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Although personal resources support adjustment during hard times at work, social resources can have comparable influence in preventing the negative impact of adverse circumstances (Hobfoll 2001 (See CR30), 2002 (See CR31)). This study investigates the contribution of both individual and group level positivity, a personal resource, in perceived intragroup conflict. Data on positivity and perceived intragroup conflict were collected from 140 employees belonging to 14 different groups at two different organizations and were analyzed using the Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny et al. 2012 (See CR41)). Results showed that, in the case of low others' positivity, high (vs. low) individual positivity led to lower intragroup conflict. However, when others' positivity was high, there was no difference in reported intragroup conflict for high and low positive individuals. Findings highlighted the importance of a positive social environment in determining individual adjustment at work. Future research can address how the beneficial effect of positivity on intragroup conflict may transport on important organizational outcomes. Ultimately, this study suggests that organizations should sustain positivity, at both the individual and the group levels., Author(s): Annalisa Theodorou [sup.1] , Stefano Livi [sup.1] , Guido Alessandri [sup.2] , Antonio Pierro [sup.1] , Gian Vittorio Caprara [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7841.a, Department of Social and Developmental [...]

AbstractVirtual reality (VR) finds many fields of application due to its capability to reproduce “in virtuo” real environments. Previous studies highlighted that exposure to virtual environments leads to restorativeness, which in turn is related to several positive psychological outcomes. However, the mechanisms that lead to restorativeness are still unclear. The main aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of the sense of presence in the relationship between exposure to virtual environments and restorativeness. We conducted a study with a 2 × 2 between-subjects design. Two conditions (archaeological vs. natural sites) were presented on two levels (2D vs. VR), on a sample of 199 participants (Mage = 22.49, SD = 7.22, range = 18–69). Results show a significant indirect effect of the sense of presence generated by VR on restorativeness, regardless of the condition presented. Our findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms of restorativeness enhanced by virtual environments. Limitations of the study, research developments, and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Urbanization processes are constantly increasing, and most of the European population currently live in urban areas. Nevertheless, evidence is consistent in highlighting the positive association between nature exposure and human wellbeing, although individual differences might affect this association. Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the association among nature connectedness, conceptualized as Love and Care for Nature, place identity, and physical wellbeing, via restorativeness and positive and negative affect. A total of 312 visitors of an urban green area (i.e., Milan’s Parco Nord) participated in the study. They completed an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Findings showed that nature connectedness and place identity positively affect physical wellbeing, via restorativeness and positive affect, but not through the negative ones. Discussion: Results highlight the importance of the joint role of exposure to nature and individual differences in promoting wellbeing. This study offers implications for interventions aimed at enhancing individuals’ health through exposure to nature. Limitations of the study and future research developments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational identification has been linked to both positive behavior and negative behavior at work. Based on theory and research that suggest that for many organizational behaviors, team identification may be a more important influence than organizational identification, we advance a research model proposing that team identification, more than organizational identification, predicts counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior and is the more important mediator of the influence of communication climate (CC) and perceived external prestige (PEP) on these outcomes. This research model was tested in a survey of N = 300 employees of four Italian organizations from different sectors. Results show that team identification, but not organizational identification, predicts counterproductive behavior and citizenship behavior and mediates the influence of CC and PEP. To enhance team identification for sustaining positive voluntary behavior at work, two possible strategies could be considered: improving perceived external prestige and promoting a good communication climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have more negative effects on women than men. Accordingly, we hypothesized that women would experience greater COVID-19 related distress and more psychopathological symptoms than men during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Moreover, we expected emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, as protective and risk factors respectively) to interact with gender in shaping psychological health. We administered an online questionnaire to 1519 participants during the first national COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. As predicted, women reported greater COVID-19 related distress and more psychopathological symptoms than men. Furthermore, women who made greater use of reappraisal reported lower levels of distress and fewer psychopathological symptoms. Suppression was associated with more psychopathological symptoms, but there were no interaction effects with gender. Our findings have implications for policymakers wishing to sustain women's health during stressful situations such as the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New members are important sources of innovative perspectives in groups. However, it can be very difficult for newcomers' ideas to be heard. It is likely that group members with high (vs. low) levels of need for closure (NFC) are more resistant to newcomers' innovative ideas. Moreover, when group epistemic authority (EA) is high, members should "freeze" on the group's ideas, regardless of the newcomer's EA. In contrast, when group EA is low, members would be expected to "seize" the ideas proposed by newcomers with high EA. Study 1 confirmed that high (vs. low) NFC group members are more resistant to newcomers' innovative ideas. In Study 2, in high NFC groups, evidence was obtained for seizing but not freezing. In Study 3, for group members with heightened NFC, both freezing and seizing results were obtained. Findings suggest that both NFC and EA play important roles in receptivity to newcomers' ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals are motivated to have a reassuring vision of their partners' characteristics that are central to the relationship such as romantic engagement. This can be particularly true for individuals with high levels of need for closure (NFC). In order to preserve a comforting and stable view of the relationship, they might be motivated by greater assumed similarity and lesser accuracy in perceiving partners' romantic engagement. Three‐hundred‐fifteen heterosexual couples filled out a questionnaire with measures of NFC and self‐ and other‐reported romantic engagement (harmonious and obsessive). Results showed that, for both types of romantic engagement, assumed similarity and accuracy effects were positive and significant. Moreover, NFC had a moderating role in the assumed similarity and accuracy effects in harmonious romantic engagement. In particular, high NFC individuals showed greater assumed similarity and lower accuracy compared to low NFC individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last thirty years, the actor-partner interdependence model (Kenny, 1996) became an important methodology to address interpersonal perceptions in dyads. In this contribution, we present each practical step to conduct an extended version of it, the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (Ledermann, Macho, & Kenny, 2011) using multilevel modeling. Specifically, we posit that individuals' and their romantic partners' positivity, a personality disposition, enhance relationship satisfaction, through the individuals' perceptions of partners' positivity. Results from 161 heterosexual couples confirmed that both actor and partner's positivity predicted satisfaction directly and indirectly, through the actor's perception of partner's positivity. Therefore, importantly, in the observed relationships, the mediating role of the individuals' perception of their partners confirmed the theoretical assumptions of the interpersonal perception framework. The innovative contribution of this work lays, in actual fact, in the possibility offered by the model proposed to include this latter variable as a mediator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]