Inmaculada Valor-Segura

Atribución del comportamiento del agresor y consejo a la víctima en un caso de violencia doméstica

Resumen Numerosa investigación ha mostrado que niveles altos de dependencia económica de la mujer predicen la probabilidad de poder sufrir maltrato psicológico o físico por parte de su pareja. Sobre esta base, uno de los objetivos de nuestra investigación fue examinar el rol de la dependencia económica en la percepción de violencia de género y verificar si las actitudes hacia una situación de violencia pueden verse afectadas por el género del observador. La investigación psicosocial también ha confirmado la existencia de creencias sexistas en la sociedad que pueden ser utilizadas para legitimar y mantener este tipo de agresión. Así, el segundo objetivo de la presente investigación consistió en analizar la relación entre las creencias sexistas y la justificación de la violencia doméstica. Los resultados muestran la influencia tanto del género del observador, de la dependencia económica de la mujer víctima, así como de las creencias sexistas en las reacciones hacia la violencia doméstica.

The Spanish Adaptation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale (ISOS)

BACKGROUND Sexual objectification of women is a subtle manifestation of gender violence. The aim of this study was to adapt the 15-item Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale (ISOS) to Spanish to obtain a valid instrument to evaluate this construct. METHOD After its adaptation, the questionnaire was administered to 771 women from the general population. Subsequently, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were evaluated from both the classical perspective and item response theory. RESULTS The data obtained were very similar to those of the original version. The ISOS showed good internal consistency and a two-factor structure: body evaluation and unwanted explicit sexual advances. In addition, the ISOS showed correlations with benevolent sexism, state-anxiety and self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS The Spanish version of the ISOS is a reliable and valid measure of sexual objectification of women in the interpersonal context.

Violence against women in Spain and Cuba: The same reality, two different visions / Violencia hacia la mujer en España y Cuba: una misma realidad, dos visiones diferentes

Abstract This study aims to analyse the acceptance of gender violence in Spanish and Cuban populations. We analysed the influence of sexist beliefs and other ideologies that justify unequal gender relationships. A total of 230 men and women from Spain and 200 from Cuba participated by answering a questionnaire. The results showed the effect of participants’ gender and nationality as well as ideological variables (sexism, beliefs in a just world and codes of honour) that legitimise the status quo of gender violence. The male participants and the Cuban participants accepted violence against women more than the female participants and the Spanish participants. What is more, the results showed a pattern in the influence of the ideological variables that differed depending on the participants’ nationality. In Spain, the relationship between participants’ benevolent sexism and the justification of violence was mediated by codes of honour. In Cuba, the relationship between hostile sexism and acceptance of violence against women was mediated by beliefs in a just world.

What is behind envy? Approach from a psychosocial perspective / ¿Qué se esconde detrás de la envidia? Aproximación desde una perspectiva psicosocial

Abstract Envy strongly influences many spheres of social life. However, the psychology of envy is still in its infancy. A theoretical and empirical examination of envy was performed with a psychosocial focus via two exploratory studies. In Study 1 (N = 141), participants were asked to describe an event in which they experienced envy, indicating which people they envied and the reasons for that envy. In Study 2 (N = 311), the relationship between envy and several psychosocial variables such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and perceived control were analysed, as well as the predisposition to express aggressive behaviours in response to this emotion. The results of Study 1 revealed that friends were the most envied people, and abilities or personal skills were the most frequent sources of envy. Likewise, the results of Study 2 showed that self-efficacy, self-esteem and perceived control predicted envy, which in turn predicted the expression of verbal aggressive behaviours.

Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Experiences Psychological and Social Well-Being Consequences for Women

Sexual objectification as a form of sexist discrimination accounts for the higher prevalence of psychological problems among women. More specifically, sexual objectification manifests itself in different ways with different intensities, in turn affecting women’s psychological well-being differently. On one hand, experiences of body evaluation are more subtle and work by perpetuating sexist attitudes among women themselves. On the other hand, more explicit forms of sexual objectification (unwanted explicit sexual advances) are linked to higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of self-esteem. The first study, on a sample of 343 Spanish women, aims to analyze the consequences of different forms of sexual objectification on women’s psychological well-being and the effect of sexism and enjoyment of objectification on these consequences. The second study, on a sample of 144 Spanish women, focuses on analyzing the ideological variables that have an effect on response to acts of sexist discrimination. Both studies reveal the significance of the more subtle experiences of sexual objectification as a mechanism that plays a part in keeping women in a subordinate position, where they end up feeling that this process is positive or pleasing.

The Pernicious Effects of Malicious versus Benign Envy: Perceived Injustice, Emotional Hostility and Counterproductive Behaviors in the Workplace

Despite the fact that literature regarding the implications of envy in the work environment has generated growing interest in recent years, the role of malicious and benign envy in the workplace has scarcely been studied. Therefore, the present study, using an experimental design, N = 213 (140 female and 73 male; Mage = 31.05, SD = 10.01; range from 18 to 68), aims to examine the effects of malicious (vs. benign) envy on perceived injustice, negative emotions, and the individual tendency to express counterproductive work behaviors. The results obtained showed that the mere activation of malicious envy (vs. benign envy) leads to an increased perceived injustice (p < .001, ηp2 = .15), and to higher levels of negative emotions (p < .001, ηp2 = .18) and counterproductive (harmful) behaviors toward the envied co-worker (p < .001, ηp2 = .16). Additionally, we found that perceptions of injustice and negative emotions mediated the effect of malicious (vs. benign) envy on the inclination to express counterproductive work behaviors (Indirect Effect (IE) = .227, SE = .064, 95% CI [.127, .386]. Finally, these findings and their possible implications are discussed.

Do Economic Crises Always Undermine Trust in Others? The Case of Generalized, Interpersonal, and In-Group Trust

After the global economic collapse triggered by the Great Recession, there has been an increased interest in the potential psychological implications of periods of economic decline. Recent evidence suggests that negative personal experiences linked to the economic crisis may lead to diminished generalized trust (i.e., the belief that most of the people of the society are honest and can be trusted). Adding to the growing literature on the psychological consequences of the economic crisis, we propose that the perceived personal impact of the economic crisis not only would undermine generalized trust but also may lead to increased interpersonal trust (i.e., directed to specific and close people) and depersonalized in-group trust [i.e., directed to individuals who, while strangers, belong to the same group (e.g., social class)]. Across three studies (N = 1379), we tested these central hypotheses and ascertained whether the perceived personal impact of the crisis would predict these types of trust (assessed using questionnaire and behavioral measures) independent of individuals’ socioeconomic status. Non-experimental data from Study 1 revealed that a higher perceived personal impact of the crisis is related to lower levels of generalized trust and higher levels of interpersonal trust. These effects were independent of participants’ socioeconomic status. Non-experimental data from Study 2 replicated the findings obtained in Study 1 and also showed a positive association between the perceived personal impact of the crisis and depersonalized in-group trust. This pattern of results emerged even after controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, age, political orientation, religiosity, and unemployment status. In Study 3, using an experimental design, we found that the salience of a possible economic downturn led to decreased generalized trust and increased interpersonal and depersonalized in-group trust – independently of socioeconomic status – compared with the control condition. These results challenge the conventional wisdom that economic crises invariably undermine trust in others. The implications of the present research as well as future research directions are discussed.