The Regulatory Function of Empathy, Shame and Guilt Proneness in Moral Judgement in Organizational Life

Moral judgment and moral dilemmas are a pervasive part of organizational life and every decision-maker can and will encounter them at some point. Whether people make the utilitarian decision (preferring to maximize overall welfare) or the deontological one (choosing to adhere to moral rules), depends both on the contextual aspects, as well as on individual traits such as empathy and so-called moral emotions - guilt and shame.  This paper aims to study the differences between the utilitarian and the deontologists employees in relation with empathy, guilt and shame proneness. In order to discriminate the two categories (utilitarian and deontologist), the well-established “Trolley problem” was used. In the Switch version, the task can be accomplished by using a lever to switch the train track, such that the train only kills one person. On the other hand, in the Footbridge version, pushing a very fat man off a bridge, using his body to stop the train, can save the five. The following questionnaires were used on a sample of 61 participants (47 females and 14 males, aged between M=20,88, AS=1,81): Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and The Guilt and Shame Proneness scale. Results showed a significant difference between the utilitarian and deontologist on the fantasy and empathic-concern scales for the Switch version. However, no significant differences were observed for guilt or shame proneness. As for the Bridge version, the differences were identified only on the empathic-concern scale and on the Guilt‐Negative‐Behavior‐Evaluation scale of GAS

The Impact of Perceived Social Support on Workplace Loneliness. The Mediation Role of Work Alienation

The primary objective of this study is to investigate how perceived social support influences workplace loneliness, with a focus on the mediating role of work alienation. Existing research on the relationship between workplace loneliness, perceived social support, and employee engagement is notably limited. Recognizing the significance of social connections in individuals' lives, it is crucial to acknowledge that a substantial portion of our time is spent in the workplace. Failing to cultivate such relationships may predispose individuals to experience feelings of loneliness. Employing a cross-sectional design, the study gathered data from a convenient sample comprising 178 participants (48 males, 130 females), aged between 21 and 53 years (M=30.88, SD=9.00). Structured questionnaires, namely the Loneliness at Work Scale, The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Work Alienation Scale, were utilized for data collection. The findings revealed a negative correlation between perceived social support and workplace loneliness (r=-.729, p<.01). Similarly, perceived social support exhibited a negative association with work alienation (r=-.744, p<.01). Additionally, work alienation emerged as a robust mediator in the relationship between perceived social support and workplace loneliness (z = -4.12, p = .000). To enhance the explanatory capacity of the proposed model, future studies could consider incorporating additional variables. These may include job-related affective well-being, organizational commitment, or organizational citizenship behavior, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate connections between perceived social support and workplace loneliness

An Exploratory Study Regarding the Relations between Time Perspective, Achievement Motivation and Self-Regulation

Research conducted so far has emphasized the link between specific time orientations (mainly future) and a series of behaviors associated with health, risk-taking or academic achievement. Although time perspective was investigated as a cognitive-motivational concept with important implications on learning outcomes and behavior, there is little or no evidence concerning the effects of time perspective on work related achievement motivation. Similarly, albeit time perspective was studied in relation with other individual variables that might provide insights for a better understanding of its volitional nature (such as, locus of control, optimism/pessimism or self-determination), self-regulation is one such variable, which has not yet been considered. The present study sought to investigate the possible associations between different time perspectives, self-regulation and achievement motivation. The study was conducted using a survey method on a convenience sample of 67 MA students. Results show positive associations between future time perspective and self-regulation, and negative associations between present fatalistic perspective and self-regulation, respectively past negative perspective and self-regulation. Likewise, achievement motivation seems to be positively related to future time perspective, and negatively related to past negative and present fatalistic. The present findings suggest taking into account the way in which individuals assign the personal and social experiences to time frames, which help them confer order, coherence and meaning to their experiences in work settings. Concurrently, since time perspective is associated with problematic behaviors, it could be included in the study of work-related behaviors (counterproductive or organizational citizenship behaviors) along with self-regulation

The Impact of Perceived Social Support on Workplace Loneliness. The Mediation Role of Work Alienation

The primary objective of this study is to investigate how perceived social support influences workplace loneliness, with a focus on the mediating role of work alienation. Existing research on the relationship between workplace loneliness, perceived social support, and employee engagement is notably limited. Recognizing the significance of social connections in individuals' lives, it is crucial to acknowledge that a substantial portion of our time is spent in the workplace. Failing to cultivate such relationships may predispose individuals to experience feelings of loneliness. Employing a cross-sectional design, the study gathered data from a convenient sample comprising 178 participants (48 males, 130 females), aged between 21 and 53 years (M=30.88, SD=9.00). Structured questionnaires, namely the Loneliness at Work Scale, The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Work Alienation Scale, were utilized for data collection. The findings revealed a negative correlation between perceived social support and workplace loneliness (r=-.729, p<.01). Similarly, perceived social support exhibited a negative association with work alienation (r=-.744, p<.01). Additionally, work alienation emerged as a robust mediator in the relationship between perceived social support and workplace loneliness (z = -4.12, p = .000). To enhance the explanatory capacity of the proposed model, future studies could consider incorporating additional variables. These may include job-related affective well-being, organizational commitment, or organizational citizenship behavior, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate connections between perceived social support and workplace loneliness

The Influence of Values on the Leadership Style

The study of values has been an issue of interest for several subjects, such as philosophy, social sciences, ethics, axiology etc. Despite the fact that psychologists acknowledge the importance of values as orientation tools for every individual in their environment, generating attitudes which translate into behaviours, the empirical research on this topic has been rather scarce, given the complexity of the field, as well as the lack of a sensitive and valid tool able to allow the measurement of values. The academic research, however, cannot avoid an emphasis of (the) values in the study of leadership. Based on the complete leadership model (Bass & Avolio, 1997), the empirical research we propose aims at studying the influence of values on the informal leadership style. The lot of respondents is made up of students, master degree candidates and prisoners from Târgsor, Prahova county prison - totalling 135 persons, divided in 15 groups with one informal leader for each group. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass), Schwartz Value Inventory and the socio-metric techniques for identifying the informal leaders have been applied to all of them. The proposed hypotheses approach the congruence between the leader's fundamental values and those of the group's members, the way the values influence the leadership in the educational environment (students, master degree candidates) as opposed to the prison environment and, in perspective, the interactions of the members within and outside the group, determined by the degree of identification with the others' values

Giving Voice to Non-traditional Students “Walking” the Narative Mediation Path. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The growing phenomenon of disadvantaged and non-traditional students increases the risk of educational underachievement and drop-out in universities in Europe. Within the European funded project INSTALL (Innovative Solutions to Acquire Learning to Learn) researchers developed a qualitative methodology — Narrative Mediation Path (NMP) — consisting of a group training process targeted to disadvantaged students. NMP, based on the psychological concept of ‘mentalization’‚ also known as ‘reflexive competence’, combines into one methodology four discursive modules: Metaphoric, Iconographic, Written and Bodily. In this chapter, we present the findings from an evaluative study about how participating students experienced the NMP training process, how NMP is able to support non-traditional students and the implications for policy makers. The results suggest that the use of different discursive modules supports the students in developing their reflexive competence during a formative experience which enables them to better adjust to the university context. Several propositions are made as to how NMP methodology can be integrated in various institutional contexts, and some key issues about policies and practice in supporting non-traditional students are made available for policy makers

The Influence of Values on the Leadership Style

The study of values has been an issue of interest for several subjects, such as philosophy, social sciences, ethics, axiology etc. Despite the fact that psychologists acknowledge the importance of values as orientation tools for every individual in their environment, generating attitudes which translate into behaviours, the empirical research on this topic has been rather scarce, given the complexity of the field, as well as the lack of a sensitive and valid tool able to allow the measurement of values. The academic research, however, cannot avoid an emphasis of (the) values in the study of leadership. Based on the complete leadership model (Bass &amp; Avolio, 1997), the empirical research we propose aims at studying the influence of values on the informal leadership style. The lot of respondents is made up of students, master degree candidates and prisoners from Târgsor, Prahova county prison - totalling 135 persons, divided in 15 groups with one informal leader for each group. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio &amp; Bass), Schwartz Value Inventory and the socio-metric techniques for identifying the informal leaders have been applied to all of them. The proposed hypotheses approach the congruence between the leader's fundamental values and those of the group's members, the way the values influence the leadership in the educational environment (students, master degree candidates) as opposed to the prison environment and, in perspective, the interactions of the members within and outside the group, determined by the degree of identification with the others' values.</em