Fakultät Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

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Die Fakultät vereint Forschung und moderne Lehre nach internationalen Standards. Das Hohenheimer Modell verzahnt dabei betriebs- und volkswirtschaftliche, sozial- und rechtswissenschaftliche Aspekte.

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Anger: The misunderstood and mismanaged workplace emotion
(2025) Umbra, Robin; Fasbender, Ulrike
Anger is a familiar yet often misunderstood and mismanaged emotion in organizational settings, commonly viewed as a purely negative force to be mitigated. This dissertation challenges such reductive perspectives by proposing a comprehensive reconceptualization of workplace anger as a potentially constructive emotion. It argues that, when properly understood and managed, anger can enhance employee productivity and well-being. Through a systematic examination of the antecedents, characteristics, and outcomes of anger in the workplace, this work introduces new theoretical frameworks and empirically validated strategies for harnessing anger’s positive potential. The dissertation is structured into three main sections that collectively advance the understanding of workplace anger. Chapter 1 establishes a foundational understanding by developing and validating a new State-Trait Anger Scale tailored for organizational research. This scale addresses limitations in existing measures by incorporating advanced psychometric techniques and a cross-cultural lens, revealing that workplace anger is influenced by both individual traits and situational factors, with significant variations across cultural contexts. A meta-analytic review follows, synthesizing the antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of workplace anger. The findings indicate that anger often arises from perceived negative workplace events and blame appraisals, which can primarily lead to destabilizing reactions. Chapter 2 advances the theoretical framework by introducing a novel perspective that links workplace anger to morality and perceived moral discrepancies. Through a series of empirical studies—including experience sampling, vignette experiments, and egocentric network analysis—this research demonstrates that anger frequently emerges from perceived transgressions of moral expectations in workplace interactions. The dissertation presents the Interaction Discrepancy Model, an innovative theoretical framework that integrates cognitive, social, and moral dimensions to better understand the dynamics of anger. This model elucidates how anger, a latent, morally and hedonically non-valanced construct, can motivate change-oriented behaviors aimed at rectifying moral discrepancies. Chapter 3 builds on these theoretical insights by developing practical strategies for constructive anger management in organizations. The research contrasts traditional mitigation-oriented strategies—such as suppression/rumination, avoidance, diffusion, and seeking social support—with constructive, approach-oriented strategies like confrontation and assertion. It shows that when anger is channeled appropriately through these constructive strategies, it can enhance both individual productivity and well-being. The empirical evidence further supports these findings, demonstrating that change-oriented strategies for managing anger are more effective in achieving work-related goals and maintaining well-being than mitigation-oriented approaches. This dissertation makes significant contributions to the fields of organizational psychology and organizational behavior by reconceptualizing workplace anger as a complex construct with both constructive and destructive potential. It introduces an empirically robust anger measurement tool that enhances research precision by addressing gaps in existing scales and incorporating advanced psychometric techniques. It also provides a meta-analytic overview of anger dynamics, offering a comprehensive synthesis of the antecedents, concomitants, and outcomes of anger in workplace settings. Furthermore, the dissertation offers theoretical advancements in the study of anger and emotions more broadly, integrating cognitive, social, and moral dimensions to provide a deeper understanding of emotional dynamics in organizational contexts. Additionally, it presents evidence-based strategies for practitioners to harness anger’s constructive potential, demonstrating how appropriate management of anger can lead to enhanced productivity and well-being. By challenging the conventional view of anger, this research opens new avenues for theory, practice, and future research, suggesting that anger, when understood and managed appropriately, can be a positive force in organizations.
Berufsfelder der Medienpsychologie
(2023) Trepte, Sabine; Reinecke, Leonard; Gimmler, Roland; Gleich, Uli; Winter, Stephan; Frischlich, Lena; Krämer, Nicole; Appel, Markus; Hutmacher, Fabian; Mengelkamp, Christoph; Stein, Jan-Philipp; Weber, Silvana
There are many professions in which the topic of media psychology is addressed. However, in contrast to the interest, these professions are not yet clearly defined, and there are no studies available on entry-level opportunities or job descriptions. Only rarely does the job title media psychologist exist. Nevertheless, our conversations with companies show that the subject is in high demand in many industries and business sectors. There is a wide range of occupational fields in which media psychology is relevant; in fact, whenever it is a matter of describing, explaining, and predicting the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral processes surrounding media use. Media psychology can make valuable contributions in these areas: marketing, media research, communication management, management consulting, user experience and content management, media education and science. The description of the occupational fields in this publication is based on typical tasks and assignments. After a definition of the respective occupational field, we describe what the individual occupational fields entail, which assignments or tasks are handled and, finally, in which companies and institutions they can be found.
Communicating climate change
how proximising climate change and global identity predict engagement
(2018) Loy, Laura Sophia; Trepte, Sabine
The majority of scientists express an urgent need to limit climate change in order to ensure sustainable development, but our societies are not reacting decisively enough to achieve this goal. My research aims to understand how news about climate change can be communicated to convey scientific knowledge and support climate protection. Proximising climate change by focussing on local instead of global or remote consequences has been recommended as a promising communication strategy. The reasoning is that many people seem to perceive climate change as a phenomenon that affects mainly other people in far-off places (i.e., psychological socio-spatial distance). Proximising might bring climate change closer. However, the recommendation still lacked convincing empirical evidence. Thus, my research investigated the communication of proximity vs. distance in news coverage. Specifically, I examined the process assumed to be behind proximising effects, namely a reduction of the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change, which might increase issue relevance and in turn promote climate protective behaviour and climate change knowledge. In Study 1 (N = 498), people were asked to what extent the news communicated climate change as something affecting mainly other people in distant locations. The more they perceived news communication as socio-spatially distant, the higher their psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change and the lower relevance they attributed to the issue. Perceived communicated socio-spatial distance was indirectly and negatively related with climate protective behavioural knowledge through higher psychological socio-spatial distance. Study 2 (N = 99) found no evidence that communicating socio-spatial proximity vs. distance of climate change in a news text influences psychological socio-spatial distance, relevance attributed to the news text, climate protective behaviour, and climate change knowledge. However, the test power was not sufficient to detect small effect sizes. In Study 3 (N = 508), proximising climate change in a news text decreased the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change and indirectly and positively predicted climate protective behaviour as well as climate change knowledge through lower psychological socio-spatial distance and higher relevance attribution. While the indirect relations were small, stronger relations might arise if people repeatedly receive local information. I thus suggest that it is worthwhile to complement news about global climate change with reports about regional impacts. As a second objective, I aimed to illuminate whether the concept of a global identity helps to explain why proximising might not always be necessary or useful. I assumed that the more people identify with people all over the world, the more relevant they evaluate climate change to be and the more they are motivated to take climate protective action and acquire climate change knowledge. Moreover, I supposed that people with a strong global identity might evaluate climate change as relevant regardless of whether they perceive that the consequences mainly affect other people in distant places. In other words, a global identity might bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change. In Study 1, global identity positively predicted the relevance attributed to climate change and climate protective behaviour, as well as climate change knowledge indirectly through relevance attribution. In Study 2, the global identity dimension of self-investment positively predicted climate protective behaviour. However, global identity did not bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change in either study. I further reasoned that the negative relation between psychological socio-spatial distance and relevance attribution might be weaker if global identity is made salient. In other words, a salient global identity might bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change. In Study 3, before reading the news text, participants watched either a control video or a video showing a man dancing with people all over the world, which communicated a feeling of connectedness. While participants who received the control video evaluated the news text as less relevant as their psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change increased, there was no such relation among participants who received the connectedness video. Moreover, communicated proximity vs. distance in the news text did not indirectly predict climate protective behaviour and climate change knowledge in the latter group. This suggests that communicating connectedness might be a way to bridge the distance of climate change communication and render issues that are perceived as affecting mainly other people in far-off locations more relevant to recipients.
Cultural differences in social media use, privacy, and self-disclosure
research report on a multicultural study
(2016) Masur, Philipp K.; Trepte, Sabine
This research report presents comparative results from five nations (United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and China) with regard to social media use, self-disclosure, privacy perceptions and attitudes, and privacy behavior in online environments. The data stemmed from an online survey that was conducted from November, 2011, to December, 2011. Across all five nations, N = 1,800 participants completed the survey. The findings suggest that a broad differentiation between Western and Eastern cultures only partly accounted for differences in social media use and privacy behavior. Rather, the results of this report suggest that European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands) share similar privacy perceptions and show similar behavioral patterns. Non-European cultures (the USA and China) on the other hand, use social media differently. Participants from European countries had generally smaller audiences on social network sites and microblogging platforms, tended to limit the visibility of their postings and profile information more, and used more privacy settings to safeguard their privacy. In particular, German social media users seemed to be guarded, protective, and rather reluctant to participate in online communication. Users from the US, on the other hand, rated privacy-related behavior as less risky and were hence less likely to imply sophisticated privacy strategies. Apart from these findings, the report also shows that there are more commonalities than differences. People from all five countries think that it is important to protect privacy. Most users consciously decides what to share and what not to share. Accordingly, social media users do not always share intimate and detailed information about their lives.
The double-edged dynamics of social comparisons: micro-level drivers of employees’ knowledge behaviors
(2025) Rinker, Laura; Fasbender, Ulrike
Amidst worldwide developments such as globalization, workforce aging, and the accelerating pace of advancements, organizations depend on effective knowledge flows to maintain competitive and enable innovation. Because interpersonal knowledge exchange is central to organizational knowledge management, organizations must gain an understanding of what drives individual knowledge behaviors. This cumulative dissertation offers a timely investigation of social comparisons as critical socio-cognitive underpinnings of such knowledge behaviors. The underlying research seeks to deepen the understanding of the micro-level drivers of knowledge behaviors by tracing them back to employees’ social comparison experiences. The first manuscript combines the identification-contrast model of social comparisons with informal workplace learning theorizing to examine the social-cognitive roots of workplace learning. Specifically, it considers how employees’ emotionally charged (un)favorability perceptions of their social comparisons guide their daily engagement in narrow and broad informal learning behaviors through reflection processes focusing on successes or failures. The hypothesized model is tested using a ten-day experience sampling study (NLevel 2 = 175 employees, NLevel 1 = 1,256 employee-day observations). Results demonstrate that the different types of reflection translate both favorable and unfavorable social comparison experiences into learning-oriented knowledge behaviors. The findings additionally stress the moderating influence of organizational support. The second manuscript joins social comparison and stress appraisal theories to investigate the ambivalent potential of upward comparisons as work stressors. Drawing from the challenge-hindrance stress framework, it probes a dual pathway model connecting upward social comparisons with different knowledge behaviors through an approach pathway (via challenge appraisal) and an avoidance pathway (via hindrance appraisal). The hypotheses are tested based on two experimental studies with employees (NStudy 1 = 206, NStudy 2 = 414). Finding no support for the approach pathway, the research identifies hindrance appraisals as a cognitive mechanism to explain how upward comparisons harm knowledge flows. However, these adverse effects are mitigated by an between the focal employee and the comparison target. The third manuscript integrates social comparison frameworks and affective events theory to examines the daily emotional complexities of social comparisons. It seeks to clarify how the multiple facets of daily social comparisons can lead to both facilitative and harmful behavioral reactions, probing the mediating effect of discrete social comparison-induced emotions. The findings from a ten-day experience sampling study (NLevel 2 = 155 employees, NLevel 1 = 960 employee-day observations) demonstrate that daily social comparisons are linked to knowledge behaviors via inspiration, envy, and sympathy. In addition, the results reveal the complementary effects of the two cardinal social comparison axes (i.e., horizontal and vertical). In conclusion, this dissertation establishes social comparisons as a multi-faceted socio-cognitive antecedent of employees’ knowledge behaviors, providing novel insights into cognitive and emotional underpinnings and multi-level boundary conditions. Offering a more holistic perspective of social comparisons and their impact on knowledge behaviors, this work opens avenues for scholars to develop a deeper understanding of the socio-cognitive roots of organizational behavior. Moreover, the findings equip practitioners with actionable insights to utilize social comparisons as micro-level drivers, instead of barriers, of knowledge flows.
Dynamic modulation of the processing of unpredicted technical errors by the posterior cingulate and the default mode network
(2024) Wang, Zhiyan; Becker, Markus; Kondla, Gregor; Gimpel, Henner; Beer, Anton L.; Greenlee, Mark W.
The pervasive use of information technologies (IT) has tremendously benefited our daily lives. However, unpredicted technical breakdowns and errors can lead to the experience of stress, which has been termed technostress. It remains poorly understood how people dynamically respond to unpredicted system runtime errors occurring while interacting with the IT systems on a behavioral and neuronal level. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying such processes, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in which 15 young adults solved arithmetic problems of three difficulty levels (easy, medium and hard) while two types of system runtime errors (problem errors and feedback errors) occurred in an unexpected manner. The problem error condition consisted of apparently defective displays of the arithmetic problem and the feedback error condition involved erroneous feedback. We found that the problem errors positively influenced participants’ problem-solving performance at the high difficulty level (i.e., hard tasks) at the initial stage of the session, while feedback errors disturbed their performance. These dynamic behavioral changes are mainly associated with brain activation changes in the posterior cingulate and the default mode network, including the posterior cingulate cortex, the mPFC, the retrosplenial cortex and the parahippocampal gyrus. Our study illustrates the regulatory role of the posterior cingulate in coping with unpredicted errors as well as with dynamic changes in the environment.
Eltern Influencer in Sozialen Netzwerken: Wertvolle Tipps oder bedenkliche Inhalte?
(2024-11-10) Betz, Emily; Hilkert, Anna; Clara, Jung; Kruglikow, Alice; Dombrowski, Jana
Von gut gemeinten Ratschlägen zur Kindererziehung bis hin zur Vermarktung des eigenen Familienlebens – in den sozialen Medien, genauer gesagt in der Welt der Parental Influencer, ist genau das Teil eines knallharten Geschäfts. Doch welche Herausforderungen ergeben sich für das Wohlergehen und die Privatsphäre ihrer Kinder? Denn Parental Influencer ziehen nicht nur die Aufmerksamkeit von Firmen, sondern auch die vieler Eltern auf sich - und das zu einem hohen Preis. Untersuchungen zeigen, dass die Inhalte von Parental Influencern durchaus negative Auswirkungen auf die Psyche von Eltern haben können – von hitzigen Diskussionen und echtem Mom-Shaming in der Kommentarspalte bis hin zu Verunsicherung und Unzufriedenheit vieler Eltern. Du siehst: Das Thema Parental Influencer ist ziemlich facettenreich. Wir klären, wer genau Parental Influencer sind und was Sharenting bedeutet, bevor wir die Kommerzialisierung ihres Familienlebens und ihre Geschäftsmöglichkeiten genauer unter die Lupe nehmen. Außerdem zeigen wir Dir als Elternteil einen gesunden Umgang mit Tipps und Kritik in Bezug auf das Elternsein in den sozialen Medien auf.
Gender inequality and cultural values in explaining gender differences in positive and negative emotions: a comparison of 24 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
(2025) Wollast, Robin; Lüders, Adrian; Nugier, Armelle; Guimond, Serge; Phillips, Joseph B.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Douglas, Karen M.; Sengupta, Nikhil K.; Lemay, Edward P.; Zand, Somayeh; Van Lissa, Caspar J.; Bélanger, Jocelyn J.; Abakoumkin, Georgios; Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum Abdul; Agostini, Maximilian; Ahmedi, Vjollca; Almenara, Carlos A.; Atta, Mohsin; Bagci, Sabahat C.; Bernardo, Allan B. I.; Choi, Hoon-Seok; Cristea, Mioara; Danyliuk, Ivan; Enea, Violeta; Fisher, Alexandra N.; Gómez, Angel; Greiff, Samuel; Gützkow, Ben; Hamaidia, Ali; Han, Qing; Hudiyana, Joevarian; Jeronimus, Bertus F.; Jiang, Ding-Yu; Jovanović, Veljko; Kende, Anna; Keng, Shian-Ling; Koc, Yasin; Kovyazina, Kamila; Kreienkamp, Jannis; Kurapov, Anton; Lantos, Nora Anna; Jaya Lesmana, Cokorda Bagus; Malik, Najma I.; Martinez, Anton P.; McCabe, Kira O.; Milla, Mirra N.; Molinario, Erica; Moyano, Manuel; Muhammad, Hayat; Mula, Silvana; Myroniuk, Solomiia; Nisa, Claudia; Nyúl, Boglárka; O’Keefe, Paul A.; Osuna, Jose Javier Olivas; Osin, Evgeny N.; Park, Joonha; Pierro, Antonio; Rees, Jonas; Reitsema, Anne Margit; Rullo, Marika; Ryan, Michelle K.; Samekin, Adil; Schumpe, Birga M.; Selim, Heyla A.; Stanton, Michael V.; Tseliou, Eleftheria; vanDellen, Michelle; Vázquez, Alexandra; Weaving, Morgan; Yahiiaiev, Illia; Yeung, Victoria W. L.; Zheng, Bang; Zúñiga, Claudia; Leander, N. Pontus
The coronavirus pandemic posed a major challenge to mental health. Existing evidence shows that COVID-19 is related to poor emotional well-being, particularly among women. However, most work on the subject uses single-country samples, limiting the ability to generalize the disparity or explain it as a function of societal variables. The present study investigates the expression of positive and negative emotions during the pandemic as a function of gender and across 24 countries (N = 49,637). Strong gender differences emerged across countries, with women reporting more negative emotions (anxious, depressed, nervous, exhausted) and less positive emotions (calm, content, relaxed, energetic) than men. The gender gap in positive emotions was significantly wider in countries higher in individualism and narrower in countries higher in power distance. For instance, differences in emotions were larger in Western countries high in individualism, such as the USA, the UK, Italy, and France, and smaller in countries with higher collectivism and power distance, such as China, Malaysia, and South Korea, with a few exceptions like Japan and Brazil. These gender differences across countries were not explained by country-level gender inequalities indicators (GGGI and GII). Interestingly, the national severity of the pandemic, an epidemiological factor, reduced gender differences in positive emotions. These results underscore the importance of considering cultural and national factors when assessing gender differences in well-being.
Measuring adolescents’ level of interest in nature: A promising psychological factor facilitating nature protection
(2023) Neurohr, Anna-Lena; Pasch, Nadine; Otto, Siegmar; Möller, Andrea
Studies indicate that young people are more prepared to engage in pro-environmental behavior if they are interested in nature and recognize it as worthy of protection. However, a reliable instrument to measure adolescents’ interest in nature is still lacking. Therefore, we developed a new metric, the Scale of Interest in Nature (SIN). It consists of 18 items, is based on Item-Response-Theory and was validated using the known group approach (N = 351 adolescents). Results indicate that adolescents’ interest in nature correlates positively with their connection with nature, their intention to preserve nature and engagement in pro-environmental activities in their free time. Bivariate Pearson correlations between the SIN and the Connectedness to Nature Scale (INS), as well as the Environmental Values model (2-MEV) demonstrated the scale’s construct validity. Hence, the SIN scale provides an economical way to measure adolescents’ interest in nature in research contexts or environmental and sustainability education settings.
Parents vs. teachers vs. friends: comparing the roles of different socialization agents in children’s and adolescent’s online media use
(2026) Jung, Clara; Hilkert, Anna; Stumpf, Sören; Weber, Elena; Dombrowski, Jana
Online media is deeply embedded in the daily lives of children and adolescents, bringing both opportunities and risks. Throughout their digital journeys, young people rely on and receive guidance from their social environment. This study provides a comparative perspective on the role of different socialization agents (i.e., parents, peers, and teachers) in minors’ general usage, problematic behaviors, and digital literacy. We employ procedures of secondary data analysis using the EU Kids Online 2020 dataset. Our analyses are based on a subset of German children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years (N = 1,044). Our results suggest that although parental mediation can protect young people from digital harms, it may also hinder the development of digital skills. In contrast, peer mediation fosters digital skills but is likewise associated with higher risk exposure. Mediation provided by teachers appears to have comparatively little direct impact on young people’s online experiences, yet it plays a supportive role when combined with other forms of mediation. We call for integrated approaches to mediation. These address socialization agents not in isolation, but in combination, harnessing the benefits of joint efforts to protect young people from online harms and to equip them with adequate digital literacy.
Response Item Network (ResIN): A network-based approach to explore attitude systems
(2024) Carpentras, Dino; Lueders, Adrian; Quayle, Michael
Belief network analysis (BNA) refers to a class of methods designed to detect and outline structural organizations of complex attitude systems. BNA can be used to analyze attitude-structures of abstract concepts such as ideologies, worldviews, and norm systems that inform how people perceive and navigate the world. The present manuscript presents a formal specification of the Response-Item Network (or ResIN), a new methodological approach that advances BNA in at least two important ways. First, ResIN allows for the detection of attitude asymmetries between different groups, improving the applicability and validity of BNA in research contexts that focus on intergroup differences and/or relationships. Second, ResIN’s networks include a spatial component that is directly connected to item response theory (IRT). This allows for access to latent space information in which each attitude (i.e. each response option across items in a survey) is positioned in relation to the core dimension(s) of group structure, revealing non-linearities and allowing for a more contextual and holistic interpretation of the attitudes network. To validate the effectiveness of ResIN, we develop a mathematical model and apply ResIN to both simulated and real data. Furthermore, we compare these results to existing methods of BNA and IRT. When used to analyze partisan belief-networks in the US-American political context, ResIN was able to reliably distinguish Democrat and Republican attitudes, even in highly asymmetrical attitude systems. These results demonstrate the utility of ResIN as a powerful tool for the analysis of complex attitude systems and contribute to the advancement of BNA.
Routinen und Selbstkontrolle bei der Social-Media-Nutzung: Eine quantitative Untersuchung affektiver Nutzungserfahrungen
(2025) Winter, Melissa Rosa; Trepte, Sabine
Die vorliegende Studie untersucht Zusammenhänge zwischen Selbstkontrollprozessen, Habitualisierung und affektiven Reaktionen bei der alltäglichen Nutzung von Instagram. Ziel war es, zu verstehen, wie erlebtes Selbstkontrollversagen mit häufiger, automatisierter Nutzung und dem affektiven Erleben junger Erwachsener zusammenhängt und welche Rolle unterschiedliche Selbstkontrollstrategien dabei spielen. Anhand einer querschnittlichen Online-Befragung wurden 156 junge Erwachsene zwischen 18 und 34 Jahren befragt. Zum Einsatz kamen unter anderem etablierte Skalen zur Habitualisierung der Nutzung, zum Selbstkontrollversagen im Kontext sozialer Medien sowie zu positivem und negativem Affekt. Die Daten wurden mithilfe von Korrelations- und Regressionsanalysen, t-Tests für abhängige Stichproben sowie ergänzenden deskriptiven Verfahren ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass habitualisierte Nutzung signifikant mit häufigerem Selbstkontrollversagen und einer intensiveren emotionalen Aktivierung während der Nutzung verbunden ist. Erfolgreiche Selbstkontrolle geht hingegen mit einem deutlich positiveren emotionalen Erleben einher. Unterschiede zwischen situativ/proaktiven und kognitiv/reaktiven Strategien zeigten sich weder im positiven noch im negativen Affekt nach erfolgreicher Anwendung. Die Befunde verdeutlichen, dass digitale Selbstkontrolle kein isoliertes Persönlichkeitsmerkmal ist, sondern ein dynamischer Prozess zwischen Person, Plattform und Nutzungskontext. Sie tragen zum Verständnis alltäglicher Social-Media-Nutzung bei und unterstreichen die Bedeutung präventiver Selbstkontrollstrategien zur Förderung des digitalen Wohlbefindens.
The interaction discrepancy model: a theoretical framework for understanding person-environment interactions
(2025) Umbra, Robin; Fasbender, Ulrike; Fasbender, Ulrike; Chair of Business and Organizational Psychology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
This manuscript introduces the Interaction Discrepancy Model (IDM), a theoretical framework designed to enhance our understanding of person-environment interactions. Traditional models often overlook the dynamic, iterative, and feedback-driven nature of these interactions, typically focusing on episodic and isolated psychological processes and conscious mechanisms. The IDM addresses these limitations by integrating the dynamics of cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes at both conscious and non-conscious levels. The model outlines an eight-stage process: (1) perception, (2) interaction construal, (3) verification, (4) congruence/discrepancy, (5) appraisal, (6) autoregulatory response, (7) action plan, and (8) feedback. This comprehensive approach seeks to explain the varied responses observed in empirical research and real-life scenarios. The IDM’s applicability extends across multiple contexts, including aggression, delinquency, conflict management, and industrial-organizational psychology, emphasizing the critical role of perceived discrepancies in triggering affective and behavioral responses. By incorporating contextual factors and providing a structured framework for falsifiability, the IDM offers a robust tool for future research and practical applications. This model significantly advances the theoretical literature on person-environment interactions, providing a holistic understanding that captures the complexity of human experience.
The psychology of privacy: Analyzing processes of media use and interpersonal communication
(2017) Dienlin, Tobias; Trepte, Sabine
What is the psychology of privacy? How do people perceive privacy? Why do people disclose personal information on the Internet, and what does this reveal about our their personalities? With four studies, this cumulative dissertation discusses potential answers to these questions. Study 1 (“The Privacy Process Model”) proposes a new privacy theory, the so-called Privacy Process Model (PPM). The PPM states that privacy consists of three major elements: the privacy context, the privacy perception, and the privacy behavior. In order to balance the three elements people constantly engage in a privacy regulation process, which can be either explicit/conscious or implicit/subconscious. Through concrete examples of new digital media, several implications of the PPM are demonstrated. Study 2 (“Is the Privacy Paradox a Relic of the Past?”), which is co-authored by Prof. Dr. Sabine Trepte, analyzes the privacy paradox through the results of an online questionnaire with 579 respondents from Germany. By adopting a theory of planned behavior-based approach, the results showed that self-disclosure could be explained by privacy intentions, privacy attitudes, and privacy concerns. These findings could be generalized for three different privacy dimensions: informational, social, and psychological privacy behaviors. Altogether, Study 2 therefore suggests that the privacy paradox does not exist. Study 3 (“An Extended Privacy Calculus Model for SNSs”), co-authored by Prof. Dr. Miriam J. Metzger, builds upon the results of Study 2 and investigates whether psychological antecedents can explain not only online self-disclosure but also online self-withdrawal. Using a privacy calculus-based approach, the study analyzes data from a U.S.-representative online sample with 1,156 respondents. The results showed that self-disclosure could be explained both by privacy concerns and expected benefits. In addition, self-withdrawal could also be predicted by both privacy concerns and privacy self-efficacy. In conclusion, Study 3 demonstrates that perceived benefits, privacy self-efficacy, and privacy concerns together predict both online self-disclosure and online self-withdrawal. Study 4 (“Predicting the Desire for Privacy”), also co-authored by Miriam J. Metzger, analyzes the relationship between the desire for privacy and different facets of personality. In Study 4a, an online questionnaire with 296 respondents was conducted and in Study 4b, a laboratory experiment with 87 participants was run. The results of the questionnaire showed several significant relationships: For example, respondents who reported lacking integrity and being more shy, less anxious, and more risk averse were all more likely to desire privacy. The experiment showed a statistical trend that participants who had written an essay about past negative behaviors were more likely to express an increased desire for privacy from other people; in addition, an implicit association test (IAT) showed that participants whose IAT results implied higher lack of integrity also desired more privacy from government surveillance. In conclusion, the results evidence that the desire for privacy relates with several aspects of personality and, notably, also with personal integrity. In the overarching discussion, the results of the aforementioned studies are combined in order to provide an updated picture of privacy. This picture suggests that online self-disclosure is not paradoxical but explainable. Being able to understand online privacy behaviors is important; however, this is not only because the Internet has paramount importance in social and professional contexts, but also because people’s desire for privacy can reveal central aspects of personality, such as one’s own personal integrity. Finally, several societal implications are discussed. It is argued that modern societies should try to design new cultural artifacts about privacy, update old and obsolete behavioral patterns with regard to privacy, foster a better understanding of the conceptual nature of privacy, work toward new and more protective privacy laws, and aim to leverage overall privacy literacy.
Turning the spotlight on the role of light and colors in offices: How are performance, social interactions, and social perception affected?
(2016) Kombeiz, Olga; Steidle, Anna
Previous research has shown that light influences psychological functioning and subsequent performance, perception, and behavior in the work context. However, an overarching model of the impact of light on psychological processes and work-related outcomes is still lacking. The current doctoral thesis introduces an overall framework that explains the effects of light in the work context. Thus, the present research attempts to clarify the effects of artificial lighting on individual performance (i.e., creativity), social interaction (i.e., collaboration in negotiations), and social perception (i.e., person perception), and to uncover the mediating psychological processes and possible moderators. Building on different theories explaining the effects of the physical environment on psychological processes and work-related outcomes, as well as based on previous research, the thesis brings new insight into this topic. The first research project focused on clarifying the effects of light on conflict resolution. Building on research of light-induced cooperativeness, it was expected that self-oriented individuals would be influenced by the light in social situations. The results of two laboratory experiments confirmed that dim warm light promoted situative interdependent self-construal in self-oriented individuals, and, in turn, enhanced the preference for collaborative conflict resolution. These results contribute to the understanding of light-induced changes in social behavior. Limitations as well as practical implications for lighting design in social spaces are discussed. The second research project addressed the question of how light influences one’s judgment of others. Based on the notion of environmentally induced positive affect, the present study proposed that pleasant light induces satisfaction with light, which in turn leads to positive judgments of other persons. The results confirmed that satisfaction with light was higher in three pleasant lighting conditions than in an unpleasant one, which in turn positively influenced the judgments of competence and warmth. Moreover, the explorative analyses showed that the positive effect of pleasant light on satisfaction with light only emerged for male participants. Theoretical contributions to lighting psychology and to the previous inconsistent findings of the role of sex in the affective consequences of light, and practical implications concerning the design of settings involving the evaluation of other individuals are discussed. The third research project aimed at clarifying the motivational consequences of artificial light and its effects on creative performance. Previous research indicated that individuals automatically evaluate the room’s atmosphere. These automatic appraisals evoke concomitant appetitive (e.g., promotion focus) or aversive (e.g., prevention focus) motivation and, in turn, may impact work performance. Based on this idea, we expected that red and blue (vs. white) accent lighting, which creates a pleasant and friendly room atmosphere, would elicit the strategic approach motivation and, in turn, promote creativity. The results of an experimental study confirmed our assumptions. Implications for future research on color and light, and practical implications are discussed. Overall, these results provide insight into the effects of light on cognitive, affective, and motivational processes, and consequently, on work-related outcomes. The three research projects contribute to a deeper understanding of which psychological processes are activated in which situation, and what role is played by the individual differences. In addition to the theoretical contributions, the present findings show that optimal ambient conditions represent support for a set of competencies on the individual and organizational levels, such as promoting collaborative conflict styles or creativity.
Zusammenhänge zwischen verhaltensbezogenen und somatischen Facetten von Resilienz bei Arbeitnehmern/-innen der Automobilzuliefererindustrie
(2021) Friederichs, Edgar; Kärner, Tobias; Schellinger, Bianca; Sembill, Detlef
Hintergrund und Zielstellung: Ausgehend von einem mittels Selbstauskunft erfassten Resilienzkonstrukt, welches die Verhaltensweisen beschreibt, (1) dynamisch Veränderungen gestalten zu können, (2) flexibel auf Erfordernisse reagieren zu können sowie (3) sich angemessen von den Erwartungen anderer abgrenzen zu können, setzt sich der Beitrag das Ziel, Zusammenhänge mit kardialen Indikatoren des autonomen Nervensystems (ANS) zu ermitteln. Methodik: Wir greifen auf Daten von insgesamt 150 Mitarbeiter/-innen (MA) eines deutschen Industrieunternehmens zurück, von welchen sowohl entsprechende Selbstauskunftsdaten als auch Messdaten der Aktivität des ANS erfasst wurden. Ergebnisse: In den Ergebnissen zeigen sich signifikante Korrelationen der Resilienzfacette „Dynamik“ mit parasympathischen Messparametern des ANS. Weiterhin zeigt sich, dass die Facette „Dynamik“ in signifikant negativem Zusammenhang mit verschiedenen Skalen des „Trierer Inventars zum chronischen Stress“ steht. Ältere MA weisen bei der Facette „Dynamik“ verglichen mit jüngeren MA tendenziell geringere Werte auf. MA, welche eine Führungsaufgabe mit disziplinarischer und/oder fachlicher Funktion innehaben, zeigen höhere Werte in dieser Facette, verglichen mit MA ohne entsprechende Führungsverantwortung. Diskussion: Messbare Daten für eine wissenschaftlich gestützte Prävention und Resilienzunterstützung sind ein innovativer und vielversprechender Ansatz. Die Anwendung geprüfter Messverfahren kann auch für Leistungsfähigkeit, Erfolg und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit eines Unternehmens wichtig sein. Aus den Strukturähnlichkeiten der verhaltensbezogenen und somatischen Resilienzfacetten ergeben sich gezielte Implikationen für die Resilienzerfassung in Arbeitskontexten. Entsprechende Anschlussfragen hinsichtlich personen- und organisationsspezifischer Trainings zur Resilienzförderung müssen in Folgestudien geklärt werden.

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