Applied Social Psychology

Question 1

What is organisational psychology?

Answer 1

Organizational psychology studies how BEHAVIOUR, LEADERSHIP, and WORKPLACE dynamics impact employee performance, well-being, and organizational effectiveness.
❑ What motivates people to work and how is it related to performance?
❑How can we identify and tackle stress and maintain well-being in the workplace?
❑What makes someone a GOOD LEADER at work, and what effect does it have on employee performance, relationships, and well-being?
❑How effective is teamwork?

Question 2

How does Maslow’s need theory apply to the workplace

Answer 2

Maslow’s Theory Summary:
Physiological –> Safety –> Love –> Esteem –> Self-Actualisation

1. Physiological: Working to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. 
--> Physical working conditions should be OPTIMAL TO MAXIMISE PERFORMANCE (lighting, hours, temperature) - we have to be comfortable in the workplace

2. Safety: The working environment should protect us from risk or HARM.
   –> Feeling safety and security in the workplace is crucial for well-being, performance, and relationships (risk assessments etc.)
3. Belonging: The workplace should foster social COHESIVENESS, encouraging a shared sense of belonging and providing a meaningful workplace identity (away days, parties, quiz teams etc.)

4.Esteem: Our work performance should be RECOGNISED and rewarded by others.
–> eg. employee of the month, pay raise, incentives (promotions)

5. Employees should feel FUFILLED, achieving, and empowered.

Question 3

Crtique: Maslow’s theory in the workplace

Answer 3

• Inapplicable to MODERN workplaces (working from home?)
  • Needs are COMPLEX and interrelated, therefore, the BOUNDARIES between levels are vague
  • Employees do not work through the hierarchy of needs in the SAME ORDER
  • There are MORE NEEDS than these five levels (e.g., finding the work stimulating or feeling unstressed).

It IGNORES SOCIAL INFLUENCE on people’s own perception and construction of what they need

Question 4

Outline: Vroom’s VIE Motivation Theory

Answer 4

MOTIVATION: is a combination of Valence, Instrumentality, and Expectancy.

○ VALENCE → Attractive aspects of workplace and working life (e.g., being paid) / Less attractive aspects (e.g., long hours)

○ INSTRUMENTALITY → The relationship between performance, reward, and cost.

○ EXPECTANCY → The belief that increasing effort will result in successful performance to obtain the reward.

Organisational behaviour results from conscious choices, which are shaped by expectations of various outcome

Question 5

Outline: Adam’s Equity Theory

Answer 5

We are motivated to work when we feel we are being treated FAIRLY

• We are concerned with what INVESTMENTS we’ve made (e.g. time, effort, money) and what we get out as a RESULT (e.g. friendship, pay, affection).
• People are motivated to work when they feel they’re being treated fairly in terms of inputs and outputs; and in comparison with others.
  • Distributive justice → where the DISTRIBUTION of rewards are fair and perceived to be based on merit.
  • Procedural justice → where the PROCESSES by which decisions are made are perceived to be fair.
    Perceptions of being treated fairly increase the motivation to engage in a task.

Question 6

What is the role of leadership in the workplace?

Answer 6

Transactional Leadership: Focuses on structured tasks, clear roles, and rewards/punishments based on performance.
- Leaders prioritize efficiency, control, and goal achievement.

Transformational Leadership: Emphasizes vision, motivation, and inspiring change.
- Leaders focus on inspiring and empowering employees to innovate and exceed expectations.

Glass cliff in leadership → women who do make it to leadership levels, but are appointed when the organisation over which they preside is in TROUBLE. In other words, women leaders can be set up to fail.

Question 7

Describe Social Psychological Approaches to treatment and therapy

Answer 7

Our actions affect our attitudes.
–> Consistent with this attitudes-follow behaviour principle, several psychotherapy techniques prescribe action.

○ Behaviour therapists try to SHAPE BEHAVIOUR on the theory that the client’s inner DISPOSITION WILL ALSO CHANGE after the behaviour changes.

○ In assertiveness training, the individual may first role-play assertiveness in a supportive context, then gradually implement assertive behaviours in everyday life.

SELF-HELP GROUPS subtly induce participants to behave in new ways in front of the group – to express anger, cry, act with high self-esteem, express positive feelings.

Question 8

Environmental Psychology: What factors influence environmental behaviour?

Answer 8

A) Motivational factors:
* Cost and benefits → Theory of Planned Behaviour (attributes, norms, and perceptive control of our behaviour = higher intention to do environmental behaviour)

• Moral and normative concerns about the behaviour:
  
  1. Personal VALUES-prosocial, altruistic etc.
  2. MORAL Obligation - responsibility to behave a certain way
  3. Environmental CONCERNS-
  4. Social NORMS

B) Contextual factors
1. Context may directly affect behaviour
2. The relationship between context and behaviour may be mediated by motivational factors such as attitudes or norms.
3. Context may moderate the relationship between motivational factors

Example: Veganism !
- 1. Vegans as a disadvantaged/STIGMATISED group - high level of stigma according to vegans, lower for veg/flexitarians but there is always stigma (increasing role of the media)
2. The role of IDEOLOGY in negative attitudes toward vegans (against outgroups)
3. The role of MORAL and ethical beliefs in changing or sustaining dietary preferences
4. Veganism as a SOCIAL MOVEMENT and vegan activism

Question 9

How is crowd psychology applied to disaster situations

Answer 9

Disaster Myths based on Crowd Theory:
- Mass Panic
- Helplessness
- Civil Disorder - eg. looting/criminality; believed to be inevitable (crowds: bring out worst in people - Le Bon)

Recent scientific evidence challenges these disaster myths
–> Panic is a RARE response in disaster emergencies.
–> Overwhelming individual competitiveness is also found to be a myth; most survivors show COOPERATION and help
→ the emergence of MUTUAL aid as a result of a sense of common fate and shared social identity

Social identity model of collective psychosocial resilience in emergent groups (Drury et al., 2019)
- common fate produces strong group identity strengthens collective resilience by promoting solidarity, shared goals, and coordinated action in crise