Konformitet ses som att människor anpassar sitt beteende utifrån andra och betraktas ofta som något negativt i västerlänska samhällen. Syftet med undersökningen var att framhäva om konformitet gynnade människor när andra ansågs bidra med nyttig information, konstruera ett mätinstrument för normativ och informativ social influens samt undersöka samband mellan personlighetsindexar och konformitet. En enkätstudie genomfördes med totalt 83 deltagare från en högskola i Mellansverige. Deltagarna delades in i två grupper, där konformitetsgruppen fick, tillskillnad från kontrollgruppen, en procentsats vid varje kunskapsfråga. Resultaten visade att konformitet förekom och att det gynnade sig att följa strömmen vid lätta och medelsvåra kunskapsfrågor. Ytterligare förekom det inga samband mellan personlighetsindexarna och konformitet. Slutsatsen var att människor inte borde se konformitet som något negativt, utan bör ibland ta del av det majoriteten har att erbjuda i vardagliga situationer. Förhoppningsvis kommer det konstruerade mätinstrumentet användas i framtida forskningar.

Baumeister and Leary (1995) propose with their Need to Belong Theory that negative affect would occur upon the disruption of an existing or even potential social connection. The present paper presents two studies that sought to resolve past contradictory research by examining how rejection by various sources (romantic partners, family members, close friends, or strangers) impact the rejectee’s emotional responses. The first study, which used a recalled memory of rejection, yielded no significant differences in mood, need to belong, threat to the four fundamental needs, or state self-esteem for the different sources. However, the second study, which used imagined scenarios, found that the source of rejection had a significant effect on the rejectee’s levels of hurt feelings, sadness, and perceived level of rejection, indicating that the effects of rejection are influenced by the relationship people have with their rejecters. This has many implications on how we understand relational dynamics and rejection.

abstract: Increasing numbers of Asian international students enter the U.S. each year; however, this group remains highly understudied. This is particularly true in regard to alcohol use and behavior. The purpose of the current study was to investigate if and how the sociocultural factors of social norm perception, perceived language discrimination, and need to belong relate to drinking motivation among Asian international students. Hierarchical regression was used with 194 self-identified Asian international student participants to analyze two separate three-way interactions. It was hypothesized that high social norm perceptions, greater perceived language discrimination, and high need to belong would interact to predict greater 1) drinking to cope, and 2) drinking to conform. Results did not support either hypothesis; however, main effects indicated that perceived language discrimination was related to drinking to cope and drinking to conform. In addition, need to belong and social norm perception interacted to predict drinking to conform. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling 2016

Who is the nostalgia-prone person? The 'sociality view' sees an individual who frequently recalls meaningful memories rich in social content. The 'maladaptation view' sees an emotionally unstable, neurotic individual. In four studies, we integrated these contrasting views. We hypothesized that the link between neuroticism and nostalgia proneness arises because (a) neuroticism is associated with the need to belong and (b) the need to belong triggers nostalgia, with its abundant social content. Consistent with this hypothesis, Studies 1-2 found that the correlation between neuroticism and nostalgia proneness was eliminated when controlling for the need to belong. The need to belong predicted increased nostalgia proneness, above and beyond neuroticism. Specifically, Study 2 revealed that a deficit-reduction (rather than growth) belongingness orientation predicted increased nostalgia proneness. When the role of this deficit-reduction belongingness orientation was controlled, the positive correlation between neuroticism and nostalgia disappeared. Studies 3-4 showed that experimental inductions of a belongingness deficit augmented nostalgia, providing support for its compensatory role.

Who is the nostalgia-prone person? The 'sociality view' sees an individual who frequently recalls meaningful memories rich in social content. The 'maladaptation view' sees an emotionally unstable, neurotic individual. In four studies, we integrated these contrasting views. We hypothesized that the link between neuroticism and nostalgia proneness arises because (a) neuroticism is associated with the need to belong and (b) the need to belong triggers nostalgia, with its abundant social content. Consistent with this hypothesis, Studies 1-2 found that the correlation between neuroticism and nostalgia proneness was eliminated when controlling for the need to belong. The need to belong predicted increased nostalgia proneness, above and beyond neuroticism. Specifically, Study 2 revealed that a deficit-reduction (rather than growth) belongingness orientation predicted increased nostalgia proneness. When the role of this deficit-reduction belongingness orientation was controlled, the positive correlation between neuroticism and nostalgia disappeared. Studies 3-4 showed that experimental inductions of a belongingness deficit augmented nostalgia, providing support for its compensatory role.

This study examined the differences in individual self-esteem, collective self-esteem and the need to belong between group members and non-group members of Greek organizations, religious groups and ethnic/cultural organizations. Participants were freshman and sophomore students from a large southeastern university. Participants were given Rosenberg's (1965) self-esteem scale, Lutanen and Cracker's (1992) collective self-esteem scale and the Need to Belong scale by Leary et al., (2005), as well as asked about their various group affiliations. It was found that participants who reported belonging to a Greek organization scored significantly higher on the Need to Belong scale than their counterparts. Also, participants who reported a religious affiliation scored significantly higher on the public collective self-esteem subscale than those who reported no religious affiliation. Participants who reported belonging to an ethnic/cultural organization showed similar scores on the three scales to those who did not report such an affiliation. Further research should expand this study to an older more mature population because there are likely to be differences on these scales for those who report a religious affiliation and those who do not.

Digitaliseringen är djupt rotat i det svenska samhället och idag ser vi att majoriteten av svenskarna använder internet och sociala medier i stor utsträckning (IIS, 2017). Sociala medier-stalkning (SM-stalkning) är det relativt nya fenomenet som innebär att hämta information om andra människor via sociala plattformar som Facebook eller Instagram. Tidigare forskning har fokuserat på nära, redan etablerade relationer. Denna uppsats ämnar undersöka sociala medier-stalkning i relation till nya och potentiella relationer genom att besvara frågorna om vilken utsträckning detta beteende sker, hur det varierar mellan olika grupper och vilka faktorer som kan förklara beteendet. Med en kvantitativ utgångspunkt formulerades en webbenkät som skickades ut via Facebook. Resultatet analyserades sedan i tre fokusområden i multipla linjära regressionsmodeller samt medelvärdestabeller. Resultatet visade att sociala medier stalkning är ett vanligt beteende men att det skiljer sig i vilken utsträckning det genomförs. De gruppskillnader som hittades i studien var att kvinnor gör beteendet mer än män, studenter gör beteendet mer än heltidsarbetare och yngre SM-stalkar mer än äldre. Efter att ha konstanthållt för samtliga fokusområden (sociodemografi, personlighetsdrag och ensamhet) visade det sig att resultatet som var signifikant i våra regressionsmodeller, pekar på att de förklaringsfaktorer till varför människor SM-stalkar var; viktighet av att bli omtyckt samt användning av den information som uppkommer vid SM-stalkning. Vi argumenterar för att detta handlar om kontroll respektive konformitet inom ramarna för människors fundamentala behov av att tillhöra sociala relationer och grupper.

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This thesis by publication contributes to our knowledge of psychological factors underlying a modern day phenomenon, young people’s mobile phone behaviour. Specifically, the thesis reports a PhD program of research which adopted a social psychological approach to explore mobile phone behaviour among young Australians aged between 15 and 24 years. A particular focus of the research program was to explore both the cognitive and behavioural aspects of young people’s mobile phone behaviour which for the purposes of this thesis is defined as mobile phone involvement. The research program comprised three separate stages which were developmental in nature, in that, the findings of each stage of the research program informed the next. The overarching goal of the program of research was to improve our understanding of the psychosocial factors influencing young people’s mobile phone behaviour. To achieve this overall goal, there were a number of aims to the research program which reflect the developmental nature of this thesis. Given the limited research into the mobile phone behaviour in Australia, the first two aims of the research program were to explore patterns of mobile phone behaviour among Australian youth and explore the social psychological factors relating to their mobile phone behaviour. Following this exploration, the research program sought to develop a measure which captures the cognitive and behavioural aspects of mobile phone behaviour. Finally, the research program aimed to examine and differentiate the psychosocial predictors of young people’s frequency of mobile phone use and their level of involvement with their mobile phone. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used throughout the program of research. Five papers prepared during the three stages of the research program form the bulk of this thesis. The first stage of the research program was a qualitative investigation of young people’s mobile phone behaviour. Thirty-two young Australians participated in a series of focus groups in which they discussed their mobile phone behaviour. Thematic data analysis explored patterns of mobile phone behaviour among young people, developed an understanding of psychological factors influencing their use of mobile phones, and identified that symptoms of addiction were emerging in young people’s mobile phone behaviour. Two papers (Papers 1 and 2) emanated from this first stage of the research program. Paper 1 explored patterns of mobile phone behaviour and revealed that mobile phones were perceived as being highly beneficial to young people’s lives, with the ability to remain in constant contact with others being particularly valued. The paper also identified that symptoms of behavioural addiction including withdrawal, cognitive and behavioural salience, and loss of control, emerged in participants’ descriptions of their mobile phone behaviour. Paper 2 explored how young people’s need to belong and their social identity (two constructs previously unexplored in the context of mobile phone behaviour) related to their mobile phone behaviour. It was revealed that young people use their mobile phones to facilitate social attachments. Additionally, friends and peers influenced young people’s mobile phone behaviour; for example, their choice of mobile phone carrier and their most frequent type of mobile phone use. These papers laid the foundation for the further investigation of addictive patterns of behaviour and the role of social psychological factors on young people’s mobile behaviour throughout the research program. Stage 2 of the research program focussed on developing a new parsimonious measure of mobile phone behaviour, the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ), which captured the cognitive and behavioural aspects of mobile phone use. Additionally, the stage included a preliminary exploration of factors influencing young people’s mobile phone behaviour. Participants (N = 946) completed a questionnaire which included a pool of items assessing symptoms of behavioural addiction, the uses and gratifications relating to mobile phone use, and self-identity and validation from others in the context of mobile phone behaviour. Two papers (Papers 3 & 4) emanated from the second stage of the research program. Paper 3 provided an important link between the qualitative and quantitative components of the research program. Qualitative data from Stage 1 indicated the reasons young people use their mobile phones and identified addictive characteristics present in young people’s mobile phone behaviour. Results of the quantitative study conducted in Stage 2 of the research program revealed the uses and gratifications relating to young people’s mobile phone behaviour and the effect of these gratifications on young people’s frequency of mobile phone use and three indicators of addiction, withdrawal, salience, and loss of control. Three major uses and gratifications: self (such as feeling good or as a fashion item), social (such as contacting friends), and security (such as use in an emergency) were found to underlie much of young people’s mobile phone behaviour. Self and social gratifications predicted young people’s frequency of mobile phone use and the three indicators of addiction but security gratifications did not. These results provided an important foundation for the inclusion of more specific psychosocial predictors in the later stages of the research program. Paper 4 reported the development of the mobile phone involvement questionnaire and a preliminary exploration of the effect of self-identity and validation from others on young people’s mobile phone behaviour. The MPIQ assessed a unitary construct and was a reliable measure amongst this cohort. Results found that self-identity influenced the frequency of young people’s use whereas self-identity and validation from others influenced their level of mobile phone involvement. These findings provided an important indication that, in addition to self factors, other people have a strong influence on young people’s involvement with their mobile phone and that mobile phone involvement is conceptually different to frequency of mobile phone use. Stage 3 of the research program empirically examined the psychosocial predictors of young people’s mobile behaviour and one paper, Paper 5, emanated from this stage. Young people (N = 292) from throughout Australia completed an online survey assessing the role of self-identity, ingroup norm, the need to belong, and self-esteem on their frequency of mobile phone use and their mobile phone involvement. Self-identity was the only psychosocial predictor of young people’s frequency of mobile phone use. In contrast, self-identity, ingroup norm, and need to belong all influenced young people’s level of involvement with their mobile phone. Additionally, the effect of self-esteem on young people’s mobile phone involvement was mediated by their need to belong. These results indicate that young people who perceive their mobile phone to be an integral part of their self-identity, who perceive that mobile phone is common amongst friends and peers, and who have a strong need for attachment to others, in some cases driven by a desire to enhance their self-esteem, are most likely to become highly involved with their mobile phones. Overall, this PhD program of research has provided an important contribution to our understanding of young Australians’ mobile phone behaviour. Results of the program have broadened our knowledge of factors influencing mobile phone behaviour beyond the approaches used in previous research. The use of various social psychological theories combined with a behavioural addiction framework provided a novel examination of young people’s mobile behaviour. In particular, the development of a new measure of mobile phone behaviour in the research program facilitated the differentiation of the psychosocial factors influencing frequency of young people’s mobile phone behaviour and their level of involvement with their mobile phone. Results of the research program indicate the important role that mobile phone behaviour plays in young people’s social development and also signals the characteristics of those people who may become highly involved with their mobile phone. Future research could build on this thesis by exploring whether mobile phones are affecting traditional social psychological processes and whether the results in this research program are generalisable to other cohorts and other communication technologies.

Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-05-24T14:33:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Joao Quadro Neto.pdf: 961182 bytes, checksum: a6dd4ffb334336aa87127ac126c5c2db (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-24T14:33:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Joao Quadro Neto.pdf: 961182 bytes, checksum: a6dd4ffb334336aa87127ac126c5c2db (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Este estudo se propôs a investigar, dentre as suas questões norteadoras, aquelas ligadas ao espaço que as redes sociais de comunicação informal – RSCIs - ocupam dentro das organizações industriais. Assume como hipótese que as RSCIs ajudam os seus integrantes a melhor entenderem o ambiente organizacional, promovem a interação social e, por conseqüência, estimulam o sentimento de pertença dos indivíduos, facilitando, dessa forma, o processo de comprometimento deles com a organização. Pertença é entendida no estudo como um sentimento em que o indivíduo assume que este lugar lhe pertence, de tal forma, que acredita ser possível participar dele e que vale à pena interferir na sua rotina e nos seus destinos. O estudo admitiu como premissa que as “sombras organizacionais” e a “disfuncionalidade comportamental” do seu corpo gerencial são variáveis que não somente contribuem para as “incongruências” entre o discurso e a prática nas organizações, mas também, influenciam na formação de traços patológicos na personalidade de uma organização. Dentro da premissa o estudo assume também que estes traços patológicos e as revoluções porque passam as organizações influenciam no grau de intensidade das RSCIs nesses ambientes. Para a confirmação da hipótese o autor se valeu do método fenomenológico, colocando em suspensão os valores declarados por duas empresas industriais com diferentes estilos gerenciais, os valores percebidos pelos seus empregados e a configuração da comunicação informal naquelas empresas, de modo a poder mapear as possíveis “incongruências” existentes e suas conseqüências sobre o desempenho das redes sociais de comunicação informal. Como apoio ao estudo utilizou-se de pesquisas quantitativas estratificadas com empregados e gerentes das referidas empresas, cujos resultados foram analisados num formato de estudo de caso. Esta metodologia revelou a coerência da premissa e a confirmação da hipótese. Como resultado desta investigação, o estudo propõe um modelo para construção de uma comunicação interna mais integrada, que possa manter um convívio mais harmônico entre a comunicação formal e a informal dentro das organizações industriais. / Salvador