Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
When supervisors feel supported: relationships with subordinates' perceived supervisor support, perceived
Linda Rhoades Shanock1, Robert Eisenberger
1Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA. shanock@albany.edu
Abstract:
The authors surveyed full-time retail employees and their supervisors to investigate relationships of supervisors' perceived organizational support (POS) with subordinates' perceptions of support from their supervisors (perceived supervisor support [PSS]), POS, and in-role and extra-role performance. The authors found that supervisors' POS was positively related to their subordinates' perceptions of supervisor support. Subordinates' PSS, in turn, was positively associated with their POS, in-role performance, and extra-role performance. Beyond these bivariate relationships, subordinates' perceptions of support from the supervisor mediated positive relationships of the supervisors' POS with the subordinates' POS and performance. These findings suggest that supervisors who feel supported by the organization reciprocate with more supportive treatment for subordinates.
Related Concept Videos
Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Relationship Formation
Strategies of Self-Presentation I: Strategic Self-Presentation
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
Ryan and Deci's Self-Determination Theory
Autonomy is the need to feel in control of one's actions and decisions. For example, a student who chooses their research topic is likely to be more engaged and motivated than one who is...