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Related Experiment Videos

Receiving instrumental support at work: when help is not welcome.

Janna T Deelstra1, Maria C W Peeters, Wilmar B Schaufeli

  • 1Department of Social and Organizational Psychology and Research Institute Psychology and Health, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. jt.deelstra@windesheim.nl

The Journal of Applied Psychology
|May 7, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Receiving unwanted social support can negatively impact employees, especially when their need for support is low. This study explored psychological reactions to imposed support, finding it often elicits adverse effects.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Occupational Health

Background:

  • Extensive research highlights social support's role in employee health and well-being.
  • Existing evidence on social support benefits is inconsistent, with some studies indicating negative effects.
  • Psychological mechanisms underlying these inconsistent findings require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine psychological processes explaining potential negative effects of social support.
  • To test the hypothesis that imposed support elicits negative reactions, moderated by need for support.
  • To differentiate between self-related, interaction-related, and physiological reactions to imposed support.

Main Methods:

  • An experimental design was employed with 48 temporary administrative workers.

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  • Participants received imposed social support under varying conditions.
  • Reactions were measured across self-related, interaction-related, and physiological domains.

    • Main Results:

    • Imposed social support generally elicited negative reactions, confirming the hypothesis.
    • Negative effects were observed across self-related, interaction-related, and physiological measures.
    • The negative impact of imposed support was mitigated only when facing an unsolvable problem, resulting in a neutral effect.

    Conclusions:

    • The threat-to-self-esteem model provides a framework for understanding negative reactions to imposed support.
    • The need for support significantly moderates employee responses to social assistance.
    • Interventions should consider the recipient's perspective to avoid unintended negative consequences of social support.