Search Results (51)

Existing research has predominantly framed defensive silence as an avoidance response to interpersonal mistreatments. Moving beyond this view, this study theorizes defensive silence as a proactive strategy for managing interpersonal relationships through the lens of sociometer theory. We posit that workplace ostracism will reduce employees’ organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), which in turn increases their subsequent defensive silence to avert further damage to relationships. In addition, we also expect a moderating role of the sense of power in mitigating the negative impact of workplace ostracism on OBSE. Based on the multi-wave, multi-source data of 345 employees and their 82 immediate supervisors, we tested all the hypotheses. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that OBSE mediated the indirect effect of workplace ostracism on defensive silence, and also supported the moderation role of sense of power. Our theoretical model provides a novel perspective that deepens the understanding of defensive silence and suggests implications for managerial practices. Full article

In today’s rapidly evolving organizations, talent management plays a critical role in driving sustainable growth. Talents, particularly those exhibiting leadership potential, are often seen as essential assets for organizational development. However, the presence of high employee’s leadership potential can also generate adverse emotional reactions from leaders, potentially leading to behaviors such as leader jealousy and leader ostracism. This study investigates the dark side of employee’s leadership potential by examining the mechanisms through which employee’s leadership potential influences leader ostracism, with leader jealousy acting as a mediator. Drawing on social comparison theory, we propose a theoretical model that includes organizational competitive climate and leader’s core self-evaluation as moderating factors. Using a three-wave survey of 672 leaders in the Chinese construction industry, hierarchical regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. The results show that employee’s leadership potential significantly increases both leader jealousy and leader ostracism, with leader jealousy serving as a mediator. Moreover, a high organizational competitive climate strengthens the relationship between employee’s leadership potential and leader jealousy, thereby enhancing the entire mediated effect. In contrast, high leader core self-evaluation weakens the relationship between employee’s leadership potential and leader jealousy, reducing the likelihood of leader ostracism and attenuating the mediated effect. This study provides both theoretical contributions and practical insights for organizations seeking to manage high-leadership potential employees while minimizing the risk of negative leadership behaviors. Full article

In the era of shifting global economic dynamics and rapid digital transformation, the demand for enhanced corporate innovation capabilities has significantly increased. However, workplace ostracism, which often arises in complex organizational contexts, may trigger employees’ creative territory behavior, thereby undermining the organization’s innovation ecosystem. There is a need for further research on mitigating the negative impacts of workplace ostracism. Drawing on Affective Events Theory, this study adopts the perspective of enhancing individuals’ perceived coping resources and conceptualizes fun activities as a form of indirect support created by the organization. It further develops a mediated moderation model to examine how fun activities buffer the impact of workplace ostracism on employees’ creative territory behavior by mitigating their fear of missing out. Using a two-wave questionnaire survey, this study collected 337 valid responses from Chinese employees and conducted a hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS. The results reveal that fun activities perform a dual role: directly, they can mitigate employees’ fear of missing out triggered by workplace ostracism; indirectly, they can weaken the impact of workplace ostracism on employees’ creative territory behavior by alleviating such apprehension. This study offers theoretical insights for organizations on integrating ostracism governance into their organizational management systems and on alleviating the adverse outcomes of workplace ostracism by fostering an environment of indirect support. Full article

The teaching profession is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful occupations worldwide, creating an urgent need for teacher education programmes to prepare highly skilled and reliant educators. Rooted in social cognitive theory, this study aims to explore preservice teachers’ social self-efficacy beliefs and examine its associations with institutional belonging and perceived ostracism. Social self-efficacy describes one’s confidence in one’s ability to engage in interpersonal relationships, and institutional belonging reflects the extent to which one feels valued and accepted within an institution, while ostracism reflects one’s experience of social exclusion. Two hundred and seventy-one preservice teachers from Greece were recruited to participate in this study via convenience sampling. The measures used were the Perceived Social Self-Efficacy scale (PSSE), Institutional Belongness questionnaire (IB), and Workplace Ostracism Scale (WOS). The results of descriptive statistics showed that preservice teachers’ levels of sense of belonging and social self-efficacy were moderate to high, while they experienced low levels of perceived ostracism. The results of regression analyses indicated that institutional belonging positively correlated with social self-efficacy and negatively with perceived ostracism. The mediation analysis results demonstrated that social self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between institutional belonging and perceived ostracism. Collectively, the findings highlight the importance of developing a supportive educational environment that promotes both a sense of belonging and efficacy beliefs. Enhancing these factors could support preservice teachers’ wellbeing and commitment to the profession and inform policies and practices that promote inclusive educational environments. Full article

In today’s dynamic organizational environments, interpersonal conflict and social exclusion can significantly impact employee behavior and organizational effectiveness. This study explores the complex interplay between interpersonal conflict, workplace ostracism, and interpersonal deviance in Jordan’s public sector, emphasizing the moderating role of supervisors’ active empathic listening. Using the stressor–emotion model, conservation of resources (COR) theory, and conflict expression (CE) framework, this study examined these relationships through a two-wave survey design. Data were collected from 501 public sector employees using validated scales, and an analysis was conducted using SPSS and AMOS, with structural equation modeling employed for hypothesis testing. The findings reveal that interpersonal conflict strongly predicts workplace ostracism and interpersonal deviance. Workplace ostracism mediates the relationship between conflict and deviance, while supervisors’ active empathic listening moderates these effects, reducing the likelihood of deviant behaviors. These results underscore the importance of fostering empathetic leadership and inclusive workplace environments to mitigate conflict’s negative impact. This research contributes to understanding workplace dynamics by highlighting the critical role of supervisors in moderating conflict and ostracism. The findings have practical implications for public sector organizations. Beyond training programs, supervisors can implement active empathic listening in practical settings by regularly holding one-on-one meetings in which they actively listen to employee concerns, using verbal and non-verbal cues to show engagement, asking open-ended questions to encourage deeper discussion, reflecting employee emotions to validate their feelings, and following up on issues raised to demonstrate concrete action based on what they have heard; this creates a culture of open communication in which employees feel heard and valued, leading to increased employee engagement and improved problem-solving abilities. Full article

Background: Experiences of ostracism may be related to attitudes toward substance abuse. However, the protective factors underlying this relationship are still unclear. Therefore, based on the Need-threat and Self-control theory, we aimed to test a model in which self-control and hope mediate the relationship between ostracism and attitudes toward addictive substances. Methods: In this model, we highlighted risk factors (ostracism) and protective factors (self-control and hope). This study was a cross-sectional data analysis of 787 students (52.50% boys, 47.50% girls; M_age = 15.69, SD = 1.12). Results: The results revealed that ostracism was positively associated with attitudes toward addictive substances, and evidence was provided that this relationship was mediated by hope and self-control. Ultimately, the research highlights the link between ostracism and attitudes toward addictive substances, identifying hope and self-control as mediators. Conclusions: This study highlights individual risk and protective factors related to attitudes toward addictive substances and offers new perspectives on ways to prevent and reduce adolescents’ positive attitudes toward substance use. School counselors and educators should help students strengthen skills such as hope and self-control to prevent them from developing positive attitudes toward substance use in the future. Full article

In order to examine the relationship between cyber-ostracism and social anxiety among undergraduates, as well as to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of cyber-ostracism, rejection sensitivity, and rumination on social anxiety, this study recruited 864 undergraduate students from Jiangsu and Guangdong Provinces in China using a cluster sampling method. The participants completed the Cyber-Ostracism Questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Interaction Anxiousness Scale, the Chinese version of the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Ruminative Responses Scale. Furthermore, the mediating effects were examined using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The results showed that (1) cyber-ostracism was positively related to social anxiety among undergraduates, and (2) rejection sensitivity and rumination played a chain mediating role in the relationship between cyber-ostracism and social anxiety. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of healthcare professionals, particularly nurses and paramedics. This study investigates the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the impact of social ostracism on psychological distress among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Poland, with a focus on exploring the interplay between professional and social factors contributing to their stress. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 2021 and February 2022 with 852 HCWs from four Polish provinces. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C), and social ostracism was assessed through a custom-designed questionnaire. Results: Of the participants, 14.1% reported experiencing social ostracism, and 4.9% observed such experiences among colleagues. Those who experienced or witnessed ostracism reported significantly higher PTSD symptoms (p < 0.001). Concerns about personal health and the well-being of older individuals were strongly associated with increased PTSD severity, while concerns for household members were not. Conclusions: Social ostracism exacerbates the psychological burden on healthcare workers, contributing to higher levels of PTSD. This study highlights the need for targeted mental health interventions and support systems, including resilience training and stigma reduction initiatives, to address these challenges. Future research should explore cross-national comparisons and long-term psychological effects among diverse healthcare populations. Full article

Differing from prior studies which explored workplace ostracism’s negative impacts, in this study, we try to explore ways to mitigate and harness workplace ostracism to encourage proactive behavior. By drawing on regulatory focus theory, we propose that workplace ostracism can increase proactive behavior via enhanced promotion focus and prevention focus. We collected questionnaire data at multiple time points from employees in private enterprises in China, and a structural equation model was primarily used to test the proposed model. The results of the study indicate that workplace ostracism positively relates to work focus, which, in turn, improves employees’ proactive behavior. Visionary leadership only moderates the relationship between workplace ostracism and promotion focus. Employees who perceive high levels of visionary leadership exhibit an increase in promotion focus after experiencing workplace ostracism. This increase in promotion focus further enhances their proactive behavior. These research findings clarify the pathway and boundary conditions through which workplace ostracism positively influences proactive behavior. They also provide valuable insights for enterprises seeking to promote proactive behavior among employees. Full article

The coming out process differs for everyone, and parents may experience difficulties such as external stress, ostracism and finding local services. Access to resources is, therefore, fundamental, and parents need support in accompanying their children. Methods: This research was carried out in two waves. Firstly, data collection began with parents of TNB children living in the Gaspésie, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions, who participated in five group meetings. Secondly, nine in-depth interviews were conducted with parents living in the province of Quebec, outside major urban centres. Results: This article presents the synergy between the two waves of data collection. The results show that parents report various experiences of vulnerability in the process of accepting their children’s gender identity. Despite this, the families we met provided their children with unconditional support to help them navigate various service structures. Conclusions: Although parents of TNB children living in regional areas face similar difficulties to their urban peers, the lack of resources and access to services limits their options, contributing to their isolation. As a result, these parents must employ strategies to initiate change and improve their conditions. Full article

Residents of an extensive area of the Veneto Region (Italy) face one of the largest technological disasters due to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). On the basis of a risk gradient of contamination, the affected territories were divided into 4 areas: Red (of maximum exposure, where a human biomonitoring programme (HBM) was activated), Orange, Yellow, and Green. This article presents a case study of residents who live in the Orange Area, the second area in terms of contamination, excluded from the HBM. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 residents engaged in promoting a legal procedure to exercise their right to know. Grounded theory and a thematic analysis method were used. Overall, the findings revealed that experiencing contamination causes a negative psychosocial impact on the residents’ lives; difficulty accessing information; living with uncertainty, caused by the lack of institutional and health support and medical consultation; a sense of abandonment; difficulty managing preventive and protective actions; and the deterioration of relationships, on the basis of the social comparison with residents of the Red Area, to whom HBM was granted and where the concept of health ostracism has emerged. This study demonstrated that biomonitoring may help reduce discomfort in the case of contamination by informing people of their chemical exposure. Full article

In this paper, I explore Kierkegaard’s views on envy as developed in A Literary Review, by confronting them with the capital vices tradition. I begin by developing a basic account of envy that serves as a point of reference throughout the paper. I then turn to the capital vices tradition, elaborating the concept of a capital vice, and discussing the views of Basil of Caesarea, Evagrius of Pontus, John Cassian, Gregory the Great, and Thomas Aquinas on envy’s viciousness. Subsequently, I discuss Kierkegaard’s treatment of envy in A Literary Review, exploring two of its key notions—‘the public’ and ‘leveling’—through a reading of L.P. Hartley’s novel Facial Justice (1960). In the final part of the paper, I show that the originality of Kierkegaard’s account of envy consists both in its character as a collective vice and its evaluative status as vicious yet valuable. Full article

Athenian ostracism has long captured democratic imaginations because it seems to present clear evidence of a people (demos) routinely asserting collective power over tyrannical elites. In recent times, ostracism has been particularly alluring to militant democrats, who see the institution as an ancient precursor to modern militant democratic mechanisms such as social media bans, impeachment measures, and lustration procedures, which serve to protect democratic constitutions from anti-democratic threats. Such a way of conceptualizing ostracism ultimately stems from Aristotle’s “rule of proportion,” or the removal of “outstanding” individuals in a polity who threaten to disturb the achievement of communal eudaimonia (Aris. Pol. 1284^a). However, this way of interpreting the institution only presents a truncated view, one which is overly centered on the ultimate expulsion of an individual from the polity, rather than on its broader contextual telos—the transformation of the ostracized individual and of the community. To move past this simplified view, this paper considers all elements of ostracism with equal force, and argues that ostracism offered a shared opportunity and shared space for all members of the polis—citizens, non-citizens, and elite members alike—to reform the character of the subject individual and to instill and reaffirm democratic values in the community. Full article

Employee health is crucial to organizational success. However, workplace ostracism (WO) has significant negative effects on employee health. Numerous researchers have extensively examined how WO influences employees’ negative health (job stress, burnout); however, the focus on mediating effects in the relationship between WO and health has been lacking. This study examined the cognitive evaluation response to WO by employees who perceive they have been ostracized because another employee envies them. The psychological defense mechanism is expected to be activated—thus triggering job stress and burnout. We investigated envy perceived by individuals as a mediator of WO, job stress, and burnout using data from a 2-wave longitudinal survey of 403 employees of a South Korean firm. We found that employees perceived WO. Specifically, based on the sensitivity to being the target of a threatening upward comparison theory, it was confirmed that envy was a mediator in the relationship between WO and negative health outcomes. Our results are the first to show that the perception of envy can mediate the maintenance of a positive self-image in the context of WO in South Korea. The results suggest that a greater awareness of and focus on envy, and WO is required. Full article

This study examined the way attitudes towards science in the U.S. mediate the relationship between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and psychosocial predictors, such as political ideology, religiosity, reactance proneness, dogmatism, perceived communal ostracism, education, and socioeconomic status. We analyzed the structure of people’s attitudes towards science, revealing four distinct factors: epistemic confidence, belief that science and technology are beneficial, trust in science in general, and trust in medical science. With all four factors included as mediators in a saturated path analysis, low levels of trust in medical science and low epistemic confidence fully mediated the relationships between nearly all of the psychosocial predictors and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Political conservativism’s negative association with vaccine hesitancy was partially mediated by the same two facets of people’s attitudes towards science. Adding nuance to existing research, we found that trust in science in general was not a significant mediator once all four facets were included in the model. These findings are discussed with a focus on their implications for understanding attitudes towards science and their substantial and complex role in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Full article