Social Psychology Research Articles

Extrinsic Motivation vs. Intrinsic Motivation: Key Factors Influencing Farmers' Land Quality Protection Behavior in China.

The crowding effect of individual behavior motivation is a focal point in various disciplines, such as economics and social psychology. Understanding the motivation crowding effect in the context of pro-environmental behavior of farmers is crucial for formulating agricultural environmental policies. However, there is limited knowledge about the motivation crowding effect on farmers' land quality protection behavior, especially in developing countries. This study employs stratified regression models, propensity score matching models, seemingly unrelated regression models, and simple slope analysis methods to analyze the impact of extrinsic motivations (external incentives such as increasing farming income and production yield) and intrinsic motivations (internal drives such as personal satisfaction and responsibility) on farmers' land quality protection behavior, as well as the motivation crowding effect between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. The analysis is based on survey data from 1064 smallholder farmers in five provinces in China: Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Shaanxi, and Gansu. The results indicate that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations have a positive impact on farmers' land quality protection behavior. Notably, extrinsic motivation exhibits a crowding-out effect on intrinsic motivation, suggesting a motivation crowding effect. While promoting farmers' land quality protection behavior through economic incentives is a feasible short-term solution, it may not effectively foster the long-term formation of such behaviors. Given the current context of severe land pollution, alleviating this issue through economic incentives represents a short-term policy approach. Thus, transitioning from short-term to long-term solutions by enhancing farmers' intrinsic motivation to promote farmers' land quality protection behavior is essential for the government to consider in future land protection policy formulation.

The distance between us: the role of ideological proximity in shaping perceptions of inter-partisan relationships

ABSTRACT Escalating hostility between partisans threatens democratic governance and social cohesion by eroding trust and fuelling discriminatory behaviour towards opposing groups. This study investigates how people perceive the relations between different partisan groups and why certain pairs of partisans are viewed as friendlier or more hostile towards one another. Drawing on similarity-attraction theory in social psychology and research on affective polarization, I argue that citizens perceive the relationship as more friendly between individuals who support ideologically similar parties. The claim is empirically supported through the use of a novel survey item that assesses the likelihood of two partisans becoming good friends, across three multi-party democracies: Canada, Germany, and the UK. The findings suggest that the ideological proximity of parties not only shapes citizens’ perceptions of parties themselves but also influences their views of fellow citizens across party lines. By demonstrating that people consider party proximity and ideological alignment when evaluating inter-partisan relations, the study sheds light on how ideological and affective dimensions intertwine within these relationships in multi-party democracies.

The chain mediating role of parenting stress and child maltreatment in the association between maternal adverse childhood experiences and executive functions in preschool children: a longitudinal study.

Previous researches found that maternal adverse childhood experiences not only affect the psychological behavior of preschool children, but also have direct or indirect negative effects on the executive functions and cognition of offspring. And, the possible social psychological mechanism between maternal adverse childhood experiences and preschool children's executive functions is still not clear. This study mainly tries to understand the association between parenting stress and child maltreatment in maternal adverse childhood experiences and children's executive functions through longitudinal cohort. Participants were 2160 preschool children and their mothers who finally completed baseline and 3 waves of follow-up. Using a cohort study, a baseline survey of junior kindergartens was carried out in June 2021 and followed up every six months, with a total of 3 follow-ups. We found that executive functions in preschoolers were significantly positively correlated with maternal adverse childhood experiences, parenting stress, physical assault, psychological aggression, neglect and nonviolent discipline (r = 0.180, 0.386, 0.274, 0.302, 0.189, 0.148, respectively, P < 0.01). Further, parenting stress and child maltreatment showed a chain mediating effect between maternal adverse childhood experiences and executive functions in preschoolers, and the total indirect effects accounted for 70.56%, 78.69%, 65.38%, and 68.07% of the total effect, respectively. This study found that maternal adverse childhood experiences have a significant impact on the executive functions of preschool children, and parenting stress and child maltreatment are the mediating factors of their association, revealing the potential mechanism between the two associations from the perspective of social psychology.

The opposite roles of injustice and cruelty in the internalization of a devaluation: The humiliation paradox revisited.

Cruelty and its link to injustice in contexts of humiliation have not received to date due attention from experimental psychosocial research. Aiming at filling this gap, this paper presents three studies with increasing degrees of experimental control (Ntotal = 1098) that show a dual opponent-process response to being targeted by potentially humiliating actions: while targets appraising more injustice internalize less the devaluation underlying the humiliation experience (thus partially dissolving the so-called "paradox of humiliation", Fernández etal., 2015, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 976), targets appraising more cruelty internalize more a devalued self-view and feel more humiliated. The fine balance between these two closely connected but distinct appraisals is key to understand the internal/subjective experience of targets: seeing themselves mainly as victims of injustice or cruelty will prevent or favour, respectively, their internalization of the devaluation and their feeling humiliated. This opposite pattern also impacts victims' reaction: Both appraisals relate to aggressive responses via anger but while appraising cruelty also paradoxically leads to powerless inertia, appraising injustice (including importantly the injustice of cruelty itself) leads to less powerlessness and more assertive agency. The theoretical and applied implications of approaching the victims of humiliation as victims of both an injustice and a cruelty are discussed.

Moving forward with Asian Journal of Social Psychology

Moving forward with Asian Journal of Social Psychology

Emotional distress of adolescents from dysfunctional families as a subject of scientific research

The article provides a scientific justification for the relevance of studying emotional distress of adolescents from dysfunctional families. The social significance of the topic is noted: the emotional distress of adolescent children not only makes unhappy themselves, but also reduces the level of social health of the family and the whole society, affecting social security. The purpose of the research is a theoretical analysis of sources of scientific information which, presumably, can form a methodological basis for studying family predictors of the adolescent emotional distress. The material in the article is presented in accordance with four research questions concerning the formulation of this scientific problem, its current state in domestic and foreign social psychology, and its poorly studied aspects. The definition of the concept of the emotional distress is clarified, its similarity to the concept of emotional modality is shown; the already established features of the emotional sphere of adolescent children are noted. It is concluded that by now there are prerequisites for studying families with adolescents simultaneously from the standpoint of socio-psychological and systemic approaches. A model of empirical research of the family predictors of the emotional distress of adolescents from dysfunctional families is proposed. The prospects of practical application of the study results are outlined.

What are the ‘most influential people in accounting’ saying about the ‘most important issues currently facing the accounting profession’?

Drawing on theories of influence derived from social psychology, this article studies Accounting Today’s 2023 list of The Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (‘the List’). For many reasons the List is controversial, but it is also a window into the profession, providing readers insights into where key players think it is, where it is going, and what it aspires to be. This article analyzes what those on the List consider to be the most important issues currently facing the accounting profession, and what they think the solutions are. A number of core themes emerge as salient, namely: (a) the pipeline problem, (b) the adoption and application of new technologies, (c) the struggle for relevance of (some) accounting work, and (d) the accounting workplace and human capital management. The solutions presented include: (i) accounting needs better branding and marketing, (ii) need to adopt and use new technologies in a range of creative, thoughtful, and compassionate ways, (iii) accounting workplaces and work conditions need to be improved, not least compensation for new entrants. Ultimately, this article’s core thesis is that the key challenges (opportunities) are fundamentally inter-related and inter-connected. Thus, a strategy which involves one group sitting back and hoping that another will fix a stand-alone issue while they watch on is a strategy that seems destined to fail and will cost us dearly. As such, holistic, ‘big tent’, consensus-garnering solutions are required.

The Social Dynamics of Genocide: Social Psychology and Compliance in Himmler’s Murder Squads

Abstract The mobile paramilitary units known as Einsatzgruppen murdered between one and two million Soviet Jewish and non-Jewish civilians under Nazi occupation. Contemporary and postwar documentation reveals that the units lumped together members of Germany’s various party and state security organizations, who, despite the common image of the Nazi “murder machine,” did not always work in complete collaboration. The article follows Einsatzkommando 12, a subunit of Einsatzgruppe D, which perpetrated executions in the southern regions of present-day Ukraine and Russia. Former members’ postwar interrogations reconstruct the unit’s professional hierarchies, operational structures, and job allocations. The article integrates historical works on SS values and organizational culture with findings in social psychology to explain how the Einsatzgruppen shaped peer group relations, cohesion, and comradeship to enhance members’ compliance with mass murder.

From Apocalypse to Empowerment: Reframing Climate Action

Abstract This article proposes empowerment as a new frame for analyzing, communicating, and practicing climate action. I first discuss the role of collective action frames in social movements and the limitations of the predominant apocalyptic climate narratives. I then elaborate the concept of empowerment, which has received little attention from political scientists, who have emphasized “power-over” rather than “power-to.” Empowerment has long been a focus of attention within critical social work, feminist theory, community psychology, and social movement theory. Drawing on these literatures and others, I identify three dimensions of empowerment—critical awareness, resources and opportunities, and autonomy—and consider practical steps that climate leaders can take to empower others to simultaneously pursue personal development and social transformation.

VIOLÊNCIA SEXUAL CONTRA CRIANÇAS E ADOLESCENTES: O OLHAR DA PSICOLOGIA SOB O VIÉS SOCIAL

Taking into account that sexual violence against children and adolescents in addition to the emotional and psychological damage constitutes a violation of this public duty, this study aims to point the psychologist in the psychosocial care of child and adolescent victims of sexual violence. Among the specific objectives, present concepts related to the phenomenon of violence, highlighting its main characteristics, type, statistics in order to highlight one of its forms, sexual violence against children and adolescents; Identify significant psychological harm of sexual violence process in childhood and adolescence; Characteristic of the social psychology emphasizing how was the insertion of psychologists in social protection services. The methodology is bibliographical, from the Virtual Library database in Health Psychology (BVS-Psi), in addition to statistical sources, books and technical guidance documents to professional psychology. It is concluded that the look of psychology under the psychosocial bias shows that the psychologist in cases of sexual violence against children and adolescents is not based solely on psychic phenomena, but through joint work with the Social Protection Service, the psychologist seeks to understand the breaks these subjects and meet their needs through psychosocial approach as well, through the implementation of strategies aimed at minimizing the damage suffered, restore ties and prevent occurrences.

Using the sociopolitical motive × intergroup threat model of intergroup relations to understand opposition to policies that promote social equality

AbstractIn the last several decades, social psychologists have identified several social and political motives that undergird conflict between groups (e.g., racial group conflict), and the conditions under which individuals holding these motives are most likely to oppose policies that promote greater equality between groups. In the current article, we introduce a framework that integrates these insights—the sociopolitical motive × intergroup threat model of intergroup relations—and leverage the model to help advocates for social equality identify likely sources of opposition to or support for their initiatives. By understanding the psychological motives that lead individuals to oppose or support policies that promote social equality, policymakers may be better positioned to craft and communicate policies in a manner that benefits and appeals to as many constituents as possible.

The sustainable challenge: Where does social psychology stand in achieving the sustainable development goals?

The United Nations Agenda 2030, inclusive of its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), serves as the global blueprint for sustainability for both present and future generations. Scientific research is entrusted with the responsibility of contributing by informing the current situation and future challenges in achieving the SDGs. This paper investigates the role of social psychology in contributing to the SDGs and the environmental, economic and social pillars of the UN Agenda. We analysed 4808 papers using Natural Language Processing to identify (i) the relevance of social psychology within the SDG-related literature and (ii) the current and potential contribution of social psychology to the SDGs. Results highlight that social psychology contributes to the SDGs by addressing typical social issues, primarily those related to health and gender, while noting its under-representation in some environmental and economic areas, despite social psychology well-established research on these topics. This paper introduces a novel approach for assessing the SDGs, fostering a critical reflection on the SDG framework and social psychology to guide less explored research paths. This approach could potentially enhance the evaluation and advancement of the 2030 Agenda, facilitating a deeper dialogue between the scientific community and policymakers, driving social change.

Interactions Between Children in Educational Services and their Implications for Learning at the Preschool Education Level: A Literature Review

This research addresses the interactions of children at the preschool education level in educational services and their implications for or repercussions for learning. We aimed to determine the state of the art of interactions of children at the preschool education level in educational services and their implications for learning. The results of the bibliographic review indicate that this topic has been scientifically approached since 1975, with a growing and fluctuating trend. The countries that theoretically contribute the most to these topics are the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Canada, Italy, Taiwan, Brazil, Germany and Norway. Research results are shared through original scientific articles and are approached from the perspective of the social sciences, medicine and psychology. Finally, the clusters in the scientific maps show variables such as social interaction, education, learning, interpersonal relationships, emotions and cooperation. The analytical reading of the publications indicates the need for a comprehensive approach to children at the preschool education level in educational services, where it is key to educating children in the future. A broader approach that takes into account various needs, which involves social-emotional competencies for children, which are vital components of the comprehensive development of children, is needed. Received: 12 July 2024 / Accepted: 25 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024

University students’ attitudes towards the values of physical culture and sport as indicators of their social development

Introduction. Physical culture and sports activities play a crucial role in the socialisation and personal development of individuals. Understanding students’ attitudes towards the social values of sports is essential for creating an effective system of physical education and social development at a university. Aim. The present research aimed to examine the relationship between university students’ attitudes towards various values of sports and their social responsibility, psychosocial well-being, commitment to moral norms, and social values as indicators of social development. Methodology and research methods. The study utilised various frameworks, including the psychology of sports concerning moral norms and values, the theory of physical education related to the social development of students through physical culture and sports, and social psychology focusing on indicators of social development. Psychodiagnostic methods employed included the Spirit of Sport (SOS) scale, Social Responsibility Scale, Portrait Value Questionnaire, Moral Foundations Questionnaire, and Subjective Well-Being Scale. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis, the Mann – Whitney U test, and the Friedman test. The research involved 323 university students aged 18 to 23 years. Results and scientific novelty. The research conducted has demonstrated that, in the realm of sports, students exhibit a greater commitment to the values of health, ethics, and respect for their opponents. The findings reveal that students’ orientation towards the sports values of respect and education serves as a predictor of their social development, which is manifested in the cultivation of social responsibility. This social responsibility is, in turn, influenced by various social values, including care, independence, safety, conformity, and self-affirmation, as well as moral norms. Furthermore, it has been established that the psychosocial well-being of students and their social responsibility are interdependent characteristics. Practical significance. The theoretical and empirical findings of this study can be beneficial for the development of courses in psychology, sports pedagogy, and social psychology.

VERSIONS OF THE SZÉKELYʼS SELF-IMAGE FROM HEROIC TO IRONIC

The collective mental image of oneʼs community is closely related to the image created by strangers. Human sciences such as social psychology, political science, history, but also literary studies deal with the study of national images. The Székelys, a group of Hungarians with a specific dialect, traditions, and a separate sense of identity, already created lasting images of self-representation in texts in the 18th century, which are supplemented by the external images developed about them. The study examines the characteristics of the Székelyʼs self-image presented in literary form, how it has changed over time, and what kind of image Hungarians living in other regions have of the Székelys.

From cognitive processes to discursive practices: Taking a critical discursive psychology approach to refugee and asylum seeker integration

AbstractMuch of the research in social and cultural psychology on refugee integration or acculturation has tended to adopt a socio‐cognitive approach which assumes this to be a ‘process’ with a defined outcome that can be measured as successful or not. Such approaches tend to overlook the rhetorical function of talk about integration and in this article I show how research from a critical discursive psychology perspective in relation to refugees and asylum seekers has typically focussed on media, political and lay discourses about refugees. However, more recent research has focussed on analysing the talk of refugees themselves which I will show points towards the importance of shifting how refugee integration is considered and that taking a critical discursive psychological approach suggests that, in the context of research focusing on integration, a shift from ‘processes’ to situated ‘practices’ is useful where meaning is at stake.

Unveiling the multifaceted public interest in ChatGPT

The present study was aimed at identifying key topics in online discussions about the use of ChatGPT by examining a large dataset extracted from Reddit social media using natural language processing. A corpus of 159,971 posts about ChatGPT were extracted from a custom-made python-coded Reddit content scraper for posts in the r/ChatGPT subreddit discussions. After cleaning the data, the sample was reduced to 119,853 posts which was subjected to cluster analysis using the open-source IRaMuTeQ software to identify main topics based on the cooccurrence of texts. These clusters were named by a panel of social psychology experts (n=3) by reading typical text segments within each cluster. Four thematic clusters emerged, categorized into two main topics: “Society and AI Integration”, focusing on ethical concerns (32.1%), and “Operational Aspects and Applications”, which delves into technical and practical facets (67.9%). The latter includes clusters like “AI Technical Framework”, “Casual AI Interactions”, and “Human-AI Etiquette”. The Reddit discourse provides a comprehensive understanding of ChatGPT, revealing user priorities like system capabilities and ethical considerations. Notably, the “Human-AI Etiquette” cluster is a new topic less covered in existing literature. The findings underscore the importance of effective prompting for meaningful user engagement with ChatGPT.

Constructing Talent and Flexibility in Focus Group Discussions on Inequality and Unemployment in Greece

ABSTRACTThis article examines the ways in which participants construct talent and flexibility in accounts of income inequality and (un)employment in Greece. Eight (8) focus groups with forty‐one (41) Greek citizens, aged 18–65 years were conducted. Analysis used the principles of Critical Discursive Social Psychology (CDSP). Participants were asked to evaluate the compensation that should be given to employees from different professional categories and to discuss changes in the Greek (un)employment policy. Findings indicated that in the first conversational context, talent (as one's inherent characteristic or as a byproduct of personal effort) was constructed as important for professional success. Besides, putting the right (talented) person in the right job was constituted as necessary for achieving maximum productivity. On the other hand, in the second conversational context, when participants discussed the new law on unemployment, they underscored the obligation of the unemployed to conform with the labour market's needs, regardless of their qualifications or talents. The ideal unemployed individual was represented as highly active and adaptable, while productivity was linked to flexibility. The discussion relates these potentially contradictory argumentative lines mobilised by participants to dilemmatic aspects of neoliberal ideology and its reproduction.

The totemic use of an author in psychology: A century of publications of the work of F. C. Bartlett.

We have tried to retrace the contributions and dissemination of the work of the famous British psychologist F. C. Bartlett through various authors who have been inspired by his work, to a greater or lesser extent. To investigate these questions, we have chosen to carry out a bibliometric work. We were interested in the scientific articles available via the electronic library services (offered by the university and via Google Scholar). The only criterion that guided us in the inclusion in the corpus was the explicit nominative reference to Frederic Charles Bartlett on the whole article. The corpus collected (n = 731) concerns a period of almost a century (1920-2019). The results reveal two periods of increased publication, in 1985 (n = 20) and 2019 (n = 137). Nevertheless, while the name of the author is increasingly cited, most of the time it is only once in the body of the articles. A form of scientific automatism manifests itself in the form of a brief, systematic and automatic citation of the first edition of only one of his books. This "mystified" usage may well extend beyond this author, since Lewin is subject to the same stereotypical quotations and paradoxical marginalization in French-language social psychology textbooks (Pétard et al., 2001). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Rehabilitation Services in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa: A Mixed-method Study

Background and Objectives: South Africa is committed to enhancing rehabilitation services by 2030 through the National Rehabilitation Policy and the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. However, limited research focuses on rehabilitation services in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa. This study aims to provide insights from stakeholders on rehabilitation services in KZN Province focused on infrastructure, referrals, human resources, and multidisciplinary practices. Methods: Using mixed methods, we conducted focus group discussions, interviews, and surveys involving 99 stakeholders, including rehabilitation practitioners, district and provincial managers, and social development representatives from eThekwini, AmaJuba, and King Cetshwayo in South Africa. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used for quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Public institutions reported inadequate referral pathways (2.9 out of 5) compared to private institutions (3.4 out of 5). Acute rehabilitation referrals primarily targeted secondary or tertiary facilities. Disjointed pathways, a lack of protocols, delayed referrals due to various factors and insufficient staff were identified. Physiotherapists were disproportionally more prominent, while social workers, psychologists and bio-kineticists were scarce. Both public (93%) and private (73%) care exhibited high doctor-to-patient ratios. Rehabilitation service disciplines were limited and fragmented, especially in rural areas. Thirty-four respondents (81%) stated no designated rehabilitation services units in their respective institutions. Conclusion: Rehabilitation services, though present at all care levels in KZN, mostly begin at tertiary levels. Local-level rehabilitation is non-existent, with the public healthcare system relying on community rehabilitation workers. Referral pathways require standardization, especially at the local level. Enhancing primary healthcare’s rehabilitation focus by bolstering workforce recruitment can significantly improve multidisciplinary practices. Expanding intermediate care facility licenses can alleviate system strain on KZN’s public health sector.