Prelims

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ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES

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ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES

Series Editors: Shane R. Thye and Edward J. Lawler

Recent Volumes:

Editorial Advisory Board

• Stephan Bernard

  Indiana University, USA

• Jessica Collett

  University of Notre Dame, USA

• Karen Hegtvedt

  Emory University, USA

• Michael Hogg

  Claremont Graduate University, USA

• Will Kalkhoff

  Kent State University, USA

• David Melamed

  University of South Carolina, USA

• Jane Sell

  Texas A&M University, USA

Title Page

ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES VOLUME 36

ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES

EDITED BY

SHANE R. THYE

University of South Carolina, USA

EDWARD J. LAWLER

Cornell University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2019

Copyright © 2019 Emerald Publishing Limited

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83867-504-2 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-503-5 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-505-9 (Epub)

ISSN: 0882-6145 (Series)

List of Contributors

Preface

Advances in Group Processes is a peer-reviewed annual volume that publishes theoretical analyses, reviews, and theory-based empirical chapters on group phenomena. The series adopts a broad conception of “group processes.” This includes work on groups ranging from the very small to the very large, and on classic and contemporary topics such as status, power, trust, justice, conflict, social influence, identity, decision-making, intergroup relations, and social networks. Previous contributors have included scholars from diverse fields including sociology, psychology, political science, economics, business, philosophy, computer science, mathematics, and organizational behavior.

Several years ago, we added an editorial board to the series to broaden the review process and draw upon the collective expertise of some of the top scholars in the discipline. That board consists of Stephan Bernard, Jessica Collett, Joseph Dippong, Karen Hegtvedt, Michael Hogg, Will Kalkhoff, David Melamed and Jane Sell. This group of scholars has made the series better and we are grateful for their service, guidance, and advice.

The first three chapters address a topic that is probably familiar to the majority of our readers – social status and its effects. First, Cecilia L. Ridgeway addresses the ubiquitous nature of status in “Understanding the Nature of Status Inequality: Why Is It Everywhere? Why Does It Matter?” As a preview to her book on the same topic, this chapter asserts that status stratification is a cultural invention used to navigate and manage social relations as individuals face nested, competitive interdependencies. The cultural nature of status is a key theme in the argument. Ridgeway argues that the cultural nature of status inequalities allows them to spread widely, be autonomous, and self-reproducing. This preface (and related book) will be a “must read” for scholars interested in race, gender, or class-based inequalities, as well as those interested in social stratification or status inequality more generally. Next, Martha Foschi, André Ndobo, and Alice Faure examine theory and research concerning the double standards phenomenon in “Assessing and Blocking Double Standards for Competence.” Specifically, they examine and assess the findings of the 17 social psychological experiments conducted to date that investigate when stricter standards are applied to people of lower social status. The results from this exhaustive coverage of the literature indicate that stricter standards are often applied to low-status individuals, and that certain factors moderate this relationship while others can even reverse it. They also identify and explore interventions from three research traditions designed to reduce double standards bias. This chapter will interest anyone concerned with double standards of competence, in addition to serving as an excellent reference for any student who is working on a thesis or dissertation in this area. Finally, the third chapter in this trio addresses how to control and reverse the unwanted status effects of gender. In “Controlling Status Effects of Gender,” Lisa Slattery Walker offers a new theoretically based intervention tactic that focuses on (1) controlling how the task is defined in relation to gender and (2) providing new additional information to the participants that opposes the status disadvantage. The results of a laboratory experiment are supportive. This chapter offers a fresh perspective on what has been a long line of research that deals with status interventions. Individuals interested in gender bias as well as general group processes should find this chapter quite informative.

The next two chapters address issues related to identity and its effects. First, Sucharita Belavadi and Michael A. Hogg review and integrate research from social identity theory and communication science in “Social Categorization and Identity Processes in Uncertainty Management: The Role of Intragroup Communication.” These authors use uncertainty-identity theory to contrast the different understandings of uncertainty and the identity-shaping functions of communication in groups. The authors explore how communications within groups can create and mold a shared realty for participants while simultaneously providing a framework for self-definition. They offer an agenda for future research that will certainly interest social scientists focused on identity formation, small group internal dynamics, and communication sciences. Next, Sarah K. Harkness and Amy Kroska address whether self-stigmatization affects the everyday interactions of people diagnosed with an affective mental health disorder in “Self-Stigma and the Social Interactions of Mental Health Patients.” Using affect control theory (ACT) to guide the analysis, Harkness and Kroska use Interact (a computerized instantiation of ACT) to produce empirically based simulations using data from the Indianapolis Mental Health Study. As predicted, individuals with high levels of self-stigma are affectively more negative than individuals with low self-stigma. The simulations further reveal that individuals are predicted to enact behaviors lower on evaluation, potency, and activity. This chapter promises to further inform scientists and practitioners working with patients who suffer from self-stigmatization.

Yue Liu and Lin Tao empirically examine a Durkheimian solution to the problem of social cooperation in “Rituals and Solidarity: The Effects of Synchrony and Complementarity on Cooperation.” Using a laboratory experiment they asked subjects to perform either synchronous, complimentary, or uncoordinated drumming. Participants were then asked to play a five-round publics goods dilemma. The results indicate more cooperation under conditions of synchronous and complimentary behavior, and that this effect is partially mediated by feelings of groupness. These findings are in line with many current theories of solidarity and cohesion and add growing support to the importance of emotions and perceptions in producing cooperation. This work should interest scholars who study solidarity, cohesion, emotion, and the problem of social order more generally.

The final chapter in the series addresses what potentially could be a serious problem in the workplace. Emily M. Zitek and Verena Krause explore how subordinates may develop a sense of entitlement in “Give Them an Inch and They’ll Expect a Mile: The Effects of Authority Leniency on Subordinate Entitlement.” They explore the conditions under which employees gain a sense of entitlement after being treated leniently by an authority figure. Specifically, they put forth 11 propositions related to the effects of an authority figure’s lenient treatment of subordinates. From a very practical perspective they assert that entitlement is not inevitable and offer advice for how authority figures may be lenient without inspiring a sense of entitlement in those they oversee. This chapter will interest not only academic types interested in authority, leadership, governance, and the like, but also anyone in a position of power who is responsible for the oversight of employees.

Shane R. Thye and Edward J. Lawler