The psychology of offering an apology: Understanding the barriers to apologizing and how to overcome them

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Schumann

After committing an offense, a transgressor faces an important decision regarding whether and how to apologize to the person who was harmed. The actions he or she chooses to take after committing an offense can have dramatic implications for the victim, the transgressor, and their relationship. Although high quality apologies are extremely effective at promoting reconciliation, transgressors often choose to offer a perfunctory apology, withhold an apology, or respond defensively to the victim. Why might this be? In this article, I propose three major barriers to offering high quality apologies: (1) low concern for the victim or relationship, (2) perceived threat to self-image, and (3) perceived apology ineffectiveness. I review recent research examining how these barriers affect transgressors’ apology behavior, and describe insights this emerging work provides for developing methods to move transgressors towards more reparative behavior. Finally, I discuss important directions for future research.

Author(s):  
Jarrett R. Bachman ◽  
John S. Hull ◽  
Byron Marlowe

The number of craft breweries in British Columbia has grown significantly in recent years,numbering over 140 in 2017. Very little is known about the effects of the craft brewery industryin British Columbia, specifically as it relates to impacts not related to brewery revenue and jobcreation. Beyond British Columbia, the craft beer industry has not empirically examined non-revenue impacts in a manner that reflects the global growth of the sector. Tourism experiences,such as those offered by craft breweries, are becoming increasingly important for resilience and sustainable growth and success of destinations. The goal of this research was to determine whovisitors to craft breweries are, how tourist and resident patrons differ, and what effects craftbreweries have on tourists who visit breweries. A 55 item survey was distributed at 11 craftbreweries in three regions in British Columbia during the summer of 2017. Results founddifferences between tourist and resident patrons in self-image congruency, age and travel partysize, but no difference in gender, education, or household income. From a tourism standpoint, itwas found that memories have a significant, positive impact on loyalty regarding the breweryand the destination. For tourists, strong connections were found between social involvement andboth authenticity and place attachment for those who were more socially involved in craft beer.Comparisons to previous research in the wine industry provide additional commentary.Implications for craft breweries, destinations, and future research in this area are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajeet Kumar Mohanty ◽  
Charles de Souza ◽  
Deepika Harjai ◽  
Prathamesh Ghavanalkar ◽  
Mezia Fernandes ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Efforts to study the biology of Plasmodium vivax liver stages, particularly the latent hypnozoites, have been hampered by the limited availability of P. vivax sporozoites. Anopheles stephensi is a major urban malaria vector in Goa and elsewhere in South Asia. Using P. vivax patient blood samples, a series of standard membrane-feeding experiments were performed with An. stephensi under the US NIH International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) for Malaria Evolution in South Asia (MESA). The goal was to understand the dynamics of parasite development in mosquitoes as well as the production of P. vivax sporozoites. To obtain a robust supply of P. vivax sporozoites, mosquito-rearing and mosquito membrane-feeding techniques were optimized, which are described here. Methods Membrane-feeding experiments were conducted using both wild and laboratory-colonized An. stephensi mosquitoes and patient-derived P. vivax collected at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. Parasite development to midgut oocysts and salivary gland sporozoites was assessed on days 7 and 14 post-feeding, respectively. The optimal conditions for mosquito rearing and feeding were evaluated to produce high-quality mosquitoes and to yield a high sporozoite rate, respectively. Results Laboratory-colonized mosquitoes could be starved for a shorter time before successful blood feeding compared with wild-caught mosquitoes. Optimizing the mosquito-rearing methods significantly increased mosquito survival. For mosquito feeding, replacing patient plasma with naïve serum increased sporozoite production > two-fold. With these changes, the sporozoite infection rate was high (> 85%) and resulted in an average of ~ 22,000 sporozoites per mosquito. Some mosquitoes reached up to 73,000 sporozoites. Sporozoite production could not be predicted from gametocyte density but could be predicted by measuring oocyst infection and oocyst load. Conclusions Optimized conditions for the production of high-quality P. vivax sporozoite-infected An. stephensi were established at a field site in South West India. This report describes techniques for producing a ready resource of P. vivax sporozoites. The improved protocols can help in future research on the biology of P. vivax liver stages, including hypnozoites, in India, as well as the development of anti-relapse interventions for vivax malaria.


Author(s):  
Majed A. Algarni ◽  
Mohammad S. Alzahrani ◽  
Yasser Alatawi ◽  
Raghad A. Alasmari ◽  
Hashem O. Alsaab ◽  
...  

In the first few months of the pandemic, Makkah region reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases among all regions in Saudi Arabia. More than 80% of these reported cases were non-Saudi residents. In this study, we evaluated the perceived threat from and psychological impact of COVID-19 among non-Saudi residents of Makkah region. This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected using a standardized self-report questionnaire. A total of 292 expatriates were included in the study, the majority of whom were non-Arabic speakers. The prevalence of self-reported depression was nearly 40%, anxiety was 32%, and stress was 43%. The findings indicated variability in the prevalence of psychological symptoms among expatriates from different ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, work environment and perceived threat were strong predictors of psychological disorders. This suggested that the perceived threat from and psychological burden of COVID-19 among non-Saudis in Makkah region is substantial. Future research should investigate the reasons behind these variations in the psychological impact of the pandemic among different ethnic groups.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Wallace ◽  
Isabel Buil ◽  
Leslie de Chernatony

Purpose Brand “Likes” on Facebook facilitate self-expression, forming part of consumers’ virtual selves. Yet, consumers’ brand “Likes” may bear little resemblance to their material realities. This paper aims to test similarities of brand image with self-image for Facebook “Likes” to determine whether self-congruence with a “Liked” brand leads to positive offline brand outcomes. It also investigates whether consumers’ perceptions about their Facebook social relations influence self-congruent brand “Likes”. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale survey was conducted of regular Facebook users who “Liked” brands. Data from 438 respondents was analysed and hypotheses tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Empirical results show that the perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand increases with social tie strength. Perceived social tie strength is informed by perceived attitude homophily. When the perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand is higher, brand love and word of mouth (WOM) are enhanced. Consumers also have greater brand loyalty and offer more WOM when brands are loved. Research limitations/implications Findings demonstrate the influence of consumers’ cognitive network on “Likes” and brand outcomes. Further replication would enhance generalisability. Future research should use a wider sample and investigate other variables. Practical implications Findings support managers seeking to grow and analyse Facebook “Likes” by providing insights into brand loyalty, brand love and WOM for “Liked” brands. Originality/value The paper addresses the dearth of research exploring how consumers’ perceptions of their Facebook network influence their online brand behaviour and how perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand relates to brand outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Lohmann ◽  
Denny John ◽  
Aso Dzay

Abstract BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 has resulted in unprecedented research efforts on health workers’ work realities and their potential mental health impacts. To understand the latter, high-quality evidence on the baseline situation is paramount. With the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of existing evidence and to inform future research, we undertook a scoping review of the quantitative literature on mental health and psychological wellbeing of clinical skilled healthcare personnel working in all settings of care in low- and lower-middle income countries (LLMIC).MethodsWe performed a systematic search of the literature up to the end of 2019, in English or French language, in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Global Health, and CAIRN. We included both studies estimating levels of mental health and studies investigating associations with other factors. We extracted data on study characteristics and methodology, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies along nine criteria.ResultsWe found 143 relevant studies, 135 including data on mental health levels and 126 including data on associations with other factors. The studies covered 26 of the world’s 78 LLMICs, with most studies conducted in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, or Egypt, in urban secondary- and tertiary-care settings. 67% of studies assessed burnout, 25% general psychological wellbeing, and 20% other mental health outcomes. Only 19% of studies were of high quality due to shortcomings particularly in regards to sample representativeness, context-specific measurement tool validity, and reporting of methodological detail. We found much heterogeneity in investigated associated factors. Studies focused almost exclusively on potential determinants of mental health, while none linked mental health to objectively measured performance outcomes.ConclusionWe conclude that despite its impressive size, we can learn comparatively little from the current body of literature. Based on our findings, we outline areas for expansion, methodological improvement, and standardization of reporting in future research on mental health of health workers.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO no. CRD42019140036


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Holochwost ◽  
Judith Hill Bose ◽  
Elizabeth Stuk ◽  
Eleanor D. Brown ◽  
Kate E. Anderson ◽  
...  

Growth mindset is an important aspect of children’s socioemotional development and is subject to change due to environmental influence. Orchestral music education may function as a fertile context in which to promote growth mindset; however, this education is not widely available to children facing economic hardship. This study examined whether participation in a program of orchestral music education was associated with higher levels of overall growth mindset and greater change in levels of musical growth mindset among children placed at risk by poverty. After at least 2 years of orchestral participation, students reported significantly higher levels of overall growth mindset than their peers; participating students also reported statistically significant increases in musical growth mindset regardless of the number of years that they were enrolled in orchestral music education. These findings have implications for future research into specific pedagogical practices that may promote growth mindset in the context of orchestral music education and more generally for future studies of the extra-musical benefits of high-quality music education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice McKeever ◽  
Ted Brown

Background: Leadership is viewed as the panacea the complex problems in modern health care where chronic disease, contracting budgets and rising consumer expectation are challenging care provision. As the second largest workforce in Australia, Allied Health Professionals (AHP) are core contributors to health teams however they are largely absent from leadership positions and there is little evidence of their impact on client outcomes. Aim: A scoping review was carried out to synthesise evidence on the client, organisational and employee-related outcomes of high quality leadership in Allied Health. Method: A search of grey literature, peer and non-peer reviewed literature was undertaken using Embase, Emcare, SCOPUS and Psychinfo from 2010-2017. Data were sourced from journals, government reports, conference presentations and other grey literature. The reference list of key articles were hand searched for relevant research. Results: A total of 5880 articles were identified and after screening 35 articles were included for in depth review. Leadership contributed towards positive outcomes in all three domains and had influence across professional groups and services. Leaders are highly valued and respected by their teams. Allied Health leaders did not feature in any of the articles and AHP were the focus of only seven studies. The majority of articles were conference papers or case reviews that provided little robust data making it difficult to draw substantive conclusions on the outcome of AHP leadership. Conclusion: There was a lack of robust data specific to AHP leaders. Future research should attempt to gather evidence of the outcomes of AHP leadership through qualitative and quantitative means to substantiate the anecdotal evidence for high quality AHP leaders. 


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-310
Author(s):  
Simona GROSSMAN ◽  
◽  
Ioan-Bradu IAMANDESCU ◽  

Shame is a complex emotional state, a universal experience, whose influence can be extensive. Elusive by its nature, shame can escape the attention of specialists. Discussions on shame as a separate and distinct emotion are rare, most often being denied, hidden or concealed by more socially acceptable emotions. Offspring of a disappointed Ideal Self, shame reflects on Self Respect and Self Image, both important and influential components of the psyche, with major implications in personality. Being a strong negative emotion, shame can have an important and quite extensive influence on mental health through its numerous somatic correlates intensely and widely expressed at different organic level on somatovisceral activity – thus, resulting in the appearance of numerous disorders and psychosomatic diseases – among them obesity, which was chosen by the author as the subject of a future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Liu ◽  
Yanjiao Cui ◽  
Suying Li ◽  
Guihua Bai ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
...  

Abstract The complexity of the leaf constitution of foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.) makes it difficult to obtain high-purity cpDNA. Here, we developed a protocol to isolate high-quality cpDNA from foxtail millet and other crops. The new protocol replaces previous tissue grinding and homogenization by enzyme digestion of tiny leaf strips to separate protoplasts from leaf tissue and protects chloroplasts from damage by undue grinding and homogenization and from contamination of cell debris and nuclear DNA. Using the new protocol, we successfully isolated high-quality cpDNAs for whole-genome sequencing from four foxtail millet cultivars, and comparative analysis revealed that they were approximately 27‰ longer than their reference genome. In addition, six cpDNAs of four other species with narrow and thin leaf blades, including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), maize (Zea may L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), were also isolated by our new protocol, and they all exhibited high sequence identities to their corresponding reference genomes. A maximum-likelihood tree based on the chloroplast genomes we sequenced here was constructed, and the result was in agreement with previous reports, confirming that these cpDNA sequences were available for well-supported phylogenetic analysis and could provide valuable resources for future research.


Author(s):  
Melanie Dudek ◽  
Stefanie Baisch ◽  
Monika Knopf ◽  
Thorsten Kolling

Abstract Although companion-type robots are already commercially available, little interest has been taken in identifying reasons for inter-individual differences in their acceptance. Elders’ age-related perceptions of both their own self (self-image) and of the general older robot user (user image) could play a relevant role in this context. Since little is known to date about elders’ companion-type robot user image, it is one aim of this study to investigate its age-related facets, concentrating on possibly stigmatizing perceptions of elder robot users. The study also addresses the association between elders’ age-related self-image and robot acceptance: Is the association independent of the user image or not? To investigate these research questions, N = 28 adults aged 63 years and older were introduced to the companion-type robot Pleo. Afterwards, several markers of robot acceptance were assessed. Actual and ideal self- and subjective robot user image were assessed by a study-specific semantic differential on the stereotype dimensions of warmth and competence. Results show that participants tended to stigmatize elder robot users. The self-images were not directly related to robot acceptance, but affected it in the context of the user image. A higher fit between self- and user image was associated with higher perceived usefulness, social acceptance, and intention to use the robot. To conclude, elders’ subjective interpretations of new technologies play a relevant role for their acceptance. Together with elders’ individual self-images, they need to be considered in both robot development and implementation. Future research should consider that associations between user characteristics and robot acceptance by elders can be complex and easily overlooked.


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