Relationship Behaviors Research Articles

Utopian Method

We analyze reader responses to Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book to suggest the novel offers a platform from which to imagine new, often utopian, thresholds of aging and intergenerational relationships. We suggest the way literature encourages utopian thinking is two-fold, allowing readers to reflect on the current state of the world around them and encouraging them to reimagine new possibilities. The aim of the reading groups was to use the novel to reflect on current age norms – socially, culturally, and politically – and reimagine new social futures relating to intergenerational relationships. In this paper, we discuss the findings from using The Summer Book as a platform to discuss attitudes to aging, time, intergenerational relationships, and age expectations. Participants opened up a number of avenues to reimagine age expectations, categories, and relationships, whilst also relating the fiction to their own experiences, which then often translated into discussions of how age-based stereotypes and intergenerational relationships need to be radically rethought. There were three main themes that we identified from these discussions: 1) countering age-expectations on the intergenerational island, 2) creating counter-narratives through the character of the Grandmother, 3) using the novel’s relational behaviors and practices to imagine better futures for intergenerational relationships.

“I enjoy conversing with my professor”: relational maintenance behaviors in the undergraduate student–instructor context

ABSTRACT Scholars of communication, teaching, and learning have been calling for more research on the instructor–student relationship to be studied from an interpersonal perspective. To answer these calls, we conducted a two-step scale development study, first to derive participant-generated responses concerning undergraduate student relational maintenance behaviors and second to construct and validate a scale concerning those behaviors. Of additional interest was to explore reasons as to why students aim to maintain these relationships. A 19-item measure titled the Student Relational Maintenance Scale was created, consisting of making connections, respectful behavior, classroom participation, expressing gratitude, and classroom effort. Additionally, results revealed that both professional reasons and personal reasons motivated students to build these relationships. The results of this study provided further insight into how and why undergraduate college students build positive interpersonal connections with their instructors.

How do parents experience video triage when seeking care for their acute ill children? A qualitative study in a Danish out-of-hours primary care setting

ObjectiveThe objective is to explore parents’ experiences with telephone contacts to out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC) that include use of one-way video (video triage).DesignA qualitative interview study using Braun and Clarke’s...

The Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Positive Relational Behaviors

This study aimed to investigate the association between individuals’ attachment styles and their marital satisfaction through positive relational behaviors (PRBs). This was a correlational study of structural equation modeling (SEM). Out of all married students of Bu-Ali Sina University. A total of 261 (69 men and 192 women) filled out our questionnaires. The results from SEM indicated that the hypothesized model in this study had a good fit with the study sample. The secure attachment style demonstrated a significant positive relationship with marital satisfaction through PRBs, while the ambivalent and avoidant attachment styles exhibited a negative association with marital satisfaction through PRBs.

Embodying policy work: an exploration of contexts, actions and meanings towards new possibilities for physical education teacher education (PETE)

ABSTRACT This theoretical paper presents a heuristic framework that is directed towards transformative thinking and practices in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). The research focus and direction, embodying policy work, applies and extends Bernstein’s concepts of the pedagogic and corporeal device to offer new directions for inquiry and explore the considerations these raise for PETE professionals and their practices. The paper affirms the importance of policy work in PETE, while recognising a need for more nuanced and critical understandings of the complex interrelationships between contexts and actions, and the potential meanings generated and ascribed to different forms of policy work and identities in-situ. Attention focuses specifically on the ways in which individuals ascribe meaning to practices in PETE through everyday actions and relational behaviours, locating embodied practices and meanings as integral to policy work in PETE. The heuristic framework facilitates exploration of three sets of rules: (i) contextual rules of embodying policy work; (ii) rules of/for embodying actions; and (iii) rules of/for embodying potential meanings. Each focus is explored in turn to develop specific, yet interrelated lines of inquiry that can guide empirical work that extends insight into the policy work of PETE professionals and programmes. Discussion highlights the importance of such work in expanding visions for the sustainable transformation of PETE.

The Influence of Extraversion Personality, Peer Conformity, and School Climate on Relational Bullying in Boarding School Students

Relational bullying is a form of indirect bullying that often occurs in schools, involving acts of exclusion, neglect, spreading negative rumors, gossip, and social manipulation. This research aims to develop a theoretical model of relational bullying and determine the influence of extraversion personality, peer conformity, and school climate on it in boarding students. This research uses a quantitative approach. The study involved 210 madrasah tsanawiyah students boarding at Makrifatul Ilmi and Al Quraniyah Islamic boarding schools in South Bengkulu Regency. The results showed that theoretical models of influence can influence relational bullying among students. The R square value was 0.68, indicating that personality variables extraversion, peer conformity, and school climate can explain relational bullying by 68%. Extraverted personality had a positive effect on relational bullying, peer conformity had a positive effect, and school climate had a positive effect. This research contributes to the development of a more specific relational bullying theory model in psychology and suggests a holistic approach that includes guidance and counseling for teachers, collaboration between parents and the school, socialization and education for interventions to overcome relational bullying behavior.

Mediating effects of occupational self-efficacy on the relationship of authentic leadership and job engagement

Purpose(1) This research aims to identify the relationship between authentic leadership (AL) and job engagement (JE) perceived by university teachers and (2) to investigate the relationship between AL and JE by the mediation of occupational self-efficacy (OSE).Design/methodology/approachThis research is descriptive in nature, and thus, a quantitative research method is used to find the impact of AL on employee work engagement and the mediating role of employee trust and OSE. In this research, convenience sampling technique was used, a type of non-probability sampling method where the sample is taken from a group of people who are easily accessible. The sample chosen for this research comprised of 95 employees working at different universities in Bangladesh. Primary and secondary data collection methods are being used in this research. The data are collected from primary sources through questionnaires with close-ended questions.FindingsThe findings of this study support the previous studies Hassan and Ahmed (2011) indicate that the authentic behavior of leaders promotes healthy work environment that fosters the trust level of employees. When leaders are authentic, genuine and honest toward their employees and maintain transparency in an organization, it influences and motivates employees' work engagement. Furthermore, the results are supported by Hsieh and Wang’s (2015) research, which found that the relational transparency behavior exhibited by authentic leaders influences employees' self-efficacy (SE). When a leader openly shares ideas, opinions and clearly states what is expected from them, it will increase employees’ OSE and makes them more willing to get themselves engaged.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study were the shortage of time constraints, due to which a quantitative method was adopted to gather the data. The sample size was comprised of 95 respondents and does not represent the entire population of Bangladesh. To analyze the data, we have used the convenience sampling technique, which does not cover every sector of Bangladesh. Moreover, employees were reluctant to provide accurate data. This study is based on the perspective of university teachers only and does not explore AL from supervisors’ perspectives. Further research is required to explore this relationship from the perspective of both supervisor and employee. The sample size should be increased to cover the other regions of Bangladesh in order to represent the population. Cultural variables may also be included for future research purposes to examine the relationship between AL and work engagement because the culture of an organization determines the leadership style of a leader.Practical implicationsDespite the recent attention from government universities to develop the performance of public sector teaching staff, scientific public management research is developing unfortunately restricted (Osborne, 2016). Moreover, the findings of this study depict the importance to understand the constructions like leaders' authenticity that lead to the promotion of confidence in their employees and, as such, an increase in their JE and performance. In managerial implication, this study has provided useful information to the management of the private and public sectors. With this information, the management will be able to know how to increase the engagement and commitment of employees. This research will help academic professionals in public and private sector universities to know how AL style positively influences employees’ engagement.Originality/valueThis is an original work with practical value.

From Inspiration to Shame: When and How Receiving Coworker Help Impact Relational Behaviors

From Inspiration to Shame: When and How Receiving Coworker Help Impact Relational Behaviors

How is feedback perceived by Brazilian students and faculty from a nursing school?

AimThis study aims to explore the perceptions of feedback among undergraduate students and faculty members at a Brazilian private nursing school. BackgroundFeedback plays a crucial role in the socioemotional development of learners, with its interpretation varying across different sociocultural contexts. Student evaluations frequently express dissatisfaction regarding both the quality and quantity of feedback received. Conversely, delivering feedback poses a challenge for faculty, requiring the establishment of an empathetic connection that fosters trust and credibility. Brazil, being a developing country characterized by social disparities and economic challenges, presents a unique backdrop for examining feedback dynamics. DesignQualitative research, employing Inductive Content Analysis, was used to understand feedback perceptions in Brazilian nursing education. Symbolic interactionism was adopted as methodological framework and guided data interpretation. MethodsWe carried out five virtual focus groups composed of a group of teachers (n=5) and four of students (n=34). Semi-structured interviews guided data collection. The recorded sessions were subsequently analyzed to identify key themes and codes. Symbolic interactionism was employed as a framework to derive meaning from qualitative data. ResultsContent analysis generated two categories that reveal the perception of teachers and students in the feedback process. The first, called “Feedback in Education: Sociocultural Influences for Students and Teachers”, expresses the beliefs and interpretations of students and teachers within the shared feedback environment. The second called “Challenging resonance, transformative construction: Navigating the dualities of feedback for teachers and students”, which elucidated how relational dynamics shape behaviors and attitudes, promoting the development of social skills and learning. Faculty's previous feedback experiences significantly influence their self-perception and behavior with students. As a result of the resonance of these past interactions, we recognize that the teaching self also plays a crucial role in the quality and perception of feedback. Furthermore, students construct social reality with similar beliefs and values, they believe in the learning potential generated by feedback. Our findings also corroborate that perceptions of feedback are deeply influenced by the sociocultural context and the narratives corroborate previous findings indicating that, in Brazil, honest feedback can be implicitly perceived as criticism rather than an opportunity for growth. ConclusionsFaculty members often draw on their past experiences when providing feedback, highlighting the adaptive nature of feedback interactions. Additionally, the feedback process is consistently influenced by the commitment to maintaining positive relationships with students. Students recognize the constructive dimension of feedback as a valuable tool for learning and personal growth.

How does the supervisor–subordinate relational schema shape employee voice behaviour in China?

Previous research has shown that the relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate is crucial in shaping employee voice behaviour. However, where these relationships originate needs to be clarified. Studies on relational schemas suggest that the quality of these relationships depends on the relational schemas held by both leaders and subordinates. Unfortunately, these two research areas have developed independently and have yet to intersect, which limits our understanding of how social interactions between leaders and subordinates impact employee voice behaviour. Based on research from both domains, the current study examines how the supervisor–subordinate relational schema affects employees' voice behaviour. Our proposal, grounded in complexity theory, suggests that the expectations of both leaders and subordinates about their relationship model determine whether employees choose to voice their opinions to their leaders. Analyses of data from a survey of 416 matched pairs of leaders and subordinates in China conducted using fsQCA and LPA largely support our view. The results indicate that the configuration of the supervisor–subordinate relational schema among leaders and subordinates can predict the level of employee voice behaviour. Additionally, this configuration is a natural subset of the population. These findings have important implications for improving employee voice behaviour in organizations.

Positive and Negative Correlates of Psychological Well-Being and Distress in College Students' Mental Health: A Correlational Study.

Recognizing the positive or negative effects of students' mental health promotes personal development, well-being, and academic success. Academic life exposes college students to multiple adjustments, demands, and vulnerabilities that can cause stress and mental health problems. This study aims to identify psychological well-being and psychological distress effects on college students' mental health. A correlational study was designed involving a non-probabilistic 560 sample of students (446 women) aged 18 to 41 years (M = 19.6; SD = 1.68). An online self-report questionnaire was used including demographic, relational, academic, and health behaviors variables, and the measures: Mental Health Inventory; Satisfaction with Social Support Scale; Academic Life Satisfaction Scale; and Psychological Vulnerability Scale. Regression analyses indicate that male students, dating, good academic performance, exercise, sleeping seven hours, satisfaction with social support, and academic life satisfaction were significant correlates (p < 0.05) of psychological well-being, with the last two having great weight in the model. Females, low income, aged 21-24 years, sleeping less than 6 h, moderate psychological vulnerability, and perception of vulnerability were significant (p < 0.05) negative effects of psychological distress. This study addresses the positive and negative effects of psychological well-being and distress in college students. Specific mental health promotion and morbidity prevention programs can improve students' mental health literacy and resilience.

Relational gatekeeper behaviour of HR managers in the Middle East: the role of informal networks

Wasta, the informal network context omnipresent in the Middle East, is widespread in human resource management (HRM) practices. Yet, its influence on the behaviour of HR managers has not been explored. Utilizing relational gatekeeping theory and the informal network perspective in conjunction with in-depth expert interviews with HR managers, we seek to explore whether and how informal networks (wasta) influence and shape their role in an Arab Middle Eastern context. Our findings indicate that the level of wasta penetration in organizations is reliant on the relational gatekeeping behaviours of HR managers. Furthermore, we show how HR managers compensate for structural deficiencies by leveraging their wasta-derived power to amplify their voices. Nevertheless, the findings also emphasize the significance of power sharing in reducing the expansion of culturally derived power associated with wasta, thereby limiting power dynamics and authority to that derived from the formal organizational hierarchy. These insights advance knowledge on gatekeeping behaviour in the Arab Middle Eastern context and contribute new knowledge regarding the operational modes of informal networks within organizations. Our findings underscore the pivotal role that HR managers play in shaping the organizational culture. From a practical perspective, we offer actionable solutions, such as power sharing through committee work, to enhance the effectiveness of the HR function.

“Where Is My Place?” A Qualitative Study of Gay Men’s Experiences of Social Support, Relationships and Community in Relation to Psychological Wellbeing and Distress

ABSTRACT This study aimed to understand young gay men’s experiences of social support, relationships, community networks, talking about psychological distress, and their impact on distress and wellbeing. Eight verbatim transcriptions from semi-structured interviews with gay men aged 18–35 years were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three super-ordinate themes were developed; 1) Growing up gay in a straight world: Developmental traumas, regarding men’s experiences of homophobic abuse and exclusion and the internalized impact on their identities and identity concealment. 2) Belonging and not belonging within LGBTQ+ communities, encompassing men’s varied experiences of LGBTQ+ communities and the corresponding impacts upon their wellbeing. 3) Relational responses to rejection, describing how men made sense of and managed their relationships within the context of the developmental traumas they had experienced growing up as gay men. These findings illuminate the psychological impact of experiencing multiple developmental traumas related to one’s identity as a gay man, and how this influences lifelong relational behavior; and how experiences of social support, relationships and LGBTQ+ communities influence men’s mental health. They provide a strong rationale for psychological interventions to acknowledge and address gay men’s unique and adverse social experiences within their relationships, communities and societies.

TIAP: an observational procedure for assessing family relationships: a clinical case from the parenting evaluation context.

TIAP is an observational procedure to assess family functioning detecting simultaneously the role of each participant and the interdependence of relational behaviors. In particular, the procedure requires family members to play according to different interactive configurations (parent1-children; parent2-children, all together, children and parents as separate units) and therefore different microtransitions from one configuration to another. As such, the procedure allows to study how family members coordinate to maintain stability, promote change, and encourage members to explore different interactive configurations within the family system. TIAP has been validated through several studies conducted with different non-clinical groups of families that have highlighted the salient aspects of family functioning, and significant correlations with variables external to the family system, such as children's social-emotional competence in the educational context. This paper focuses on the use of TIAP in the contexts of assessing parental competence. Specifically, the article aims to describe, through the reference to a clinical case, the results emerged from a study conducted with 33 families involved in a parenting assessment process. The study is part of a broader collaborative project between the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Clinic of the Italian National Health Service in Parma, the University of Parma, and the Bologna Family Therapy Center. TIAP was administered to all the families involved as a complement to other tools routinely used for all cases handled by the professionals of the clinic. The coding system includes different indices. Some analyze the interactive family modes: family coordination (mutual attention and responsiveness), the responses to potentials for change (disregard, absorption, amplification), and intra-familiar exploration. Other indices concern the quality of the interactions: the relational triadic dynamic of microtransition (detaching-entrusting-welcoming-joining) and the consistency/inconsistency of the communication channels. The results highlighted how TIAP makes it possible to identify the specific interactive modalities of the different members and their interdependence and reciprocity, favoring the identification of both family weaknesses and family resources, including the children's contribution. Furthermore, the general data trend showed that TIAP indices detect some important prognostic elements capable of guiding the court's decisions.

Being an only child and children’s prosocial behaviors: evidence from rural China and the role of parenting styles

Are only children little emperors and more selfish than children with siblings? Drawing on data from the National Children’s Study of China, this research investigates the causal relationship between being an only child and the performance of prosocial behaviors. Results indicate that only children tend to show more prosocial tendencies than their counterparts with siblings, particularly with respect to trait-related, relational, and altruistic prosocial behaviors. In addition, the results are robust having accounted for potential biases due to endogeneity, sex selection preferences, and educational choices. Smaller children are also more sensitive to the status of being an only child. The investigation into why only children might exhibit more prosocial behavior suggests that only children perceive more positive parenting styles compared to their peers with siblings. The findings are consistent with the quantity–quality trade-off theory and present evidence about the formation of prosocial behaviors before the age of 15, challenging the stereotype that only children are more selfish than those with siblings.

Development and validation of the relational behavior interactions scale for couples

In this research, we developed and validated a measure of couple-based reported behavior interactions (RBI). Specifically, Study 1 was designed to describe the development of the scale and to examine its reliability; Study 2 (N = 222), was designed to examine factors that could differentiate men and women. Additionally, we tested if women's behaviors could predict their partner's behavior. Results from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a three-factor structure for couples' RBI which were labelled: Social Companionship and Affective Behavior Interactions (SAI) (Factor 1), Fulfilling Obligations and Duties of the Partner (FOD) (Factor 2) and Openness in the Relationship (OR) (Factor 3). In linear regression analyses, there was a significant difference between men and women in the second factor, which represents behaviors associated with fulfilling the responsibilities of a partner. On the other hand, neither the SAI factor nor the OR factor showed any distinct gender differences. The SPSS PROCESS analysis revealed that women's Social Companionship and Affective Behavior Interactions (Factor 1), and Openness in the Relationship (Factor 3) significantly predicted their male partner's behaviors. The relationship duration significantly moderated the association between women's and men's behaviors for both factors. Results are discussed in light of the need for a broader understanding of romantic behavioral interactions.

How to Foster Relational Behavior in Construction Projects: Direct and Mediating Effects of Contractual Complexity and Regulatory Focus

How to Foster Relational Behavior in Construction Projects: Direct and Mediating Effects of Contractual Complexity and Regulatory Focus

The effects of live streamer's expertise and entertainment on the viewers' purchase and follow intentions.

This study explores the impact of two characteristics of streamers-expertise and entertainment-on viewers' purchase intention and follow intention in live-streaming e-commerce, with a specific focus on viewers' trust and flow experience as two mediators and viewers' optimal stimulation level as a moderator. We implemented a methodological approach where participants were randomly directed to enter a live broadcast room and watch a 10-min live session before engaging in a structured questionnaire. 399 valid questionnaires were collected from the participants. These 399 valid questionnaires were subsequently utilized to validate the research model using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggest that streamer expertise and entertainment enhance viewers' trust and flow experience, which then leads to an increase in their intention to make a purchase and continue following the streamer. Furthermore, the viewers' optimal stimulation level acts as a moderator in the connections between streamer characteristics and viewers' trust and flow experience, suggesting that individual differences among consumers affect how they respond to streamer characteristics. From the dual perspectives of the streamer and the viewer, this study provides a more comprehensive theoretical perspective on customer behavior in live streaming commerce by not only focusing on consumers' short-term, transactional behavior inclinations but also long-term, relational behavior intentions.

Does owners’ leadership matter to relational behavior in mega construction projects? A role orientation perspective

PurposeAlthough researchers have long recognized the importance of participating organizations’ (POs) relational behavior for mega construction projects (MCPs) performance, relational behavior may not be executed by POs without effective leadership from project owners. However, little is known about the mechanisms linking owners’ leadership styles to POs’ relational behavior. This study draws on full range leadership theory and role theory to examine the relationships between owners’ leadership styles (i.e. transformational and transactional) and relational behavior. POs’ role orientations (i.e. normative and economic) are considered as potential mediators.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 175 managers deeply involved in MCPs. Hierarchical regression model and bootstrapping methods were performed on the data to examine the direct effects of owners’ leadership on POs’ relational behavior and the mediating effects of POs’ role orientations.FindingsThe results revealed that both owners’ transformational and transactional leadership positively affect POs’ relational behavior, despite the former being higher than the latter, and indirectly influence relational behavior via POs’ normative and economic role orientation, respectively.Practical implicationsThis study provides a clear picture of how owners’ leadership can motivate POs’ relational behavior to achieve high-quality inter-organizational relationships in MCPs. The findings can guide owners’ top manager selection by prioritizing those with transformational leadership, which is beneficial to achieving high-level relational behavior of POs. The results also imply that owners should pay greater attention to cultivating POs’ normative role orientation by encouraging teamwork and open communication to enhance their implementation of relational behavior.Originality/valueUnlike previous research focusing more on intra-organizational leader–follower relationship within one PO, this study is one of the first to empirically confirm owners’ leadership as a critical antecedent of POs’ relational behavior, thus enhancing the theoretical understanding of inter-organizational relationship management in MCPs. Based on role theory, this study considers a novel organizational psychology mechanism, i.e. POs’ role orientations, as the mediator to unravel how owners’ leadership affects POs’ relational behavior, which was rarely invoked in MCP leadership literature.

A Relational Theory of Jihadist Affiliate Behaviour: The Case of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State

ABSTRACT Why do some AQ and IS affiliates fight one another while others avoid tension or even coordinate? While the extant theories of environment and power balancing provide inroads into such a puzzle, they overlook key relational factors shaping jihadist affiliate behaviour. In this article, I develop a relational theory of AQ-IS interactions, mapping out three avenues of pre-existing social networks: affiliate-civilian, AQ-IS affiliate and affiliate-unaffiliated rebels. Using several datasets, I examine AQ-IS relations in six regions from 2014 to 2018 with a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis. Rival affiliates conflict less while relying on civilian support and cooperate more as off-shoots.