Antecedents of mentors’ interpersonal behaviors at work: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Building on the self-determination theory and the work of Pelletier and their colleagues, we conducted a study to examine the antecedents of mentors’ interpersonal behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine how influence from above (administrative, practice, and colleagues’ pressures) and influence from below (perception of mentees’ level of self-determined motivation) were related to the mentors’ motivations for their work and the mentoring relationship, and how the mentors’ motivations were related to their interpersonal behaviors. In the present study (N = 600), the results of a cross-sectional design showed that mentors who perceived greater influence from above and lower influence from below were more non-self-determined toward their work and the mentoring relationship. In turn, the more non-self-determined they were, the more they were acting in a controlling manner with their mentees. Overall, our findings supported the independent and complementary role of influences from above and from below on mentors’ motivations and interpersonal behaviors.