Self-Enhancement and Psychological Adjustment: A Meta-Analytic Review

Narcissism and Wellbeing: A Cross-Cultural Meta-Analysis

Do narcissists enjoy better or worse wellbeing than others? Psychological theories disagree. In an attempt to reconcile them, we conducted a comprehensive cross-cultural meta-analysis testing the core hypotheses that grandiose narcissism would be associated with better wellbeing and vulnerable narcissism with worse wellbeing. We also hypothesized that these associations would be explained by self-esteem and would be stronger in countries higher on individualism. First, as hypothesized, grandiose narcissism was associated with better wellbeing and vulnerable narcissism with worse wellbeing. Second, as hypothesized, both associations became nonsignificant after controlling for self-esteem, suggesting that they are explained by self-esteem. Third, partly as hypothesized, the association between grandiose-but not vulnerable-narcissism and wellbeing was stronger in more individualistic countries. Results held across wellbeing forms (hedonic, eudaimonic) and methods (cross-sectional, longitudinal). Advancing psychological theory, we demonstrated that only grandiose narcissists enjoy better wellbeing, especially in individualistic countries, a phenomenon accounted for by their higher self-esteem.

I'm More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations

Although narcissism consistently predicts maladaptive behaviors, the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior remains controversial due to the paradoxical nature of narcissism. In three studies, we investigated the roles of situational and motivational factors in the link between narcissism and prosocial behavior. In Study 1 (n = 932), a questionnaire survey revealed that trait narcissism positively predicted prosocial behavior tendencies only in public situations as opposed to anonymous situations. In Study 2 (n = 200) and 3 (n = 170), we manipulated individuals' state narcissism through story-based primes and measured prosocial behavior via actual monetary donations. Both Studies 2 and 3 consistently demonstrated that participants in the state narcissism group exhibited greater prosocial behavior in public situations compared to anonymous ones. Furthermore, the findings of Study 3 indicated that the increased prosocial behavior observed in public situations could be attributed to heightened self-enhancement. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior.

Problem gambling and subjective well-being: results of a study with a representative sample in Santiago (Chile)

This study aimed to examine the relationship between problem gambling and subjective well-being in the general population. Previous research on the subject has shown that problem gambling has varied harmful consequences, while controlled gambling could lead to recreation, sharing with others, and achieving higher levels of well-being. A representative, probabilistic, and multistage sample of 1032 cases was used for the study (54.65% women; mean age of 44.06 years, SD = 16.84). The instruments used were the Spanish validation of the National Opinion Research Center DSM Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS) and the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). It is estimated that 74.98% of the population have gambled the past year and 14.28% were people who experience gambling problems at some point in their lives. Recent estimates indicate prevalence rates of gambling disorder among current adult gamblers ranging between 0.12 and 5.8% worldwide, but these figures are higher when problem gambling is also taken into consideration. Moreover, people who experience gambling problems report lower levels of life satisfaction than people who do not experience gambling problems. Participants that did not gamble during the last year and the group that did gamble, but did not qualify as problematic gambler, showed the same levels of Satisfaction With Life (SWL). At the same time, based on a multigroup analysis carried out through modeling with structural equations (SEM), it was observed that gambling had a strong direct and negative effect on SWL of the group of people who experience gambling problems (λ = -0.382; p < 0.01), while for the group of people who do not experience gambling problems, it presents a weak direct and positive effect (λ = 0.019; p < 0.001), explaining 14.6% and 0.0% of the variance of SWL (significance due only to sample size, since the strength of the association is null), respectively. Results are discussed considering the effects of gambling on life satisfaction.

Social status mediates the propagation of unfairness

Fairness constitutes a cornerstone of social norms, emphasizing equal treatment and equitable distribution in interpersonal relationships. Unfair treatment often leads to direct responses and can spread to others through a phenomenon known as pay-it-forward (PIF) reciprocity. This study examined how unfairness spreads in interactions with new partners who have higher, equal, or lower status than the participants. In the present study, participants (N = 47, all Korean) were given either fair or unfair treatment in the first round of a dictator game. They then allocated monetary resources among partners positioned at various hierarchical levels in the second round. Our main goal was to determine if the severity of inequity inflicted on new partners was influenced by their hierarchical status. The results revealed an inclination among participants to act more generously towards partners of higher ranking despite prior instances of unfair treatment, whereas a tendency for harsher treatment was directed towards those with lower ranking. The interaction between the fairness in the first round (DG1) and the hierarchical status of the partner in the second round (DG2) was significant, indicating that the effect of previous fairness on decision-making differed depending on the ranking of the new partners. This study, therefore, validates the presence of unfairness PIF reciprocity within hierarchical contexts.

Effect of social support on Muslim women's sporting activities: mediating effect of psychological adjustment

Objective

This study explores the relationship between social support and sporting activities of Muslim women and constructs a mediation model through role of psychological adjustment.

Methods

Using stratified cluster sampling, 301 Muslim women were measured in group psychology using the Social Support Scale and the Sports Activities and Psychological Adjustment Scale. The statistical software SPSS 24.0 and SPSS PROCESS 3.3 were used for statistical processing. The common-method variation test was carried out using the Harman single-factor control test. Finally, the Bootstrap sampling test method and process plug-in were used to test the significance of the intermediary effect.

Results

(1) Social support has a significant predictive effect on sports activities (β = 0.32, p < 0.001); (2) psychological adjustment (β = 0.552, p < 0.001) mediates the relationship between social support and sporting activities [social support → psychological adjustment → sporting activities (95% Cl, 0.093, 0.323)].

Conclusion

Social support positively influences sporting participation among Muslim women, and psychological adjustment mediates this relationship. Strengthening social support for Muslim women can enhance their psychological adjustment, thereby improving their participation in sporting activities and offering valuable theoretical and practical guidance.

A Double-Edged-Sword Effect of Overplacement: Social Comparison Bias Predicts Gambling Motivations and Behaviors in Chinese Casino Gamblers

Overconfidence, a widely observed cognitive bias, has been linked to increased gambling motivations and behaviors. However, previous studies have largely overlooked overconfidence under a social comparison context, known as overplacement, i.e., the tendency of individuals to believe that they are better than their similar peers. In the present study, we tested the effect of overplacement on gambling motivations and behaviors though a Pilot Survey of Chinese college students (N = 129) and a Field Survey of Chinese Macao casino gamblers (N = 733). Our results revealed a double-edged sword effect of overplacement: Serving as a risk factor, evaluating one self's earning ability as higher than others was linked to more gambling motivations (β = 0.18, p = .005) and frequency (β = 0.18, p = .004); Serving as a protective factor, evaluating oneself as happier than others was linked to less gambling motivations (β = - 0.32, p < .001) and problem behaviors (β = - 0.26, p < .001). These findings expand the relationship between overconfidence and gambling from a cognitive bias perspective to a social comparison perspective. Our study not only revealed a typical profile of gambling motivations and behaviors among different demographic groups in Chinese casino gamblers, but also highlighted the importance of considering social factors in the study of the psychological mechanisms of gambling.

Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents

Wisdom is the hallmark of social judgment, but how people across cultures recognize wisdom remains unclear-distinct philosophical traditions suggest different views of wisdom's cardinal features. We explore perception of wise minds across 16 socio-economically and culturally diverse convenience samples from 12 countries. Participants assessed wisdom exemplars, non-exemplars, and themselves on 19 socio-cognitive characteristics, subsequently rating targets' wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Analyses reveal two positively related dimensions-Reflective Orientation and Socio-Emotional Awareness. These dimensions are consistent across the studied cultural regions and interact when informing wisdom ratings: wisest targets-as perceived by participants-score high on both dimensions, whereas the least wise are not reflective but moderately socio-emotional. Additionally, individuals view themselves as less reflective but more socio-emotionally aware than most wisdom exemplars. Our findings expand folk psychology and social judgment research beyond the Global North, showing how individuals perceive desirable cognitive and socio-emotional qualities, and contribute to an understanding of mind perception.

The Authentic Self Is the Self-Enhancing Self: A Self-Enhancement Framework of Authenticity

Authenticity refers to behaving in a manner that aligns with one's true self. The true self, though, is positive. From a self-enhancement standpoint, people exaggerate their strengths and overlook their shortcomings, forming positively-distorted views of themselves. We propose a self-enhancement framework of authenticity, advocating a reciprocal relation between the two constructs. Trait self-enhancement was associated with higher trait authenticity (Study 1), and day-to-day fluctuations in self-enhancement predicted corresponding variations in state authenticity (Study 2). Furthermore, manipulating self-enhancement elevated state authenticity (Studies 3-4), which was associated with meaning in life (Study 4), and manipulating authenticity augmented self-enhancement, which was associated with meaning in life and thriving (Study 5). The authentic self is largely the self-enhancing self.

Relationship between self-psychological adjustment and post-traumatic growth in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the potential profiles of self-psychological adjustment in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy, including sense of coherence (SOC) and positive cognitive emotion regulation (PCER). The relationship between these profiles with post-traumatic growth (PTG) and the relevant factors of self-psychological adjustment in different profiles was analysed.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy in China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 330 patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy were recruited out of which 321 completed the questionnaires effectively.

METHODS

Latent profile analysis was used to identify self-psychological adjustment classes based on the two subscales of the Sense of Coherence Scale and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. One-way analysis of variance and multinomial logistic regression were performed to examine the subgroup association with characteristics and PTG.

RESULTS

Three latent profiles of self-psychological adjustment were identified: low level (54.5%), high SOC-low PCER (15.6%) and high PCER (29.9%). The results of univariate analysis showed a significant difference in PTG scores among different self-psychological adjustment subgroups (F=11.55, p<0.001). Patients in the high-PCER group were more likely living in urban areas (OR=2.41, 95% CI 1.17 to 4.97, p=0.02), and time since cancer diagnosis was ≥6 months and <1 year (OR=3.54, 95% CI 1.3 to 9.64, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that most patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy belonged to the low-level group. Three profiles are associated with PTG. There were differences in characteristics between patients treated with chemotherapy for lung cancer in the high-PCER and low-PCER groups. Thus, these profiles provide useful information for developing targeted individualised interventions based on demographic characteristics that would assist PTG in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Narcissistic Trauma: Main Characteristics and Life Impact

ABSTRACT

Narcissistic trauma can lead to disruption of the personality functioning system. Therefore, it is important to study the persons who have it, their traits, the sphere of relationships, and strategies of social adaptation. The research aims to study narcissism indicators among individuals with narcissistic trauma diagnosed during a therapeutic conversation to identify its connection with loneliness, life satisfaction, and communication style. The empirical research involved 32 people who sought psychotherapeutic help. All participants provided written consent to participate in the research. A clinical methodology was used to identify the degree of personal narcissism-the Narcissism Assessment Test. The study of the dominant style of social interaction revealed the dominance of two opposite styles: straightforward-aggressive and responsible-generous. Thus, narcissistic trauma is likely to lead to dysfunction of the self-system, and the ability to enjoy life and communication. The data obtained can be useful for both theoretical psychologists and psychotherapists.

Mental Time Travel as Self-Affirmation

ACADEMIC ABSTRACT

This article integrates and advances the scope of research on the role of mental time travel in bolstering the self. We propose that imagining the self in the future (prospection) or in the past (retrospection) highlights central and positive self-aspects. Thus, bringing to mind one's future or past broadens the perceived bases of self-integrity and offers a route to self-affirmation. In reviewing corresponding research programs on self-prospection and nostalgia, we illustrate that mental time travel serves to affirm the self in terms of self-esteem, coherence, and control. Mental time travel could be implemented as a source of self-affirmation for facilitating coping and behavior change in several domains such as relationships, health, education, and organizational contexts.

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

People can mentally travel to their future or to their past. When people imagine what they will be like in the future, or what they were like in the past, they tend to think about themselves in terms of the important and positive attributes that they possess. Thinking about themselves in such an affirming way expands and consolidates their self-views. This broader image of themselves can increase self-esteem (the extent to which one likes who they are), coherence (the extent to which one perceives life as meaningful), and control (the extent to which one feels capable of initiating and pursuing goals or effecting desirable outcomes). Mental time travel, then, has favorable or affirming consequences for one's self-views. These consequences can be harnessed to modify one's behavior in such life domains as relationships, health, education, and work.

The Role of Accurate Self-Assessments in Optimizing Mate Choice

Individuals are thought to seek the best possible romantic partner in exchange for their own desirability. We investigated whether individuals' self-evaluations were related to their partner choices and whether the accuracy of these self-evaluations was associated with mating outcomes. Participants (N = 1,354) took part in a speed-dating study where they rated themselves and others on mate value and indicated their willingness to date each potential partner. Individuals were somewhat accurate in their self-evaluations, and these self-evaluations were associated with individuals' revealed minimum and maximum standards for a potential partner, but not the number of partners they were interested in. Participants who overestimated their mate value were accepted by an equivalent number of partners compared with under-estimators, but the over-estimators were choosier and thus ended up with fewer (but similarly attractive) reciprocal matches. Results support social exchange theory and the matching hypothesis, and contrast findings that self-enhancement facilitates positive social outcomes.

I understand your pain but I do not feel it: lower affective empathy in response to others' social pain in narcissism

Introduction

While the relationship between narcissism and empathy has been well-researched, studies have paid less attention to empathic accuracy, i.e., appreciating the precise strength of another person's emotions, and self-other distinction, in terms of the disparity between affective ratings for self and other in response to emotive stimuli. Furthermore, empathic responses may vary depending on whether the pain is physical or social.

Methods

We investigated empathic accuracy, affective empathy, and the distinction between pain, emotion and intensity ratings for self and other, in high (n = 44) and low (n = 43) narcissism groups (HNG and LNG, respectively) selected from 611 students, in response to both types of pain. Participants watched six videos where targets expressed genuine experiences of physical and social pain, and rated the perceived affect and pain experienced by the person in the video and their own empathic emotional responses.

Results and discussion

The HNG displayed lower affective empathy and empathic accuracy than the LNG for both pain types. Within the HNG there was higher empathic accuracy for social vs. physical pain, despite reduced affective empathy for social pain, in contrast to the LNG. In addition to this paradox, the HNG demonstrated greater differences between ratings for the self and for target others than the LNG, suggesting that narcissism is associated with higher self-other distinction in response to viewing other people describing social pain.

Self as both target and judge: Who has an easier time knowing their own personality?

OBJECTIVE

The past two decades have established that people generally have insight into their personalities, but less is known about how and why self-knowledge might vary between individuals. Using the Realistic Accuracy Model as a framework, we investigate whether some people make better "targets" of self-perception by behaving more consistently in everyday life, and whether these differences have benefits for psychological adjustment.

METHOD

Using data from the Electronically Activated Recorder (n = 286), we indexed self-knowledge as the link between self-reports of personality and actual daily behavior measured over 1 week. We then tested if consistency in daily behavior as well as psychological adjustment predicted stronger self-knowledge.

RESULTS

We found that behaving more consistently in everyday life was associated with more accurate self-reports, but that psychological adjustment was not.

CONCLUSIONS

Analogous to interpersonal perception, self-knowledge of personality might be affected by "target-side" factors, like the quality of information provided through one's behavior. However, unlike being a good target of interpersonal perception, self-knowledge does not seem to be related to psychological adjustment.

Grandiose narcissism indirectly associates with lower psychopathology across five countries

Using five independent non-clinical cross-cultural samples (total N = 3649; overall Mage = 29.31; 31% male and 69% female), this study explored the extent to which Dark Triad traits were indirectly associated with symptoms of psychopathology through mental toughness. Although Machiavellianism and psychopathy have not been studied extensively in this context, previous research (both cross-sectional and longitudinal) reports that grandiose narcissism increases mental toughness contributing indirectly to positive outcomes such as lower anxiety, stress, and depression. Accordingly, this study examined Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism in the context of mental toughness and psychopathology. A particular focus was placed on investigating negative relationships between grandiose narcissism and psychopathology. Participants completed self-report measures assessing the Dark Triad, mental toughness, and psychopathology. In all samples, grandiose narcissism exerted moderate negative, indirect associations with anxiety, stress, and depression through mental toughness. Relationships between Machiavellianism and psychopathy and psychopathology were generally weak and positive but varied across countries. Findings provided further cross-cultural support for a mediation model in which grandiose narcissism is related to higher mental toughness and lower psychopathology. Outcomes from this study indicate that exploration of the link between grandiose narcissism and resilience traits such as mental toughness can provide important conceptual insights into the adaptive properties of narcissism, and help to explain why grandiose narcissism is associated with a decrease in some psychopathological symptoms.

Narcissism predicts noise perception but not signal decoding in emotion

Grandiose narcissists claim that they have better-than-average emotion recognition abilities, but many objective tests do not support this claim. We sought to clarify the relation between grandiose (both agentic and communal) narcissism and emotion recognition by taking a closer look at the components of emotion recognition. In two studies (N1 = 147, N2 = 520), using culturally distinct samples and different stimulus materials, we investigated the relation between grandiose narcissism and signal decoding (accurate view of the intended emotion displayed in an expression) as well as noise perception (inaccurate deciphering of secondary emotions that are not part of the emotional message). Narcissism was inconsistently related to signal decoding, but consistently and positively related to noise perception. High grandiose (agentic and communal) narcissists are not necessarily better at signal decoding, but are more susceptible to noise perception. We discuss implications for narcissists' social interactions and interpersonal relationships.

Are Empathic People Better Adjusted? A Test of Competing Models of Empathic Accuracy and Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Facets of Adjustment Using Self- and Peer Reports

Are individuals adept at perceiving others' emotions optimally adjusted? We extend past research by conducting a high-powered preregistered study that comprehensively tests five theoretical models of empathic accuracy (i.e., emotion-recognition ability) and self-views and intra- and interpersonal facets of adjustment in a sample of 1,126 undergraduate students from Canada and 2,205 informants. We obtained both self-reports and peer-reports of adjustment and controlled for cognitive abilities as a potential confounding variable. Empathic accuracy (but not self-views of that ability) was positively related to relationship satisfaction as rated by both participants and informants. Self-views about empathic accuracy (but not actual empathic accuracy) were positively related to life satisfaction as rated by both participants and informants. All associations held when we controlled for cognitive abilities.

Assessment of interprofessional obstetric and midwifery care from the midwives' perspective using the Interprofessional Collaboration Scale (ICS)

Introduction

Interprofessional collaboration of physicians and midwives is essential for appropriate and safe care of pregnant and parturient women as well as their newborns. The complexity of woman-centered care settings requires the continuous exchange of information and the coordinated implementation of multi-and interprofessional care concepts. To analyze the midwives' perspective on the multi-and interprofessional care process during pregnancy, birth and postpartum period, we aimed to adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Interprofessional Collaboration Scale (ICS).

Methods

The ICS (13 items) was answered by 299 midwives for (i) prenatal and postpartum care as well as (ii) perinatal care. Three items on equitable communication (EC) identified in qualitative interviews with N = 6 midwives were added as further aspects of quality in collaborative midwifery care. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test competing theoretically hypothesized factorial model structures, including both care settings simultaneously, i.e., birth and prenatal/postpartum.

Results

A two-dimensional structure assuming the 13 original ICS items and the 3 items on EC as psychometric distinct item groups accounts for the data best. After deleting 5 ICS items with insufficient indicator reliability, a very good-fitting model structure was obtained for both prenatal/postpartum as well as perinatal care: χ²_df = 192 = 226.35, p = 0.045, CFI = 0.991, RMSEA = 0.025 (90%CI: [0.004; 0.037]). Both the reduced ICS-R and the EC scale (standardized response mean = 0.579/1.401) indicate significantly higher interprofessional collaboration in the birth setting. Responsibility in consulting, attitudes toward obstetric care and frequency of collaboration with other professional groups proved to be associated with the ICS-R and EC scale as expected.

Discussion

For the adapted ICS-R and the EC scale a good construct validity could be confirmed. Thus, the scales can be recommended as a promising assessment for recording the collaboration of midwives with physicians working in obstetric care from the perspective of midwives. The instrument provides a validated assessment basis in midwifery and obstetric care to identify potentially divergent perspectives within interprofessional care teams in woman's centered care.

Intentional and actional components of engaged participation in public health research studies: qualitative synthesis of a recruitment and retention process into the theory-informed INTACT-RS framework

BACKGROUND

Ensuring motivated and successful study participation is a key challenge in the design and conduct of health research studies. Previously, recruitment barriers and facilitators have been identified mainly from experience, and rarely based on theoretical approaches. We developed a framework of intentional and actional components of engaged participation in public health research studies (INTACT-RS), informed by psychological behavioral models. We aimed a) to identify precise indicators for each framework component and b) to better understand which components and decision processes are essential for study participants.

METHODS

Within a multicenter research network, we applied various approaches to recruit parents of newborns, pediatricians, and midwives. All recruitment processes were documented from the perspective of both participants and researchers. We used different qualitative and quantitative data material, which we applied in a multistage process according to the basic principles of qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

INTACT-RS encompasses pre-intentional, intentional and actional phases with a total of n = 15 components covering all aspects of an individual's involvement with a research study. During intention formation, an understanding of efforts and benefits, why participation is valuable beyond contributing to research, and how others perceive the study, were particularly important to (potential) participants. Subsequently (intentional phase), participants consider how and when participation is compatible with their own resources, ability and availability, and hence seek for close communication with, and flexibility and support from the research team. During and after (initial) participation (actional phase), participants' assessment of whether expectations and interests have been met impact crucial further steps, especially the willingness to continue and to recommend participation to others. A strong topic-wise and or supportive participation interest as well as active, continuous exchange with the researchers appeared to be central determinants of study completion and data validity.

CONCLUSIONS

A theoretical framework is now available to plan and conduct recruitment of different target groups, which accounts for essential motivational and volitional decision-making processes. Based on empirically specified constructs, possible barriers can be addressed even before the initial recruitment process. Therefore, recommendations for scientific practice have been formulated.

The link between self-uncertainty and conspicuous consumption: Tolerance of uncertainty as a moderator

This study, based on self-affirmation theory, aims to investigate the impact of self-uncertainty on individual consumption behavior. Self-uncertainty was categorized into moral, cognitive, and interpersonal self-uncertainty, and different types of self-uncertainty were manipulated through four experiments, including a moral dilemma, a recall paradigm, and a picture quiz task written by E-Prime software to examine the effects of different types of self-uncertainty on conspicuous consumption and their possible boundary conditions. Our results show that moral, cognitive, and interpersonal self-uncertainty contribute to a stronger tendency to engage in conspicuous consumption. Our results also suggest that tolerance of uncertainty moderates the effect of self-uncertainty on conspicuous consumption, meaning that subjects with a high tolerance of uncertainty are less inclined to engage in conspicuous consumption than those with a low tolerance of uncertainty, even if they have high self-uncertainty. This study may provide an explanation for conspicuous consumption behavior, further validating the theory of compensatory consumption. Additionally, the results from this study also provide a reference for understanding people's decision-making behavior in an uncertain social context and can provide new guidance to control irrational consumption behavior.

Self-enhancement and physical health: A meta-analysis

A prior meta-analysis yielded a positive relation between self-enhancement and psychological health. This article presents the first meta-analysis of the association between self-enhancement and physical health (k = 87; N = 22,415). The meta-analysis relied predominantly on social desirability as an operationalization of self-enhancement and secondarily on comparative judgement and narcissism. Further, the meta-analysis operationalized physical health in terms of self-rated health, symptoms and biomarkers. Overall, self-enhancement yielded a near-zero association with physical health, r = .01. However, this association was more pronounced for comparative judgement (r = .18, k = 6) than social desirability (r = .03, k = 41) or narcissism (r = -.0001, k = 8), and for self-rated health (r = .09, k = 9) than symptoms (r = .01, k = 29) or biomarkers (r = -.13, k = 17). The association between self-enhancement and physical health fluctuates across measures of both constructs calling for more focussed and nuanced investigations.

Threatened humanity in a tight world: Cultural tightness results in self-objectification

Self-objectification can be considered as a specific kind of self-dehumanization that consists of a perception of oneself as more instrument-like than human-like and a decreased self-attribution of mental states. Self-objectification is commonly observed, and its contributing factors need to be better understood. In the present research, we examined whether cultural tightness, which entails strong social norms and punishments for deviant behaviors, is an antecedent to self-objectification. Our hypotheses were confirmed by four studies, involving quasi-experiments and fully controlled experiments ( N = 2,693). In particular, Chinese college students living in a region with a tight culture (compared to a loose culture, Study 1), American employees working in an industry with a tight corporate culture (compared to a loose culture, Study 2), American participants who were induced to support cultural tightness (vs. cultural looseness, Study 3), and those who were situated in a simulated tight culture (vs. a loose culture, Study 4) all showed increased levels of self-objectification. As such, they acknowledged their personhood less and focused more on their instrumentality. Implications are discussed.

Overconfident leaders? Testing the effect of misaligned leader-member-exchange perceptions on the relationship between justice, trust and organizational performance measures

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of manager and employee perception of justice and trust on workplace outcomes, by testing the mediating effect of employee trust on the relationship between organisational justice and performance measures (absence rate, financial performance, labour productivity, product quality). Then, the effect of manager overconfidence as a moderator of this relationship is tested. Management and employee data from 1462 workplaces in the UK were analysed. Path analysis was used to test the moderated mediation model. The results show that employee trust mediates the relationship between organisational justice and financial performance, labour productivity, and quality of product or service. Manager overconfidence was found to moderate the indirect effect of both interpersonal justice and procedural justice on these three performance outcomes through employee trust. Understanding the relationships between justice, trust and organisational outcomes, as well as the effect of managerial overconfidence thereupon, helps managers and decision-makers to design better policies in the interest of the firm’s performance.

Seeing the self through rose-colored glasses: A cross-cultural study of positive illusions using a behavioral approach

Previous studies on self-enhancement bias used self-report measures to investigate individual and cultural differences in well-being. In the current research, we took a behavioral approach to analyze positive and negative perception tendencies between European Canadians, Asian Canadians and Koreans. In Study 1 and 2, participants were asked to bet on their expectation of success on a given task and then perform the task. The betting behaviors and actual performance were used to quantify positive and negative perception tendencies. In Study 1, we did not find cultural differences in positive and negative illusions. Positive self-perceptions were also not associated with higher self-reported well-being. In Study 2, we employed the same research design as Study 1, and we included a measure of perceived desirability to examine whether perceived desirability of the performance tasks are related to the two illusions indices. The results from Study 2 replicated the findings from Study 1, and perceived desirability did not influence the results. Our findings suggest that North Americans do not always exhibit more positive self-perceptions than Asians, suggesting that North Americans do not always view the self through rose-colored lenses.

Structural Analysis of the Health Literacy Facet Access to Information on General Health, COVID-19 Infection Prevention, and Early Childhood Allergy Prevention in Pregnant Women and Mothers of Infants

Abstract. The health literacy (HL) facet Access to health information is measured in the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU-Q47) by 12 items. To assess Access, we developed adapted item formulations for COVID-19 infection prevention (COVID-19-IP) and early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) in addition to the original 12 items on General Health (GH). N = 343 (expectant) mothers of infants answered the items in an online assessment. Confirmatory structural analyses for ordinal data were adopted (WLSMV-algorithm). Women’s item ratings varied significantly across domains (η2 = .017 – .552). Bi-factor models exhibited the best data fit (GH / COVID-19-IP / ECAP: CFI = .964 / .968 / .977; SRMR: .062 / .069 / .035): The general factor Access most strongly determined item information. Additionally, three subfactors contributed significantly (but rather weakly) to the item information in each domain. The overall score Access proved to be internally consistent (McDonald’s ωGH/COVID-19-IP/ECAP = .874 / .883 / .897) and was associated with socioeconomic state (McArthur scale; rGH/COVID-19-IP/ECAP = .218 / .210 / .146). Access correlated not or only weakly with the other HL facets Understand, Appraise, and Apply. The health domains GH, COVID-19-IP, and ECAP moderated both the difficulty and the dimensional structure of the 12 Access items. This suggests that in the HLS-EU Access reflects not only the search competence but also the availability of health information.

Midwives' empathy and shared decision making from women's perspective - sensitivity of an assessment to compare quality of care in prenatal and obstetric care

Background

For quality-oriented evaluation of prenatal and obstetric care, it is important to systematically consider the perspective of the women receiving care in order to comprehensively assess and optimize quality in a woman-centered manner. Empathy and Shared Decision Making (SDM) are essential components of woman-centered midwifery care. The aim of the study was to analyze measurement invariance of the items of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) and Shared Decision Making-Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9) scales depending on the prenatal versus obstetric care setting.

Methods

One hundred fifty women retrospectively assessed aspects of woman-centered midwifery care in both prenatal and obstetric care setting. The birth of the child was a maximum of 12 months ago. A structural equation modelling approach was adopted to separate true effects from response shift (RS) effects depending on care setting. The latter were analyzed in terms of recalibration (changing women’s internal measurement standards), Reprioritization (changing associations of items and construct) as well as Reconceptualization (redefining the target construct).

Results

A response shift model was identified for both assessments (pregnancy/birth: CFI = .96/.96; SRMR = .046/.051). At birth, both scales indicated lower quality of care compared with prenatal care (SDM-Q-9-M/CARE-8-M:|d| = 0.190/0.392). Although no reconceptualization is required for the items of both scales, RS effects are evident for individual items. Due to recalibration and reprioritization effects, the true differences in the items are partly underestimated (SDM-Q-9-M/CARE-8-M: 3/2 items) or overestimated (4/2 items).

Conclusion

The structure of the constructs SDM and Empathy, indicating woman-centered midwifery care, are moderated by the care settings. To validly assess midwives’ empathy and shared decision making from women’s perspective, setting-dependent response shift effects have to be considered. The proven item-specific response effects contribute to a better understanding of construct characteristics in woman-centered care by midwives during pregnancy and childbirth.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-022-05041-y.

Assessment of the Importance of COVID-19 Prevention Measures and Their Applicability in the Daily Life of Pregnant Women and Mothers of Infants

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to (expectant) mothers of infants in terms of family health protection. To meet these challenges in a health literate manner, COVID-19 protective measures must be considered important and must also be implemented appropriately in everyday life. To this end, N = 343 (expectant) mothers of infants indicated (a) how important they considered 21 COVID-19 infection prevention measures, and (b) how well they succeeded in implementing them in their daily life (20 measures). We performed data analysis using exploratory factor analysis for ordinal data and latent class analysis. One- and two-dimensional models (CFI = .960 / .978; SRMR = .053 / .039) proved to appropriately explain maternal importance ratings. The items on successfully applying COVID-19 measures in daily life can be modeled by the 5 factors hygiene measures, contact with other people, public transportation, staying at home, and checking infection status (CFI = 0.977; SRMR = .036). Six latent classes can be distinguished. Despite the largest class (39 %), classes are characterized by selective or general applicability problems. Classes reporting problems in the applicability of the measures rated them as generally less important (η = .582). Assessing and modelling importance and applicability of COVID-19 prevention measures allows for a psychometrically sound description of subjective perceptions and behaviors that are crucial for health literate practice in maternal daily life.

Self-Enhancement and the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: The Convergence of Clinical and Experimental Findings

Self-enhancement (SE) is often overlooked as a fundamental cognitive ability mediated via the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC). Here, we present research that establishes the relationship between the PFC, SE, and the potential evolved beneficial mechanisms. Specifically, we believe there is now enough evidence to speculate that SE exists to provide significant benefits and should be considered a normal aspect of the self. Whatever the metabolic or social cost, the upside of SE is great enough that it is a core and fundamental psychological construct. Furthermore, though entirely theoretical, we suggest that a critical reason the PFC has evolved so significantly in Homo sapiens is to, in part, sustain SE. We, therefore, elaborate on its proximate and ultimate mechanisms.

Know Thyself! Predicting Subjective Well-Being from personality estimation discrepancy and self-insight

Discrepancies in views of the Self are suggested to be negatively related to well-being (Higgins, 1987). In the present study, we used a novel concept, Personality Estimation Discrepancy (PED), to test this classic idea. PED is defined as the computed difference between how one view oneself (Self-Perceived Personality) and a standard Big Five test (IPIP-NEO-30). In a pre-registered (osf.io) UK online study (N = 297; Mage = 37, SD = 14) we analyzed: (1) whether PED would predict Subjective Well-Being (SWB; Harmony in Life, Satisfaction with Life, Positive affect, Negative Affect) and Self-Insight, and (2) whether Self-Insight would mediate the relationship between PED and SWB. The results showed that underestimation of Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability indeed is associated with both high SWB and high Self-Insight. However, these effects mostly disappeared when controlling for the Big Five test scores. Furthermore, Self-Insight largely (42.9%) mediated the relationship between the mis-estimation and SWB. We interpret these finding such that the relationship of mis-estimating one's personality with SWB and Self-Insight are mostly explained by the Big Five factors, yet the discrepancy is a dependent feature of scoring particularly high or low on certain personality traits.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03396-1.

Components Related to Long-Term Effects in the Intra- and Interpersonal Domains: A Meta-Analysis of Universal School-Based Interventions

The aims of the present meta-analysis were to (1) examine long-term effects of universal secondary school-based interventions on a broad range of competencies and problems and (2) analyze which intervention components were related to stronger or weaker intervention effects at follow-up. Fifty-four studies of controlled evaluations (283 effect sizes) reporting on 52 unique interventions were included. Long-term intervention effects were significant but small; effect sizes ranged from .08 to .23 in the intrapersonal domain (i.e., subjective psychological functioning) and from .10 to .19 in the interpersonal domain (i.e., social functioning). Intervention components were generally related to effects on specific outcomes. Some components (e.g., group discussions) were even related to both stronger and weaker effects depending on the assessed outcome. Moreover, components associated with long-term effects differed from those associated with short-term effects. Our findings underscore the importance of carefully selecting components to foster long-term development on specific outcomes.

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019137981.

Psychological and behavioral implications of self-protection and self-enhancement

Self-protection can have psychological and behavioral implications. We contrast them with the implications of a self-enhancement strategy. Both self-enhancement and self-protection have costs and benefits as survival strategies, and we identify some of the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral tradeoffs associated with the differential preferences for each strategy. New analyses on a large existing data set confirm the target article's hypothesis that women are more attuned than men to potential negative consequences of innovations.

The Asymmetric Influence of Emotion in the Sharing of COVID-19 Science on Social Media: Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Unlike past pandemics, COVID-19 is different to the extent that there is an unprecedented surge in both peer-reviewed and preprint research publications, and important scientific conversations about it are rampant on online social networks, even among laypeople. Clearly, this new phenomenon of scientific discourse is not well understood in that we do not know the diffusion patterns of peer-reviewed publications vis-à-vis preprints and what makes them viral.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aimed to examine how the emotionality of messages about preprint and peer-reviewed publications shapes their diffusion through online social networks in order to inform health science communicators' and policy makers' decisions on how to promote reliable sharing of crucial pandemic science on social media.

METHODS

We collected a large sample of Twitter discussions of early (January to May 2020) COVID-19 medical research outputs, which were tracked by Altmetric, in both preprint servers and peer-reviewed journals, and conducted statistical analyses to examine emotional valence, specific emotions, and the role of scientists as content creators in influencing the retweet rate.

RESULTS

Our large-scale analyses (n=243,567) revealed that scientific publication tweets with positive emotions were transmitted faster than those with negative emotions, especially for messages about preprints. Our results also showed that scientists' participation in social media as content creators could accentuate the positive emotion effects on the sharing of peer-reviewed publications.

CONCLUSIONS

Clear communication of critical science is crucial in the nascent stage of a pandemic. By revealing the emotional dynamics in the social media sharing of COVID-19 scientific outputs, our study offers scientists and policy makers an avenue to shape the discussion and diffusion of emerging scientific publications through manipulation of the emotionality of tweets. Scientists could use emotional language to promote the diffusion of more reliable peer-reviewed articles, while avoiding using too much positive emotional language in social media messages about preprints if they think that it is too early to widely communicate the preprint (not peer reviewed) data to the public.

Less-Intelligent and Unaware? Accuracy and Dunning–Kruger Effects for Self-Estimates of Different Aspects of Intelligence

People’s perceptions of their intelligence correlate only moderately with objective intelligence measures. On average, people overestimate themselves. According to the popular Dunning–Kruger effect, this is particularly true for low performers: across many domains, those in the lowest quartile overestimate their abilities the most. However, recent work using improved statistical approaches found little support for a Dunning–Kruger effect in general intelligence. We investigated accuracy and Dunning–Kruger effects for self-estimates of general, verbal, numerical, and spatial intelligence—domains that differed in how well they can be judged in the past. A total of 281 participants completed self-estimates and intelligence measures online. Self-estimates showed mostly moderate correlational accuracy that was slightly higher for numerical intelligence and lower for verbal intelligence. Across domains, participants rated their intelligence as above average. However, as their intelligence was indeed high, this was not an overestimation. While standard analyses indicated Dunning–Kruger effects in general, verbal, and spatial intelligence, improved statistical methods only yielded some support for one in verbal intelligence: people with lower verbal intelligence tended to have less self-knowledge about it. The generalizability of these findings is limited to young, highly educated populations. Nevertheless, our results contribute to a growing literature questioning the generality of the Dunning–Kruger effect.

Why Narcissism Reduces Distress: The Consequences of Narcissistic Intellectual Self-Confidence

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between grandiose narcissism and the feeling of distress. We referred to the narcissistic admiration and rivalry model. We hypothesized that people with high narcissistic admiration would experience less distress and fear and that intellectual self-confidence would account for this relationship. We examined two dimensions of grandiose narcissism using Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, self-assessed intelligence, and various aspects of distress in two studies. In Study 1 (N = 170), we assessed distress (with the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire), related to performance in an intelligence test (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices), and in Study 2 (N = 258) we measured fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In both studies, narcissistic admiration was inversely related to distress/fear, and this relationship was fully mediated by self-assessed intelligence. Narcissistic rivalry was unrelated to both distress and self-assessed intelligence. These findings emphasize the importance of self-views related to intelligence for those with high narcissistic admiration. In particular, intellectual self- confidence plays an important role in reducing distress among narcissists.

Narcissism, Social Experiences, and Mood in Late Life

OBJECTIVES

Social ties increase in importance in late life and narcissism may be deleterious to these ties. More narcissistic older adults may have more frequent social encounters than less narcissistic people and may prefer weak ties (e.g., acquaintances) over close ones (e.g., family, close friends). They may benefit more from these encounters due to their need for adulation. This study examined how daily social experiences and mood varied by narcissism among older adults.

METHODS

Older adults aged 65-92 years (N = 303) completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 and completed ecological momentary assessments in which they reported number, type, and quality of social contacts and positive and negative mood every 3 h for 5-6 days.

RESULTS

In multilevel models, narcissism did not predict the number or pleasantness of social encounters. But more narcissistic older adults reported a greater percentage of stressful discussions with weak ties. With regard to mood, more narcissistic people reported higher negative mood if they had more encounters with weak ties and when discussing something stressful with weak ties. Less narcissistic people reported lowered positive mood after they discussed something stressful with close ties.

DISCUSSION

The findings present a nuanced understanding of how the self-centeredness of narcissism may be manifest in late life. More narcissistic people may be less sensitive to close partner's (e.g., family, friends) distress, but their mood may be more susceptible to negative social events, especially with weak ties (e.g., acquaintances).

For me or for others? The better-than-average effect and negative feelings toward average others during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many people expressed hatred toward others whom they believed were responsible for the situation. Such increase in negative affect could be resultant of the better-than-average effect (BTAE), which refers to the phenomenon of believing that one is superior to average others. This study investigated the relationship between the BTAE and emotional valence toward others and tested whether the relationship was moderated by allocentric goals (i.e., concerned with the interests of others rather than themselves) and culture. Participants from the U.S. (N = 210) and South Korea (N = 214) were asked about their perceptions on whether they were better than others at preventing the COVID-19 infection, how they felt about others regarding COVID-19, and for whom they were preventing COVID-19. The results indicated that people showing more BTAE in relation to preventing the COVID-19 infection reported more negative emotional valence toward others, but the relationship was moderated by allocentric goals. In particular, the U.S. participants with higher allocentric goals reported less negatively valenced emotions, while the same was not found in Korean participants. The findings suggest the power of allocentric goals in diminishing the BTAE in some cultures, which may possibly explain the negative emotions some people experience when following social distancing rules.

Distributed Leadership and New Generation Employees' Proactive Behavior: Roles of Idiosyncratic Deals and Meaningfulness of Work

New generation employees have become the main force of the organization, and their proactive behavior directly affects the organization’s future development. How to effectively stimulate the proactive behavior of new generation employees has become a hot topic in the field of organizational management. Based on the integrated perspective of social exchange and self-enhancement, we constructed a multistep mediation model to explore the influence mechanism of distributed leadership on the proactive behavior of new generation employees. We designed a three-stage research method of supervisor-employee pairing to collect data from 26 supervisors and 304 new generation employees in a new energy vehicle company in East China. Results indicated that (a) distributed leadership is positively related to proactive behavior of new generation employees; (b) idiosyncratic deals and meaningfulness of work mediated the linkage between distributed leadership and new generation employees’ proactive behavior; (c) idiosyncratic deals and meaningfulness of work play a multistep mediation role between distributed leadership and new generation employees’ proactive behavior. These findings have theoretical implications for the proactive behavior literature and managerial implications for practitioners.

Which representations of their gender group affect men's orientation towards care? the case of parental leave-taking intentions

Men are currently underrepresented in traditionally female care-oriented (communal) engagement such as taking parental leave, whereas they are overrepresented in traditionally male (agentic) engagement such as breadwinning or leadership. We examined to what extent different prototypical representations of men affect men's self-reported parental leave-taking intentions and more generally the future they can imagine for themselves with regard to work and care roles (i.e., their possible selves). We expected prototypes of men that combine the two basic stereotype dimensions of agency and communion to increase men's communal intentions. In two experiments (N1 = 132, N2 = 233), we presented male participants with contrived newspaper articles that described the ideal man of today with varying degrees of agency and communion (between-subjects design with four conditions; combined agentic and communal vs. agentic vs. communal vs. control condition). Results of Experiment 1 were in line with the main hypothesis that especially presenting a combination of agency and communion increases men's expectations for communal engagement: As compared to a control condition, men expected more to engage in caretaking in the future, reported higher parental leave-taking intentions, and tended to expect taking longer parental leave. Experiment 2 only partially replicated these findings, namely for parental leave-taking intentions. Both experiments additionally provided initial evidence for a contrast effect in that an exclusive focus on agency also increased men's self-reported parental leave-taking intentions compared to the control condition. Yet, exclusively emphasizing communion in prototypes of men did not affect men's communal intentions, which were high to begin with. We further did not find evidence for preregistered mechanisms. We discuss conditions and explanations for the emergence of these mixed effects as well as implications for the communication of gendered norms and barriers to men's communal engagement more broadly.