depression (HAD). Dispositional optimism (LOT-R) and generalized self-efficacy (GSE) were within published ‘norms.’ Despite negative perceptions of diabetes (including low personal control), participants were confident that islet transplantation would help (BIPQ). Hypoglycemia awareness and psychosocial profile were comparable in lower (n = 24) and higher (n = 20) HbA1 c groups. Islet transplant candidates report sub-optimal generic psychological states (anxiety/depressive symptoms), health status and diabetes-specific psychological states (fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes-specific quality of life). While their generic psychological traits (optimism, self-efficacy) are comparable with the general population, they are highly optimistic about forthcoming transplant. HbA1 c is not a proxy measure of psychosocial burden, which requires the use of validated questionnaires to systematically identify those who may benefit most from psychological assessment and support.