The regulatory power of social expectations: developing a measurement scale
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 21 July 2022
Issue publication date: 23 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This research is devoted to the study of social expectations, and the purpose of this paper is to elaborate the instrument of their measurement based on the main spheres of influence.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted using a mixed methodology: a series of semistructured interviews and a survey. In the first stage, 15 interviews, and in the second phase, both online and offline surveys (306 participants) were conducted to test the social expectations scale designed. The qualitative phase highlighted the most important areas of social expectations, identifying how they can influence individual behavior. Afterward, the scale of social expectations was developed, and its prognostic function was confirmed.
Findings
It was revealed that expectations influence goal setting, motivation, public opinion orientation, emotional experience and decision-making.
Originality/value
This study is an attempt to construct a measurement tool for social expectations and close the gap for many studies that used the concept without operationalization.
Keywords
Citation
Parfenova, A. and Kozlova, M. (2023), "The regulatory power of social expectations: developing a measurement scale", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 43 No. 5/6, pp. 569-585. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-06-2022-0139
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited