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Related Concept Videos

Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory01:29

Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory

Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus: Comparing...
Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects01:29

Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects

Self-discrepancy theory explains how people compare their actual self to their ideal and ought selves and how mismatches between these self-guides can lead to emotional distress. Developed by E. Tory Higgins, the theory distinguishes among three components of self-concept: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. These refer respectively to how individuals perceive themselves, how they aspire to be, and how they believe they are obligated to be. Emotional well-being, self-esteem,...
Confirmation Biases01:31

Confirmation Biases

The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
Motivational Bias01:25

Motivational Bias

Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
Fundamental Attribution Error01:14

Fundamental Attribution Error

According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is called the fundamental attribution...

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Related Experiment Videos

Why do overqualified incumbents deviate? Examining multiple mediators.

Aleksandra Luksyte1, Christiane Spitzmueller, Douglas C Maynard

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5022, USA. alexluksyte@gmail.com

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
|July 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Overqualified employees often exhibit counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) due to cynicism about their job

Related Experiment Videos

Area of Science:

  • Organizational Psychology
  • Workplace Behavior

Background:

  • High unemployment leads to more overqualified employees.
  • Overqualification occurs when employees have more skills than their job requires.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Examine if overqualified employees display more counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs).
  • Investigate the reasons behind CWBs in overqualified employees.
  • Compare potential mediators for these behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized person-environment fit theory and the stressor-emotion model of CWBs.
  • Collected data from a sample of 215 full-time employees.
  • Analyzed the relationship between overqualification, cynicism, and CWBs.

Main Results:

  • Overqualified employees are more prone to CWBs.
  • Cynicism regarding job meaningfulness is a primary driver of CWBs.
  • Poor person-job fit and psychological contract issues also contribute but are secondary to cynicism.

Conclusions:

  • Cynicism is the dominant mediator explaining why overqualified employees engage in CWBs.
  • Addressing employee cynicism is crucial for mitigating counterproductive behaviors in overqualified workforces.