European Journal of Social Psychology最新文献

Prior social sharing research suggests that cueing sharers to focus on recounting emotionally arousing details of a negative experience often increases negative affect, whereas cueing them to reconstrue the experience leads to emotional recovery. Extending these findings, we tested whether interpersonal encouragement of reconstrual was consistently more effective than that of recounting in improving emotions induced by different kinds of stressors that varied in collectiveness and emotional content (interpersonal conflicts vs. COVID-19 news in Study 1; regretful vs. angry conflicts in Study 2). In addition, rather than a generic instruction to reconstrue as used in Study 1, Study 2 focused on two specific forms of reconstrual (stimulus-reappraisal and perspective-taking) and compared their emotional effects to those of recounting in online dyadic settings. Results showed that reconstrual generally had more beneficial effects than recounting by promoting meaning-making in both studies. Study 1 showed that reconstrual helped achieve an enhanced sense of closure, and Study 2 revealed that certain reconstrual styles were more effective in regulating certain emotional responses. Specifically, perspective-taking was especially effective in regulating anger, whereas stimulus-reappraisal seemed more suited for reducing negative affect about regretful events.

Possessing high meaning in life can prevent boredom. Recent evidence suggests that awe may increase meaning in life via vastness vis-à-vis the self (feeling connected to something bigger than the self) or decrease it through self-diminishment (feeling insignificant). Accordingly, we proposed and tested in four studies (N = 1173) that awe relates to boredom via these two competing pathways. We consistently found a negative indirect effect of awe on boredom via vastness vis-à-vis the self and meaning in life (Studies 1–3). This effect remained for threat-based awe (Study 3) and even after controlling for co-occurring emotions (Studies 2b and 3). The evidence for a positive indirect effect of awe on boredom via self-diminishment and meaning in life was present, albeit to a lesser extent. This research highlights the intricate relationship between awe and boredom, suggesting that awe can impact boredom through opposing effects on meaning in life.

This research combined person- and variable-centred approaches to examine whether (a) core values, (b) perceptions of the political system's legitimacy and (c) attitudes towards Hong Kong–Mainland China integration underlie the Yellow versus Blue politicized collective identities that emerged during the Hong Kong 2019 social unrest. Data were gathered from a representative sample of 2003 Hong Kong residents through a telephone survey. Latent profile analysis of elements (a–c) identified four distinct latent classes that aligned with the Yellow–Blue identities. Membership in these classes predicted support for collective actions that challenged (e.g., protests against the government) versus defended the authority, and the associated solutions to mitigate the social schism. The person-centred approach also detected attributes (including political affiliation, Chinese identification, age and education level) that differentiated the four latent classes. Our approach can be adapted to identify elements that may characterize politicized identity groups in other social movements.

Despite the known benefits of apologies, people often fail to apologize for wrongdoings. We examined the role of a cultural logic of honour—where apologizing may clash with concerns about maintaining an image of strength and toughness—in reluctance to apologize. Using general population samples from 14 societies in Mediterranean, East Asian and Anglo-Western regions (N = 5471), we explored links between honour values and norms, image concerns, and apology outcomes using multilevel mediation analyses. Members of groups with stronger honour endorsement reported stronger image concerns about apologizing relative to their concerns about not apologizing, which, in turn, predicted greater reluctance to apologize and fewer past apologies. However, groups with stronger honour endorsement did not show greater reluctance to apologize overall, and some individual-level facets of honour predicted better apology outcomes. Our results highlight the importance of considering honour as a multifaceted construct and including contextual factors and processes when studying reconciliation processes and obstacles to apologies.

The status-legitimacy hypothesis posits that low-status groups more strongly endorse social hierarchies and disadvantageous systems (i.e., engage in system justification), particularly under extreme societal inequality. Buchel et al. (2021) found supportive evidence for this hypothesis based on a 28-nation survey (N = 48,802). However, other large-scale studies have produced contradictory evidence. Consequently, we re-examined Buchel et al.’s (2021) data, this time breaking down the critical status $�\times$ inequality interaction and visualizing the patterns with scatterplots. Contrary to the status-legitimacy hypothesis, our results often showed that both objective and subjective status were associated with system justification in the opposite direction–even in contexts of high societal inequality. However, higher societal inequality sometimes reduces the system justification gap between status groups. We discuss the implications of these mixed findings for the debate around the existence of a system justification motive.

Quarenta, J., T. A. Palma, A. S. Santos, B. Singh, and J. Correll. 2024. “Examining the Impact of Social and Perceptual Encoding Strategies on the Cross-Race Recognition Deficit.” European Journal of Social Psychology 55, no. 1: 37–53. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3115

In the description of the sample from Experiment 3 in the “4.1.1 Participants and Design” section, the text “(73 females, 19 males and two who did not specify; M_age = 19.87 years, SD_age = 5.54 years)” was incorrect. This should have read: “(72 females and 35 males; M_age = 27.35 years, SD_age = 10.50 years)”.

Research showed that, in the workplace, women have to meet more requirements than men, a phenomenon that has been labelled ‘perfection bias’. In the current research, we developed and validated a tool to capture individuals’ perceptions of such a phenomenon and its association with women's well-being. In Study 1 (N = 150 women), we identified a one-factor structure of the scale. Study 2 (N = 360 women) replicated the structure of the scale, while Study 3 extended this evidence in a sample of men (N = 471). Study 4 (N = 335 women and men employees) showed that women's higher awareness of being targets of a perfection bias at work was negatively related to their well-being. Overall, the measure developed provides a new tool to examine a specific facet of gender discrimination. Findings might provide useful insights for stakeholders and policymakers to raise awareness concerning gendered expectations and enhance workplace equality.

This qualitative case study examines the motivations behind the first public celebration of Ramadan in Copenhagen's cityscape in 2024, exploring the interplay between visibility, identity recognition and citizenship for Danish-Muslims. Through thematic analysis of interviews with event organizers, the study situates itself within social psychological theories of locational citizenship, recognition and identity dynamics in public spaces. Findings demonstrate how organizers strategically balanced the desire for public recognition and cultural affirmation against anticipated societal backlash and exclusion. Visibility in public space emerges as both an assertion of Danish-Muslim identity and a proactive invitation for cross-group recognition and dialogue. The study contributes to understanding how minoritized communities spatially navigate claims to belonging, underscoring the importance of public spaces as sites where minority groups seek recognition and legitimacy.