Frank D. Belschak

Cyberbullying: who are the victims? A comparison of victimization in internet chatrooms and victimization in school

Bullying is not a phenomenon exclusive to the school environment. Pupils also become victims of verbal aggression (teasing, threats, insults, or harassment) in the context of internet chatrooms. The present study addresses the following questions: (1) How often does bullying occur in internet chatrooms? (2) Who are the victims of bullying in internet chatrooms? (3) What are the determinants of victimization in internet chatrooms? A total of 1700 pupils from various German secondary schools participated in the study. Results revealed a strong relationship between victimization in school and victimization in internet chatrooms; school victims are significantly more often chat victims. Furthermore, the predictors of chat and school victimization show both commonalities (gender, self-concept, child-parent relationship) and differences (social integration, popularity, and bullying behavior).

Pro-self, prosocial, and pro-organizational foci of proactive behaviour: Differential antecedents and consequences

The paper aims to further knowledge of proactive employee behaviour by exploring whether pro-organizational, prosocial, and pro-self focused proactive behaviour can be measured in an empirically distinct manner, and whether these types of proactive behaviour show differential relationships with other variables. Results of two multi-source studies using self-rated and peer-rated measures empirically support the distinctiveness of the different foci of proactive behaviour. Study 1 (N = 117 dyads) shows that the different foci of proactive behaviour are differentially related to different foci of affective commitment. Study 2 (N = 126 dyads) builds on these findings and shows that different foci of proactive behaviour have differential relationships with transformational leadership, goal orientations, and individual task performance.

Theory of Mind and Empathic Explanations of Machiavellianism A Neuroscience Perspective

We study theory of mind (ToM) and empathic underpinnings of Machiavellianism by use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, where account managers are used as participants in 3 studies. Study 1 finds evidence for activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, left and right temporo-parietal junction, and left and right precuneus regions; all five regions are negatively correlated with Machiavellianism, suggesting that Machiavellians are less facile than non-Machiavellians with ToM skills. Study 2 presents evidence for activation of the left and right pars opercularis, left and right insula, and left precuneus regions; the former four regions of the motor neuron system were positively associated, and the latter negatively associated, with Machiavellianism, implying that Machiavellians resonate more readily with the emotions of others than non-Machiavellians. This is the first study to our knowledge to show a negative correlation between perspective taking and emotional sharing in empathic processes in general and Machiavellianism in particular. Study 3 tests implications of managerial control on both performance and organizational citizenship behaviors, as moderated by Machiavellianism in the field. Our study grounds the functioning of Machiavellianism in organizations in basic neuroscience processes, resolves some long-standing ambiguities with self-report investigations, and points to conditions under which Machiavellianism both inhibits and promotes performance and citizenship behavior.

Exploring positive, negative and context-dependent aspects of proactive behaviours at work

This article is an introduction to the Special Section entitled ‘Exploring positive, negative and context-dependent aspects of proactive behaviours at work’ which features in this issue of Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

Coping with sales call anxiety: The role of sale perseverance and task concentration strategies

The authors study how salespeople cope with social anxiety during customer contacts and find that two tactics, sale perseverance and task concentration, ultimately reduce dysfunctional protective actions. Both coping tactics, however, are differentially moderated by strength of felt physiological sensations and strength of negative expectations and thoughts. Salespeople experiencing anxiety cognitions should distract themselves by concentrating on their task to free up their thinking in relation to the task at hand. Engaging in behaviors to modify the situation by persevering on the sale, on the other hand, occupies action space and should be the coping strategy of choice for those salespeople confronting physiological sensations in relation to felt anxiety. Hypotheses are tested on a sample of 171 salespersons.

Leading Machiavellians How to Translate Machiavellians’ Selfishness Into Pro-Organizational Behavior

Machiavellians are said to be manipulative people who reduce the social capital of the organization. Yet some authors note that Machiavellians are also highly adaptive individuals who are able to contribute, cooperate, and use pro-social strategies when it is advantageous to them. Here we study whether transformational leader behavior can stimulate Machiavellian followers to engage in organizationally desirable behaviors such as challenging organizational citizenship behavior. We hypothesized and found in two multi-source field studies that transformational leadership moderates the relationship between Machiavellianism and challenging organizational citizenship behavior. In Study 2, we hypothesized a moderated mediation model and found that enhanced job autonomy and accompanying intrinsic motivation relating to transformational leadership explain (part of) the relationship between transformational leader behavior and challenging citizenship behavior of Machiavellian followers.

Cyberbullying in Internet-Chatrooms: wer sind die Täter?: ein Vergleich von Bullying in Internet-Chatrooms mit Bullying in der Schule aus der Täterperspektive.

Bullying is not a specific phenomenon of the school environment. Different forms of verbal victimisation and social manipulation are also common behaviors in internet chatrooms. The present study compares traditional bullying with chatroom bullying. A total of 1,700 pupils of different secondary schools (aged 10 to 19) participated and were asked about their own aggressive behavior in school and in internet chatrooms. Variables like self-confidence, child-parent-relationship, school situation, delinquency, dissocial behavior on the internet, and attitudes to aggression were also examined. The results show that bullies in school are also significantly more often bullies in chatrooms than others. Furthermore, bullying behavior in school and in chatrooms is determined by similar predictors.

Cyberbullying in Internet-Chatrooms – Wer sind die Täter?

Bullying is not a specific phenomenon of the school environment. Different forms of verbal victimisation and social manipulation are also common behaviors in internet chatrooms. The present study compares traditional bullying with chatroom bullying. A total of 1,700 pupils of different secondary schools (aged 10 to 19) participated and were asked about their own aggressive behavior in school and in internet chatrooms. Variables like self-confidence, child-parent-relationship, school situation, delinquency, dissocial behavior on the internet, and attitudes to aggression were also examined. The results show that bullies in school are also significantly more often bullies in chatrooms than others. Furthermore, bullying behavior in school and in chatrooms is determined by similar predictors.

Feeling Vital After a Good Night's Sleep: The Interplay of Energetic Resources and Self-Efficacy for Daily Proactivity.

This study aims to investigate the role of daily vitality as an energy-based mechanism through which sleep quantity and quality relate to proactive behavior. In addition, we propose that daily self-efficacy forms a contingency condition in that self-efficacy facilitates the translation of vitality into proactive behavior. We conducted a 7-day diary study based on a sample of 66 employees who completed surveys 3 times daily. We used multilevel regression analyses to test the hypotheses while controlling for the 1-day lagged measures of vitality and proactivity. The results provide evidence for a model of moderated mediation. Sleep quality but not quantity predicted an increase in daily vitality. Self-efficacy moderated the relationship between vitality and daily proactivity such that this relationship was stronger when self-efficacy was reported to be high rather than low. The conditional effect mediated by vitality was significant for sleep quality but not for sleep quantity and occurred at the within-person level of analysis. These results suggest that organizations aiming to boost daily proactivity in employees can benefit from increasing employees’ self-efficacy and supporting them in developing strategies to ensure sufficient vitality. One such strategy is improving sleep quality. This study extends the literature on dynamics in proactive work behavior and its well-being-related antecedents by exploring both vitality as an underlying energetic mechanism and daily self-efficacy as a boundary condition.

Feedback, Emotionen und Handlungstendenzen: Emotionale Konsequenzen von Feedback durch den Vorgesetzten

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht emotionale Reaktionen von Mitarbeitern auf positives versus negatives Leistungsfeedback von ihrem Vorgesetzten sowie daraus resultierende Handlungstendenzen. Der Fokus liegt auf Extra-Rollen-Verhalten (positiv: Organizational Citizenship Behaviors; negativ: Kontraproduktives Arbeitsverhalten, Kundigungsabsicht). Es wurde eine Studie unter 101 Arbeitnehmern durchgefuhrt. Teilnehmern wurde ein Szenario vorgelegt, in dem sie von ihrem Vorgesetzten fur ihre Arbeitsleistung gelobt oder getadelt wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Feedback Emotionen beim Empfanger hervorruft, die die Beziehung zwischen Feedback und Extra-Rollen-Verhalten mediieren. Positives Leistungsfeedback durch den Vorgesetzten fuhrt zu positiven Emotionen, die zu positivem Extra-Rollen-Verhalten ermutigen. Negatives Leistungsfeedback fuhrt zu negativen Emotionen, die negatives Extra-Rollen-Verhalten stimulieren.