2015 Publications
Working in the Shadow of Mortality: Terror Management in an Organizational Context
Armando X. Salgado and Danielle N. Pues
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Mario P. Casa de Calvo
University of North Texas at Dallas
The current study examines the interaction between Terror Management Theory, organizational identity, and various measures of organizational outcome. Terror Management Theory (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986) perceives humanity as being fundamentally driven by the motivation to transcend mortality concerns, whereas industrial-organizational psychology investigates such topics as social identity, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment/motivation. In the current study, participants were randomly assigned to mortality salience or control conditions, and were assessed on levels of organizational identity, job satisfactions, motivation, and commitment toward their academic institution. Results indicated that mortality salience increase participants’ satisfaction and motivation levels regarding their university, but only if participants already possessed a strong self-identification with their university. The current research suggests that organizational identity can serve as a crucial component of one’s worldview. Specifically, the findings suggest that if one’s identification with their institution is robust, that person may support the institution more strongly when reminded of mortality.
Armando X. Salgado and Danielle N. Pues
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Mario P. Casa de Calvo
University of North Texas at Dallas
The current study examines the interaction between Terror Management Theory, organizational identity, and various measures of organizational outcome. Terror Management Theory (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986) perceives humanity as being fundamentally driven by the motivation to transcend mortality concerns, whereas industrial-organizational psychology investigates such topics as social identity, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment/motivation. In the current study, participants were randomly assigned to mortality salience or control conditions, and were assessed on levels of organizational identity, job satisfactions, motivation, and commitment toward their academic institution. Results indicated that mortality salience increase participants’ satisfaction and motivation levels regarding their university, but only if participants already possessed a strong self-identification with their university. The current research suggests that organizational identity can serve as a crucial component of one’s worldview. Specifically, the findings suggest that if one’s identification with their institution is robust, that person may support the institution more strongly when reminded of mortality.
| Working in the Shadow of Mortality: Terror Management in an Organizational Context |
Assessing Belief in the Paranormal: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Thomas W. Reiner and Aimee M. Wilson
Troy University
Students often mention their paranormal beliefs in psychology courses. Being able to identify the dimensions of the paranormal could inform educators of specific concepts that need to be addressed in the classroom. A few paranormal belief inventories exist, but there is little agreement on whether all the factors identified in those inventories represent the domain of the paranormal. For this reason, there is a definite need for developing a focused measure that assesses paranormal beliefs. A group of 17 paranormal oriented questions were selected for an exploratory factor analysis. Fifteen of the items grouped into four distinct factors. We named the factors Omens of Luck, Mystical Experiences, Psychic Ability, and Spirits. The four factor model was confirmed by performing confirmatory factor analysis. We named the new questionnaire the Paranormal Assessment Scale (PAS). The PAS is discussed as a viable alternative to other inventories for assessing belief in the paranormal.
Thomas W. Reiner and Aimee M. Wilson
Troy University
Students often mention their paranormal beliefs in psychology courses. Being able to identify the dimensions of the paranormal could inform educators of specific concepts that need to be addressed in the classroom. A few paranormal belief inventories exist, but there is little agreement on whether all the factors identified in those inventories represent the domain of the paranormal. For this reason, there is a definite need for developing a focused measure that assesses paranormal beliefs. A group of 17 paranormal oriented questions were selected for an exploratory factor analysis. Fifteen of the items grouped into four distinct factors. We named the factors Omens of Luck, Mystical Experiences, Psychic Ability, and Spirits. The four factor model was confirmed by performing confirmatory factor analysis. We named the new questionnaire the Paranormal Assessment Scale (PAS). The PAS is discussed as a viable alternative to other inventories for assessing belief in the paranormal.
| Assessing Belief in the Paranormal: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis |
The Relationship between Intelligence and Religiosity: A Critical Review of the Literature
Julie Sickles
Arkansas Tech University
Alisa Huskey, Kathryn Schrantz, and Caleb W. Lack
University of Central Oklahoma
The overwhelming majority of Americans claim that religion is an important part of their lives, and the influence of a person’s religiosity spills over into multiple aspects of life, from opinions on public policy to choice of marriage partner to importance placed on education. For over 80 years, psychologists have examined how religiosity is related to intelligence in wildly varying ways and with a very diverse range of findings. This article reviews and synthesizes this literature and suggests what must occur in the future to be able to come to reasonable conclusions about this relationship and potential mediators that are key to it.
Julie Sickles
Arkansas Tech University
Alisa Huskey, Kathryn Schrantz, and Caleb W. Lack
University of Central Oklahoma
The overwhelming majority of Americans claim that religion is an important part of their lives, and the influence of a person’s religiosity spills over into multiple aspects of life, from opinions on public policy to choice of marriage partner to importance placed on education. For over 80 years, psychologists have examined how religiosity is related to intelligence in wildly varying ways and with a very diverse range of findings. This article reviews and synthesizes this literature and suggests what must occur in the future to be able to come to reasonable conclusions about this relationship and potential mediators that are key to it.
| The Relationship between Intelligence and Religiosity: A Critical Review of the Literature |