Affirming who I am

Effects of intrinsic and extrinsic affirmations on responses to interpersonal offenses in the workplace

Bibliographic Data

ID21620142
AuthorsMianlin Deng (0000-0001-9542-3070, Shanghai Normal University Department of Psychology, , Shanghai), Xiujun Li (0000-0003-2260-6858, Shanghai Normal University Department of Psychology, , Shanghai), Feng Wang (0000-0003-4825-1151, Shanghai Normal University Department of Human Resources Management, , Shanghai), Wendian Shi (0000-0003-3605-0782, Shanghai Normal University Department of Psychology, , Shanghai)
Year2022
Volume33
Issue5
Pages829-859
Publication date2022-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Conflict Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1044-4068 • E-ISSN: 1758-8545
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/ijcma-08-2021-0123
OpenAlexW4283383184
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited105

Purpose Previous research has demonstrated that affirming an individual’s self-worth in intrinsic, stable aspects (e.g. personal attributes) enhances their pro-relationship tendencies, as compared to affirming extrinsic aspects of the individual (e.g. performance). This is especially so among people in certain dissatisfying relationships (e.g. romantic relationships). Extending this finding to organizational contexts, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of affirmation type (intrinsic vs extrinsic affirmations) on responses to workplace offenses among employees with high versus low job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Studies 1 ( N = 224) and 2 ( N = 358) examined the effects of intrinsic versus extrinsic affirmations on responses to hypothetical and real workplace offenses. Furthermore, to compare the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic affirmations to the baseline level, Study 3 ( N = 441) added a control condition and examined the effects of affirmation type (intrinsic vs extrinsic vs control) on responses to workplace offenses. Findings For employees with low (but not high) job satisfaction, (1) intrinsic (vs extrinsic) affirmations promoted more prosocial responses (forgiveness and reconciliation) to workplace offenses; (2) although not as effective as intrinsic affirmations, extrinsic affirmations (vs baseline) also triggered prosocial intentions toward workplace offenses. Originality/value First, the study enriches the literature on workplace offenses by focusing on an individual-level factor – self-worth – that can be intervened (e.g. affirming one’s self-worth) by organizations and managers so as to promote prosocial responses to workplace offenses. Second, the study expands the scope of the self-affirmation theory in organizational contexts by examining the effectiveness of intrinsic and extrinsic affirmations in coping with workplace offenses. Third, practically speaking, the study provides a brief intervention (the writing task of describing an intrinsic or extrinsic affirmation experience) that can boost pro-relationships in the workplace

Forgiveness · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal relationship · Job satisfaction · Organizational Behavior · Originality · Prosocial behavior · Social exchange theory · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Personality Traits and Psychology · Psychology · Social Psychology

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