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Cultural variation in individual’s responses to incivility by colleagues of different rank: The role of descriptive and injunctive norms

Moon, Chanki, Weick, Mario, Uskul, Ayse K. (2018) Cultural variation in individual’s responses to incivility by colleagues of different rank: The role of descriptive and injunctive norms. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48 (4). pp. 472-489. ISSN 0046-2772. E-ISSN 1099-0992. (doi:10.1002/ejsp.2344) (KAR id:67190)

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Abstract

The present research sought to establish how cultural settings create a normative context that determines individuals' reactions to subtle forms of mistreatment. Two experimental studies (n = 449) examined individuals' perceptions of high‐ and low‐ranking individuals' incivility in two national (Study 1) and two organizational (Study 2) cultural settings that varied in power distance. Consistent across studies, the uncivil actions of a high‐ranking perpetrator were deemed more acceptable than the uncivil actions of a low‐ranking perpetrator in the large power distance cultural settings, but not in the small power distance cultural settings. Differing injunctive norms (acceptability), but not descriptive norms (perceived likelihood of occurrence), contributed to cultural variations in the level of discomfort caused by incivility. In addition, perceptions of descriptive and injunctive norms coincided, but differed markedly in their associations with discomfort. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1002/ejsp.2344
Uncontrolled keywords: incivility, norms, power, culture, hierarchy
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: Ayse Uskul
Date Deposited: 04 Jun 2018 08:35 UTC
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2024 11:07 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/67190 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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University of Kent Author Information

Moon, Chanki.

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Weick, Mario.

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Uskul, Ayse K..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8013-9931
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