Self-awareness Theory Research Articles

Lonely and Insecure: How salesperson Well-Being impacts performance

Loneliness has become increasingly common in society, especially for salespeople as they navigate the more remote, digital world of selling. Understanding how loneliness impacts the behaviors of salespeople – particularly as they interact with customers – is critical for firms aiming to improve sales performance and support their sales teams. Using objective self-awareness (OSA) theory as a lens, we explore the effects of loneliness and find it increases social insecurity in salespeople. Social insecurity subsequently damages salesperson outcomes by increasing sales call reluctance and conspicuous overspending on customers while inhibiting listening. As such, loneliness and social insecurity reduce sales performance, even when measured objectively from the records of a national sales firm. Results also demonstrate that rejection further exacerbates the effect of loneliness on social insecurity, and unfortunately, servant leadership does little to help. We thus offer recommendations to help managers lessen the challenges faced by lonely salespeople.

Behind Videoconferencing Fatigue at Work

AbstractA remarkable peculiarity of videoconferencing (VC) applications – the self-view – a.k.a. digital mirror, is examined as a potential reason behind the voiced exhaustion among users. This work draws on technostress research and objective self-awareness theory and proposes the communication role (sender vs. receiver) as an interaction variable. We report the results of two studies among European employees (n1 = 176, n2 = 253) with a one-year time lag. A higher frequency of self-view in a VC when receiving a message, i.e., listening to others, indirectly increases negative affect (study 1 & 2) and exhaustion (study 2) via the increased state of public self-awareness. Self-viewing in the role of message sender, e.g., as an online presenter, also increases public self-awareness, but its overall effects are less harmful. As for individual differences, users predisposed to public self-consciousness were more concerned with how other VC participants perceived them. Gender effects were insignificant.

My avatar makes me feel good? The effect of avatar personalisation and virtual agent interactions on self-esteem

ABSTRACT The theory of Objective Self-Awareness (OSA) and related studies suggest that embodiment of personalised avatars may induce self-awareness and influence self-esteem. Additionally, the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm suggests that humans may mindlessly respond to computers in ways that are similar to human interactions. Based on those assertions, it is plausible that virtual embodiment of a personalised avatar and interactions with a virtual agent can shift self-esteem. However, those effects on self-esteem have not been thoroughly examined in past studies. To address these research gaps, a 2 (avatar personalisation: personalised vs. non-personalised avatar) × 2 (virtual agent interaction valence: positive vs. negative) between-subjects experiment was conducted using a Virtual Reality (VR) simulation (N =171). Findings from the study showed that there was no effects of avatar personalisation and virtual agent interaction valence on state self-esteem change. However, the pairwise comparisons present some preliminary indications that avatar personalisation and positive interactions with a virtual agent may facilitate improvements in state self-esteem altogether. Implications of the study findings are discussed.

A Social Self-Awareness Agent with Embodied Reasoning

In the realm of multi-agent systems, establishing social self-awareness in agents stands as a critical challenge within the broader scope of artificial general intelligence research. Addressing this challenge, in this paper, we draw upon Tomasello’s social self-awareness theory as a foundational framework, and employ Non-Axiomatic Reasoning System (NARS), an artificial general intelligence model, to simulate analogical and recursive reasoning methods used by socially embodied agents. In this paper, we assume that an agent can possess sensorimotor capabilities and physical common sense, it explores the process of constructing a “core self” through embodied reasoning. On this basis, we explore deeper into the construction process of social self-awareness. As a result, we clarify how agents generate common knowledge about themselves through recursive reasoning regarding the mental states of others and communication dynamics. Following this initial step, metaphors are generated utilizing analogical reasoning, intertwining public knowledge with these metaphors to facilitate mutual comprehension between humans and machines. This paper delves into the simulation of perspective representation and recursive reasoning within social embodied agents, employing NARS– an overarching artificial intelligence platform. The experimental results substantiate the viability of constructing a social self-agent within a machine framework grounded in embodied reasoning.

COVID-19 masks and limited number of shoppers as determinants of shop assistants' (dis)honesty.

Previous laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that the dishonesty of commercial transaction participants may depend on subtle cues. In this field study conducted on a sample of 216 shop assistants in Poland, we planned to demonstrate that coronavirus disease-related factors could result in an increased propensity for dishonesty among shop assistants. This investigation is unique in its application of social psychological theories to illuminate hitherto unexplored side effects of combating the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Our supposition was that the potential detriment encountered by individuals wearing solid surgical masks would involve being viewed as more abstract and remote, thereby heightening the likelihood of being deceived by a vendor. Moreover, we examined the potential relationship between the limited number of customers in retail establishments (related to pandemic restrictions) and the unscrupulous practices of sellers-specifically the act of retaining change. The effect of wearing masks was statistically non-significant, whereas the impact of other customers' absence was significant. Moreover, unexpected results related to transaction parties' genders were obtained, showing that shop assistants tended to be more honest when dealing with customers of the same gender. The results are discussed in the context of empathy toward masked customers, self-awareness theory, social norms of honesty, and identification with gender groups.

Filters uncovered: Investigating the impact of AR face filters and self-view on videoconference fatigue and affect

The rise of videoconferencing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a new phenomenon, videoconference fatigue (VF), which refers to the emotional and physical exhaustion felt after videoconference meetings. Features of videoconference platforms, such as the self-view function and small screen size, increases self-awareness and cognitive load, resulting in increased negative affect and VF. However, AR face filters can soften facial expressions to reduce self-awareness and increase positive affect. Drawing from the theory of objective self-awareness, this study thus assesses the influence of AR face filters and self-view on users’ affect and perceived VF, through a 2 × 2 dyadic between-subjects experiment (N = 154). Our findings do not support the theory of objective self-awareness. Using AR face filters led to higher VF, but neither AR face filters nor self-view was significantly associated with affect. An alternative theory such as the expectancy violations theory may explain such results. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Altered self-reported resting state mediates the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on mental health: a longitudinal path model analysis within a community-based randomized trial with 6-months follow-up.

A large body of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has shown that mindfulness-based interventions are effective for improving mental health, but research is lacking in regards to the mechanisms of change. We aimed to investigate the mediating effects of self-reported altered resting state of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on mental health, when provided as a universal intervention in a real-life context. Autoregressive path models with three time points of measurement, and contemporaneous and constant b paths were used in an RCT. The RCT took place in all five geographical regions of Denmark and included 110 schools and 191 schoolteachers. The schools were randomized 1:1 in each geographical region to intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention was the standardized MBSR. Data were collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. The outcomes were perceived stress, measured by Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured by Hopkins Symptom Check List-5 (SCL-5), and well-being measured by WHO-5 Well-being Index (WHO-5). The mediator was resting state measured by the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire (ARSQ). Statistically significant mediated effects of altered ARSQ-subscales scores for Discontinuity of Mind, Planning, and Comfort were found for the MBSR effect on all outcomes; PSS, SCL-5 and WHO-5. Furthermore, statistically significant mediated effects of altered sleepiness subscale score of the effects on PSS and SCL-5 of MBSR were found. No statistically significant mediating effects of the subscales Theory of Mind, Self and Somatic Awareness for the MBSR intervention effect were found. The results support that the MBSR program can alter self-reported resting state, towards less mind wandering and more comfort, measured by the ARSQ, and that this may explain some of the mechanisms regarding the effectiveness of MBSR on mental health at 6 months, when provided as a universal intervention. The study provides insight into an active ingredient of how MBSR may improve mental health and well-being. It supports the suggestions that mindfulness meditation may be a sustainable way of training the mental health.Clinical trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03886363.

Objective self-awareness theory and violence: A brain network perspective

Objective self-awareness theory and violence: A brain network perspective

Self-construction as a model for the formation and development of the professional culture of a lawyer

The article is devoted to the theoretical and pedagogical aspects of the problem of forming the professional culture of the future lawyer. It actualizes the ideas of the developers of several important humanitarian and scientific theoretical constructions: the legal doctrine of the professional culture of a lawyer, the doctrine of legal consciousness, the philosophy and theory of constructivism, the psychological theory of self-awareness, the sociological concept of mass society, and some others.
 It is emphasized that the professional culture of a lawyer should be one of the central objects of attention for the community of scientists and legal educators. An insufficient level of study and practical pedagogical use of autogenic aspects of the formation of the specified phenomenon is noted.
 The conviction is expressed that the valuable content of the ideal model of a lawyer's professional culture testifies to the elitist nature of the legal profession, enables and even dictates the actualization of autogenous components of the process of formation and development of a lawyer's professional culture.
 It is claimed that the professional culture of a lawyer as a component of the general culture of modern society is subject to the deforming influence of the process of massification, the essence of which is the primitivization of the value-meaning structure of society. Conscious and purposeful personal self-construction is considered as a controversial practice regarding that vector of individual socialization that is connected with the process of massification.
 Self-construction is interpreted as a creative, integral process based on the developed self-awareness of the individual. This process involves in-depth self-knowledge, worldview self-determination, purposeful self-change, harmonization of these and other sub-processes.
 It is postulated that the core of personal self-construction is self-knowledge, which is proposed to be understood as an action (construction), an active construction by a person of a model (picture) of the world, in which an important and integral place is occupied by the sufficiently reflected self-concept of the individual. That is, cognition is considered as a process of constructing reality, the "picture" of which determines the parameters of an individual's social activity.
 The process of personal self-construction is considered in terms of stages, which, according to the author of the article, contributes to a deeper understanding of its structural characteristics.
 The main pedagogical problem of the practical implementation of the model of formation of the professional culture of a lawyer based on the principles of self-construction is indicated - the awakening of the future lawyer's need for self-knowledge and self-change, the formation of relevant cognitive and behavioral guidelines.

How active social network site use affects green consumption: A moderated mediation model.

A growing body of literature suggests a link between the usage of social networking sites (SNSs) and green consumption. However, researchers have shown that not all types of SNS usage have the same effect on individuals; therefore, to fully understand the relationship between a particular SNS use type and green consumption, as well as the mechanisms underlying the relationship, more research is required. This study examined a moderated mediation model based on self-awareness theory to explain the "how" and "why" of the relationship between active SNS use and green consumption. An offline survey (N = 210) and an online survey (N = 348) were conducted. The results suggest that active SNS use is positively associated with green consumption via public self-awareness and that impression management motives moderate the mediating role of public self-awareness in the relationship between active SNS use and green consumption. By examining the connection between a specific type of SNS use (active SNS use) and green consumption, our study adds to the body of literature on the causes of green consumption. The results have substantial implications for future research promoting socially responsible consumption behavior.

Handmade clothing consumption as a means of self-expression

PurposeThis study examines handmade clothing consumption as a means of self-expression by exploring the interrelationships between consumers' self-expression, brand love and word of mouth.Design/methodology/approachUsing a descriptive research design, data were collected from 295 respondents in South Africa who posted about fashion on social media and who had bought handmade clothing in the 6 months prior to data collection. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the interrelationships between consumers' self-expression, brand love and word of mouth.FindingsBrand love intervenes between consumers' self-brand connections and word of mouth about handmade clothing. More specifically, brand love strengthens positive word of mouth online and mitigates negative word-of-mouth intentions following a handmade clothing product failure scenario.Research limitations/implicationsThe study enlightens scholarly understanding of consumers' self-expression motivations for using ready-made handmade clothing that results in brand love and positive word of mouth.Practical implicationsHandmade clothing marketers who tap into consumers' self-expression and who can establish brand love among consumers can similarly create beneficial consumer–brand relationships.Originality/valueConsumers often use handmade clothing for the purpose of self-expression, which provides subsequent spin-offs for brands in the form of brand love and positive word of mouth. Objective self-awareness theory provides a parsimonious lens to reveal the important role that brand love plays as a mechanism to explain the linkage of consumers' self-brand connections to word of mouth about handmade clothing.

Self-Consciousness and Self-Awareness: Associations between Stable and Transitory Levels of Evidence.

The theory of objective self-awareness predicts the assessment of stable or dispositional self-consciousness and transitory or situational self-awareness. The aim of the present research was to investigate potential associations between patterns of experiential self-description to scores on self-report measures of dispositional self-consciousness. A total of 64 Brazilian volunteers (Mage = 29.7, SD = 8.79, 64.1% female) responded to the Revised Self-Consciousness Scale, the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale, and the Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire before participating in an experience sampling protocol. The protocol consisted of random daily requests for up to four self-description experiences across seven consecutive days. Participants recorded audio messages on their mobile phones in reply to each request describing their current experience. Reports were analyzed through a reflexive thematic analysis that produced twenty sub-themes accounting for descriptive markers of experience. Based on those descriptive markers, the qualitative data were then transformed into quantitative data for the situational self-awareness indexes. Evidence of association between self-consciousness and self-awareness was stronger for the awareness subscale in a positive correlation with affective situational self-awareness and in a negative correlation with mental representational transitory self-awareness. Although relational evidence has been provided, the data reinforced the theoretical distinction between self-consciousness and self-awareness.

Is “Zoom Fatigue” Real? Video Conferencing Boosts Productivity but Worsens Well-Being

Video conferencing has become a predominant mode of workplace meetings, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. In this research, we integrate objective self-awareness theory with the interface design of video conferencing tools to explain the mixed implications of video conferencing for employees. We hypothesize that time spent on video conferencing is positively related to state self-consciousness (i.e., being conscious about one’s self as the object of awareness). State self-consciousness, in turn, is positively related to work productivity but at the same time negatively related to well-being. We further hypothesize that introverted employees are more affected by participation in video conferencing than their extroverted counterparts. In a study employing experience sampling methodology among 144 United Kingdom-based employees who were working remotely on account of the mandatory closure of the workplace, we found evidence for the hypotheses. Specifically, time spent on video conferencing on a workday increased state self-consciousness on that day, which, in turn, increased work productivity. The negative relationship between state self-consciousness and the moderating effect of extraversion received marginal support. A supplementary experimental study further tested the tenet of objective self-awareness theory. We discuss the implications of our findings for how organizations can manage video conferencing as they move to remote work at unprecedented rates.

When gig workers become essential: Leveraging customer moral self-awareness beyond COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified economic reliance on gig workers that perform essential tasks such as health care, personal transport, food and package delivery, and ad-hoc tasking services within the developed and developing world. As a result, workers who provide such services are no longer perceived as low-skilled laborers but as essential workers who fulfill a crucial role in society. These workers’ newly elevated moral and economic status increases consumer demand for corporate social responsibility toward this stakeholder group, specifically for practices that increase worker freedom and rewards. We provide algorithmic tools for online labor platforms to meet this demand, bolstering their social purpose and ethical branding while better protecting themselves against potential reputational crises. To do this, we propose a managerial strategy rooted in moral self-awareness theory that leverages customers’ self-perceived virtuosity to increase gig-worker freedom.

The moderating roles of self-efficacy and depression in dual-task walking in multiple sclerosis: A test of self-awareness theory.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurological disease associated with a variety of psychological, cognitive, and motoric symptoms. Walking is among the most important functions compromised by MS. Dual-task walking (DTW), an everyday activity in which people walk and engage in a concurrent, discrete task, has been assessed in MS, but little is known about how it relates to other MS symptoms. Self-awareness theory suggests that DTW may be a function of the interactions among psychological, cognitive, and motor processes. Cognitive testing, self-report assessments for depression and falls self-efficacy (FSE), and walk evaluations [DTW and single-task walk (STW)] were assessed in seventy-three people with MS in a clinical care setting. Specifically, we assessed whether psychological factors (depression and FSE) that alter subjective evaluations regarding one's abilities would moderate the relationships between physical and cognitive abilities and DTW performance. DTW speed is related to diverse physical and cognitive predictors. In support of self-awareness theory, FSE moderated the relationship between STW and DTW speeds such that lower FSE attenuated the strength of the relationship between them. DTW costs - the change in speed normalized by STW speed - did not relate to cognitive and motor predictors. DTW costs did relate to depressive symptoms, and depressive symptoms moderated the effect of information processing on DTW costs. Findings indicate that an interplay of physical ability and psychological factors - like depression and FSE - may enhance understanding of walking performance under complex, real-world, DTW contexts.

Skype or Skip? Causes and Consequences of Intimate Self-Disclosure in Computer-Mediated Doctor-Patient Communication

ABSTRACT Advances in computer-mediated communication have created both opportunities and challenges for online doctor-patient communication. Based on the privacy calculus and objective self-awareness theory, we examined the causes and consequences of intimate self-disclosure in video consultations. We performed a 2 (verbal intimacy) × 2 (physical intimacy) online experiment among a large representative sample of the Dutch population (N = 2,251). Structural equation modeling confirmed expected relationships between benefits, privacy concerns, communication barriers, trust, and self-disclosure. Generally, when people were more willing to self-disclose, they reported more positive (e.g., relief) and less negative (i.e., stress) emotions. However, when it involved revealing physically intimate information (e.g., showing an intimate vs. non-intimate body part), people were less likely to self-disclose and reported more negative emotions as a result. Our findings suggest that people weigh benefits, costs, and trust in their decision to self-disclose and consider the potential negative intrapersonal effects of intimate self-disclosure.

Wearing an Anti-COVID Face Mask Predisposes to Spontaneity and Ideas’ Expression in Social Interactions: Findings from a Pilot Experiment

Can wearing an anti-COVID face mask bring any positive effects on social interactions? Based on objective self-awareness theory (OSA), our pilot experiment tested whether wearing an anti-COVID-19 face mask—a facial covering that should reduce self-focused attention—can predispose people to spontaneity in social interactions. Upon randomization (N = 91), participants were asked to either wear or not wear a mask while completing an online survey that assessed their willingness to be spontaneous in various imagined social situations (e.g., willingness to express ideas in public). As expected, participants who completed the survey while wearing a face mask reported higher levels of anticipated spontaneity, declaring they would have been more willing to express their ideas in the proposed interactions than those who did not wear a mask. Results support the hypothesis that anti-COVID face masks reduce objective self-awareness by drawing others’ focus away from the person’s face. This effect seems to eventually encourage people’s propensity to spontaneity and ideas’ expression in social interactions. Implications concerning both positive and negative potential consequences of this effect, as well as possible directions for deepening the study of social effects of anti-COVID measures and further testing the theory of objective self-awareness, are discussed.

Two Problems with Shoemaker’s Regress and How to Deal with Them

With his now famous regress argument, Sydney Shoemaker (1968) aimed to provide justification for the assumption that at least some cases of self-awareness cannot be based on identification. The overall goal of this paper is to discuss two possible worries one may have about Shoemaker’s argument. I will show that these problems have far-reaching consequences that may diminish the argument’s importance for an adequate theory of self-awareness and that another conclusion Shoemaker and other philosophers draw may be unwarranted.

Impaired complex theory of mind and low emotional self-awareness in outpatients with borderline personality disorder compared to healthy controls: A cross-sectional study

Studies on the theory of mind (TOM) and alexithymia in borderline personality disorder (BPD) have yielded inconsistent results. Also, the relationship between TOM abilities and alexithymia facets as two domains of social cognition has not been studied in BPD. This study aimed to fill this gap. Participants were 50 outpatients with BPD and 50 age and gender-matched healthy controls. Assessments performed using Reading the Mind in Eyes Task (RMET), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Faux Pas Task (FPT), and Digit Span subtest of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Results showed that BPD patients scored lower on overall FPT (p < .001) and its cognitive (p < .001) and affective TOM (p < .001) subtests but were comparable with healthy controls in emotion recognition ability assessed by RMET (p = .241). The BPD group also scored significantly lower in overall alexithymia (p < .001) and subscales of difficulty identifying feelings (DIF; p < .001) and difficulty describing emotions (DDF; p = .001). However, they performed similarly to the healthy control group in externally oriented thinking (EOT; p = .164). Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between EOT and RMET in the BPD group (r = −0.33, p < .05). No association, however, was found between FPT and RMET. This study suggests that BPD patients are impaired in the complex TOM abilities and have lower self-awareness of emotions, but their recognition of others' emotions is intact. Also, the results demonstrate that a heightened level of EOT is associated with difficulties in facial emotion recognition in BPD patients.

Rethinking Cultural Competence Education in the Global Era: Insights from Fei Xiaotong’s Theory of Cultural Self-Awareness

Since humanity entered the 20th century, diversity has become a key feature that manifests itself in all aspects of society. As a venue for people and ideas to meet, universities face ever-increasing challenges in fulfilling their cultural mission. With unprecedented human connectivity, cultural competence is more than a goal. It has become an essential skill for students and a key concern for policymakers and practitioners across the world. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to cultural competence education, this article aims to elucidate the significance of the notion of cultural self-awareness proposed by Fei Xiaotong, China’s premier social anthropologist. It explores how Fei’s insights can facilitate universities to rethink their conception and delivery of cultural competence education. By challenging the tendency for cultural competence education to be segregated among a range of disciplines and moving it to the core of the university’s curricular offerings, the article promises an approach whereby all students, regardless of their disciplinary backgrounds, can benefit from the full development of their cultural capability, as can the institution, wider community, and society as a whole.