Organizational Injustice and Psychological Strain.

Characterizing perceived injustice as a form of stress, we examined the main and interactive relationships among interactional, procedural, and distributive injustice and psychological strain while controlling for job insecurity. Using moderated multiple regression analysis with a sample of 1,083 government employees, we show that interactional, procedural, and distributive injustice are all unique predictors of psychological strain that account for significant unique variance beyond that explained by job insecurity. Those individuals who perceive more interactional, procedural, or distributive injustice at work reported a higher degree of strain. However, there were no significant interactive effects, suggesting that these three categories of perceived injustice do not interact to predict symptoms of psychological strain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The code of ethics of the French Psychological Society.

"The APA (1963) and the SFP (Société Fran?aise de Psychologie) codes of ethics have several major aspects in common. First, both codes deal in some detail with the issue of professional confidentiality." "Second, both codes recognize the social responsibility which psychologists carry… . Finally both codes recognize that obtaining and evaluating psychological data must involve the utilization of scientific method and that accurate and complete reporting of results is one of the important components of this method." The Code of Ethics of the SFP has 7 major sections titled as follows: Area of Application, Ethics, Professional Confidentiality, Respect of Others, Science, Technical Independence, Professional Independence, The code is stated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exchange Relationships: Examining Psychological Contracts and Perceived Organizational Support.

The authors surveyed 347 public sector employees on 4 measurement occasions to investigate the conceptual distinctiveness of the psychological contract and perceived organizational support (POS) and how they are associated over time. Results support the distinctiveness of the 2 concepts. In terms of their interrelationships over time, by drawing on psychological contract theory the authors found little support for a reciprocal relationship between POS and psychological contract fulfillment. Under an alternative set of hypotheses, by drawing on organizational support theory and by separating psychological contract fulfillment into its 2 components (perceived employer obligations and inducements), the authors found that perceived employer inducements were positively related to POS, which, in turn, was negatively related to perceived employer obligations. The results suggest that POS and the components of psychological contract fulfillment are more important in predicting organizational citizenship behavior than psychological contract fulfillment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The simple structure of the American Psychological Association.

"… a reorganization of the APA and the Psychometric Society into seven major divisions is suggested on the basis of a factor analysis of membership data. The proposed divisions can be designated as follows: quantitative, theoretical, experimental, personnel, clinical, social, and developmental." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A simpler structure of the American Psychological Association.

Subjected data on overlapping affiliation within the 29 divisions of the American Psychological Association for Associates, Members, and Fellows in 1970 to factor analysis. Both phi coefficients and Winer coefficients (i.e., cosines of the angles between 2 group vectors) were used. An interpretation based on a 7-factor solution for Members and Fellows led to the following factors: (a) clinical or psychotherapy, (b) developmental, (c) physiological-experimental, (d) general, (e) consumer-industrial, (f) engineering-military, and (g) educational. A 3-factor solution (combining clinical and developmental; physiological-experimental and general; and engineering-military, consumer-industrial, and educational) suggested 3 superdivisions: general, applied, and developmental. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reminiscences on a British Psychological Society Convention.

In this article the author comments upon being able to attend the 1963 spring convention of the British Psychological Society (BPS). He explains the location of the convention and briefly discusses some of the papers that were presented. He notes one of the largest audiences was drawn by a presentation by Neal Miller, reviewing, in the Midwestern "genre," some of the recent work done by himself and his students. At another interesting session, Eysenck lectured upon, and discussed, some of the theorizing and evidence presented in his Handbook of Abnormal Psychology. Overall, the author reports that the Reading BPS Convention was a most memorable event in his year's sojourn in Europe. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological Contract and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in China: Investigating Generalizability and Instrumentality.

This study examined the generalizability of psychological contract forms observed in the West (D. M. Rousseau, 2000) to China. Using 2 independent samples, results confirmed the generalizability of 3 psychological contract forms: transactional, relational, and balanced. This study also examined the nature of relationships of psychological contracts with organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In particular, this study explored the role of instrumentality as a mediating psychological process. The authors found evidence that instrumentality mediates the relationship of relational and balanced forms with OCB; however, the transactional contract form is directly related to OCB. The authors discuss the implications of these results for the meaning of psychological contracts and OCB in China and raise issues for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple Dimensions of Organizational Identification and Commitment as Predictors of Turnover Intentions and Psychological Well-Being.

Although it is recognized that identification and commitment are closely related aspects of employees' psychological attachment to the organization, there has been no analysis of the overlap between multiple dimensions of each construct. In this study, three-component models of organizational identification and commitment were investigated as predictors of turnover intentions and psychological well-being (self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and self-efficacy) among employees (N = 60) of a small organization. Highly identified employees tended to be committed ones, but different dimensions of each construct were specifically linked to various criteria. Affective components of both identification and commitment were negatively associated with turnover intentions, and positive in-group affect (i.e., feelings derived from being a member of the organization) predicted perceptions of self-efficacy. Continuance commitment was distinct from the other predictors, and was negatively related to self-esteem and self-efficacy. The results warrant further efforts to integrate the perspectives of social identity theory and organizational psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior and heredity: Statement by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

In response to a comment by E. B. Page (1972), the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) Council unanimously passed a resolution that an SPSSI Commission be constituted to deal with the issue of equality. Initial actions taken by the Commission are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Psychological Screening Inventory items in a normal population.

Reports 2 parallel item-level factor analyses of the Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI), using 2 sets of 400 Ss each from the original normative sample. PSI scale scores were also included for use as marker variables. Each analysis defined 5 comparable factors. Factor 1 loaded most highly on the Alienation scale and was interpreted as representing serious psychopathology. Factor 2 strongly represented the Expression dimension of extraversion-introversion. Factors 3 and 4, only weakly represented in the item pool, were labeled "Acting Out" and "Protestant Ethic." Factor 5 was strongly identified as the Discomfort dimension of general maladjustment. Results indicate some similarity between the nature of the standard PSI scales and the item factor structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparing the Influence of Traumatic and Organizational Stressors on the Psychological Health of Police, Fire, and Ambulance Officers.

This research compared the ability of organizational and traumatic stress to predict psychological strain and job satisfaction in 686 officers from New Zealand's police, fire, and ambulance services. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling techniques. The police model was not replicable across the samples, indicative of the unique experience of occupational stress for police officers. A 2nd model best described the fire and ambulance data, indicating no difference in stress experiences for these respondents. Organizational and traumatic stress reactions were predictive of psychological strain to similar extents. However, organizational stressors predicted job satisfaction to a far greater extent than did trauma symptomatology. The management of occupational stress, psychological health, and job satisfaction within emergency service workers is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family-Responsive Interventions, Perceived Organizational and Supervisor Support, Work-Family Conflict, and Psychological Strain.

This study examined organizational family-responsive policies, perceptions of the organization as family supportive, and supervisor support as issues that may be salient to the experience of conflict between paid employment (work) and family roles. Data were collected from 355 managerial personnel in New Zealand. Although work-family conflict and psychological strain were strongly linked, the availability of organizational policies had no significant association with levels of conflict or strain, whereas policy usage was related only to work-to-family interference and not to family-to-work interference. On the other hand, perceptions of the organization as family supportive and supervisor support for work-family balance displayed significant relationships with key variables, highlighting the importance of these variables for interventions designed to ameliorate the negative impact of work-family conflict on managerial well-being. Implications for the effective implementation of family-responsive interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological distress among recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel, II. The effects of the Gulf War

The psychological effects of the Gulf War were studied on a group of Israeli civilians particularly at risk, viz. recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union. A quasi-experimental design was used. A sample of immigrants who had already been screened for psychological distress just before the war were reassessed after the war with the same instrument (PERI demoralization questionnaire). Various parameters related to the war period were also assessed. Psychological symptoms during the war were significantly associated with pre-war level of distress and with actual physical harm from the missiles, but not with exposure to danger (proximity of residence to areas hit by missiles). Correlates of behaviour in the face of life-threatening danger during the war (change of residence and help-seeking behaviour) were also identified. Overall the level of post-war psychological distress was not found to be higher than pre-war levels. This was explained by the immigrants' feelings of shared fate, belonging and sense of cohesion, which characterize the general Israeli population during war time.     

Organizational character.

Character, referring to the consistency of individual behavior, is also a useful concept for understanding organizations. Its early origins in an organization are reflected in the people chosen successively to manage it. Its ingrained nature is reflected in the behavioral consistency of its managers. Its characteristic modes of adaptation are indicative of its enduring embeddedness in the organization. Both origins and continuity presage difficulties in consultation for organizational change, requiring both confrontation with the realities the organization faces and support to counteract the sense of helpless guilt in individuals aroused by the need to change their established modes of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational culture.

The concept of organizational culture has received increasing attention in recent years both from academics and practitioners. This article presents the author's view of how culture should be defined and analyzed if it is to be of use in the field of organizational psychology. Other concepts are reviewed, a brief history is provided, and case materials are presented to illustrate how to analyze culture and how to think about culture change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consideration of Consulting Psychology/Organizational Educational Principles as they relate to the practice of industrial-organizational psychology and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's Education and Training Guidelines.

This article is written on behalf of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) to present its reactions to the "Principles for Education and Training at the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Level in Consulting Psychology/Organizational" (R. L. Lowman et al, Education and Training Committee, see record 2003-04049-003). An overview of the history and practice of industrial-organizational psychology is provided. The Consulting Principles are then compared with SIOP Education and Training Guidelines (SIOP Guidelines, 1985 and 1999), and recommendations are made for enhancements to the Consulting Principles. The primary recommendation is for the addition of a second tier of competencies focusing on the knowledge, skill, and abilities that underlie the types of work described in the Individual-, Group-, and Organizational-Level Competencies. As an alternative, the Consulting Principles could focus on consulting skills and refer to the appropriate APA divisions regarding specialty areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Soviet psychology on the path of perestroika.

Current socioeconomic restructuring in the Soviet Union challenges psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a social institution. The status of contemporary Soviet psychology in terms of specialty training, practical functioning, and scientific communication is briefly outlined. The present crisis in the overall field, as it is viewed by Soviet psychologists, is discussed. Remedies sought to restore theoretical scholarship and practical application of Soviet psychology are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarianism in the former Soviet Union.

Two studies examined the relevance of the authoritarian personality in the Soviet Union. In a 1991 Moscow quota sample, authoritarianism strongly predicted support for reactionary leaders and military actions and opposition to democratic and non-Russian leaders and to democratic activities. The positive correlation between authoritarianism and support for Marxist–Leninist ideology was significant but lower than in 1989. Consistent with the theory that conventionalism is a central attribute of authoritarianism, Russian authoritarianism predicted support for equalitarianism and opposition to laissez-faire individualism, whereas in a comparison American sample these relationships were reversed. The lower Russian consistencies on scales measuring norms of justice are interpreted as differences in how Soviets and Americans relate abstract thought and values to particular policies and activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)