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Organizational experts have long touted the importance of delivering negative performance feedback in a manner that enhances employee receptivity to feedback, yet the broader impacts of constructive feedback have received relatively little attention. The present investigation explored the impact of constructive, critical feedback on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) intentions and job satisfaction. A demographically diverse sample of 128 employees drawn from a variety of organizations completed a survey online. Employees whose supervisors used constructive feedback felt more respected by their supervisors and perceived greater opportunities for advancement within the organization. These variables, in turn, predicted better mood at work, greater job satisfaction, and stronger OCB intentions. The present findings highlight the importance of delivering performance feedback in a manner that emphasizes problematic behaviors over personal weaknesses and makes clear reference to standards and strategies for improvement. Implications for managerial training and human resource development are discussed.

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00473.x Byline: Kristin L. Sommer (*), Kristen L. Kirkland (*), Stacey R. Newman (*), Patricia Estrella (*), John L. Andreassi (*) Abstract: This study examined the interactive effects of imagined rejection and narcissism on cardiovascular reactivity (CVR). Participants completed measures of overt narcissism (Narcissistic Personality Inventory, NPI; Raskin & Hall, 1979), overt-covert narcissism (Margolis & Thomas, 1980), and trait self-esteem. They then imagined 2 scenarios culminating in either interpersonal acceptance or rejection. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were assessed before, during, and after the imagery. Overt-covert narcissism was positively associated with task increases in SBP and DBP and recovery elevation of HR following rejection, but not acceptance. Similar effects on SBP were found for the Entitlement/Exploitativeness dimension of the NPI. Lower self-esteem predicted greater task increases in SBP, DBP, and HR across conditions. Implications for health are discussed. Author Affiliation: (*)Baruch College and The Graduate CenterCity University of New York Article note: (2) Kristin L. Sommer, Department of Psychology, Baruch College, 55 Lexington Avenue, Box B-8215, New York, NY 10010. E-mail: Kristin_Sommer@baruch.cuny.edu

In three studies, participants were primed with words connoting interpersonal acceptance, interpersonal rejection, or other aversive outcomes. Study 1 revealed that participants low in self-esteem responded to rejection (compared to other) primes by appraising themselves less positively and more negatively, whereas those high in self-esteem showed the opposite tendency. Study 2 showed that implicit rejection caused participants low in self-esteem to give up sooner on a difficult (unsolvable) anagram task but led those high in self-esteem to persist longer. Study 3 revealed that primed rejection hampered performance among low-self-esteem participants but somewhat improved performance among high-self-esteem participants. Taken together, the findings indicated that people with low self-esteem automatically respond to interpersonal rejection with self-deprecation and withdrawal, whereas those with high self-esteem tend to react with affirmation and perseverance. People with low self-esteem appear to possess few resources for defending against rejection threat.

Recent studies in social psychology are reviewed for evidence relevant to seven Freudian defense mechanisms. This work emphasizes normal populations, moderate rather than extreme forms of defense, and protection of self-esteem against threat. Reaction formation, isolation, and denial have been amply shown in studies, and they do seem to serve defensive functions. Undoing, in the sense of counterfactual thinking, is also well documented but does not serve to defend against the threat. Projection is evident, but the projection itself may be a by-product of defense rather than part of the defensive response itself. Displacement is not well supported in any meaningful sense, although emotions and physical arousal states do carry over from one situation to the next. No evidence of sublimation was found.

A new theoretical model and research paradigm are introduced to investigate the phenomenon of social ostracism--being ignored by others who are in one's presence. The authors examined the effects of [...]

An appraisal tendency approach was adopted to explore the influence of emotional certainty on stereotyping and judgment in a workplace context. Across two studies, participants completed an emotional memory task designed to induce emotions representing two different levels of emotional certainty (certain versus uncertain). They then reviewed interview footage, a résumé, and qualifying criteria before rating a hypothetical job candidate's personality and employability. Study 1 revealed that emotions high in certainty (compared to uncertainty) led to more favorable personality and employability ratings for attractive compared to unattractive candidates. Study 2 produced the same pattern of results for younger (compared to older) candidates. We conclude that certainty appraisals associated with temporary, incidental emotions are a useful predictor of the likelihood that stereotypes will be applied during decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies examined whether ostracizing someone depletes psychological resources in the ostracizer. In Study 1, people who followed instructions to avoid conversation with a confederate for 3 minutes later showed decrements in persistence on unsolvable problems. In Study 2, ostracizers showed subsequent impairments in physical stamina on a handgrip task. Although ostracism affected mood too, mood did not appear to mediate the main findings. Past work has shown that ostracism has negative consequences for the victim, but the present results indicate that ostracism has a harmful impact on the ostracizer too.

Two experiments examined individual and group decision making when decision criteria led to outcomes that violated distributive justice. In Experiment 1, noncompliant individual jurors in a civil trial biased their determinations of negligence to award damages when the decision criteria prohibited an award. Experiment 2 replicated this effect at the group level and revealed that juries also biased their attributions of negligence to justify reducing damages when the decision criteria required an excessive award. In both cases of noncompliance, juries recruited a biased subset of information during deliberations that sustained their decisions. Finally, noncompliant juries were marked by the advent of a 'trigger' person who raised justice concerns. Implications for other decision-making groups and for the courts are discussed.

This investigation examined whether the strain of ignoring another depends on the other’s desirability as a relationship partner. Participants were asked to ignore or converse with highly likeable (polite and egalitarian) or highly unlikeable (rude and bigoted) acquaintance. They then completed a task in which good performance hinged on successful thought regulation. Study 1 revealed that participants performed worse in the self-regulatory task after conversing with (compared to ignoring) the unlikeable person but performed slightly better after conversing with (compared to ignoring) the likeable person. Study 2 replicated this crossover interaction using an alternative measure of self-regulation. The findings suggest that the use of silent treatment may allow one to conserve regulatory resources during aversive social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Organizational experts have long touted the importance of delivering negative performance feedback in a manner that enhances employee receptivity to feedback, yet the broader impacts of constructive feedback have received relatively little attention. The present investigation explored the impact of constructive, critical feedback on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) intentions and job satisfaction. A demographically diverse sample of 128 employees drawn from a variety of organizations completed a survey online. Employees whose supervisors used constructive feedback felt more respected by their supervisors and perceived greater opportunities for advancement within the organization. These variables, in turn, predicted better mood at work, greater job satisfaction, and stronger OCB intentions. The present findings highlight the importance of delivering performance feedback in a manner that emphasizes problematic behaviors over personal weaknesses and makes clear reference to standards and strategies for improvement. Implications for managerial training and human resource development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bourgeois, Sommer, and Bruno (2009) proposed that having an influence over others fulfills basic needs for belongingness, self-worth, control, accuracy, and meaning. Two studies solicited support for these ideas. Study 1 revealed that people high in the perceived ability to influence others reported higher levels of self-worth, control, and life meaning, and that fulfillment of these needs in turn enhanced subjective well-being. Study 2 established positive relationships between influence and belongingness, control and accuracy within the contexts of work and romantic relationships, and additionally found that meaning in these domains derived from the fulfillment of one or more of these needs. Results of path analyses provided support for models linking perceived influence to job and relationship satisfaction through increases in need fulfillment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respondents wrote 2 stories, 1 about a time they were given the silent treatment and 1 about a time they used the silent treatment on another. Content analyses indicated that targets who were unable to attribute the ostracism to a specific cause suffered greater threats to belongingness and self-esteem than those who understood the reasons for their treatment. Targets who felt that others were oblivious to their presence reported stronger threats to belongingness, self-esteem, and meaningful existence and were more likely to affiliate with others than were targets who generated alternative reasons for their treatment. People high in self-esteem were more likely than those low in self-esteem to (a) use ostracism as a means of terminating the relationship and (b) terminate relationships with their ostracizing partners. People low in self-esteem, conversely, were more likely to ostracize others in defense against criticism or rejection, ostracize others in general, and report being ostracized by others. Finally, perspective differences indicated that sources portrayed the ostracism as a useful interpersonal tactic that ultimately led to conflict resolution, whereas targets emphasized feelings of withdrawal and resentment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]