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Arrogance is characterized by a pattern of behavior that demeans others in an attempt to prove competence and superiority. Silverman says this behavior is correlated with lower intelligence scores and lower self-esteem when compared to managers who are not arrogant.
…Silverman warns that “yes” replies to these other questions raise red flags and signal arrogance.
- Does your boss put his/her personal agenda ahead of the organization’s agenda?
- Does the boss discredit others’ ideas during meetings and often make them look bad?
- Does your boss reject constructive feedback?
- Does the boss exaggerate his/her superiority and make others feel inferior?
Left unchecked, arrogant leaders can be a destructive force within an organization… -Science Daily
Fiction Writing Prompt: Write about an arrogant boss through the eyes of a victim of his or her bullying.
Journaling Prompt: Write about the worst boss you have ever worked for.
Art Prompt: Arrogant Leader
Non-Fiction / Speechwriting Prompt: Inform your audience about how to recognize arrogant leaders and the devastation they create.
Photo Credit: Tatiana12 on Flickr
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“We often hear that people who feel envious of their colleagues try to bring them down by spreading negative rumours, withholding useful information, or secretly sabotaging their work,” says Prof. Aquino, who conducted the study with colleagues from the University of Minnesota, Clemson University in South Carolina and Georgia State University.
However, Aquino says envy is only the fuel for sabotage. “The match is not struck unless employees experience what psychologists call ‘moral disengagement’ — a way of thinking that allows people to rationalize or justify harming others.”
The researchers explain that moral disengagement is most likely to occur when an envious co-worker feels disconnected from others in the workplace. -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a character sketch for someone who is morally disengaged. What motivates his or her bad behavior?
Journaling Prompt: Write about an office gossip you have known.
Art Prompt: Morally disengaged
Photo Credit: bareknuckleyellow on Flickr
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All I’m going to say is this: don’t anger the waitress!
In a new study, researchers at USC, Stanford and the Kellogg School of Management have found that individuals in roles that possess power but lack status have a tendency to engage in activities that demean others. According to the study, “The Destructive Nature of Power without Status,” the combination of some authority and little perceived status can be a toxic combination.
Social hierarchy, the study says, does not on its own generate demeaning tendencies. In other words, the idea that power always corrupts may not be entirely true. Just because someone has power or, alternatively, is in a “low status” role does not mean they will mistreat others. Rather, “power and status interact to produce effects that cannot be fully explained by studying only one or the other basis of hierarchy.”
One way to overcome this dynamic, according to the authors, is to find ways for all individuals, regardless of the status of their roles, to feel respected and valued. The authors write: “…respect assuages negative feelings about their low-status roles and leads them to treat others positively.”
Opportunities for advancement may also help. “If an individual knows he or she may gain a higher status role in the future, or earn a bonus for treating others well, that may help ameliorate their negative feelings and behavior,” Fast said. -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a character sketch about someone who has power but no status. How do they abuse their power?
Journaling Prompt: Have you ever abused power in order to make yourself feel better?
Art Prompt: Demeaning
Photo Credit: luigi morante on Flickr
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Thanks to Sue Ann Bowling for sharing this quotation!
“If you want to make your enemy into something you can hate, you first remove his humanity.” Mercedes Lackey, Storm Warning
Writing Prompt: Create some inner dialogue for a character who dehumanizes someone in order to rationalize hating them.
Journaling Prompt: Write about a time when you rationalized hating someone.
Art Prompt: Hatred
Photo Credit: Furryscaly on Flickr
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There have always been bullies in schools, but now we are finally starting to understand the consequences of letting this behavior go unanswered. In today’s reading of research from University of Illinois psychology professor Karen Rudolph, we learn the strategies kids use when they are being bullied.
Consciously or not, children tend to adopt one of three approaches…
“Some are focused on developing their relationships. They want to improve their social skills. They want to learn how to make friends,” she said.
Others are most interested in “demonstrating their competence,” she said. They may try to demonstrate their competence by enhancing their status or seeking approval from their peers. “These are kids who say: ‘I want to be cool. I want lots of kids to like me. I want to hang out with the popular kids.’ “
Or they may try to demonstrate their competence by avoiding negative judgments. “These are the kids who say, ‘I’m not going to do anything that’s going to draw negative attention, that’s going to make me look like a loser, that’s going to embarrass me,’” Rudolph said.
…children who were most interested in developing relationships “had more positive perceptions of themselves and were more likely to say that they would cooperate and work to reduce conflict with other kids,” Rudolph said. When other kids harassed them, these children were “more likely to engage in proactive strategies to solve the problem,” she said. This might involve asking a teacher for advice, or getting emotional support. Students with these goals also were less likely to engage in other impulsive responses to harassment, Rudolph said.
Children who wanted to be perceived as “cool” or competent “were less likely to use those kinds of thoughtful, careful strategies” when dealing with harassment, Rudolph said. “And they were more likely to retaliate.” These children also had more negative perceptions of their peers, Rudolph said.
Those who wanted to avoid negative judgments were less likely to retaliate against their peers. “But they were also more passive. They just ignored what happened,” she said. This approach might be useful in some circumstances, particularly for boys who tend to be more physically aggressive and more likely to retaliate than girls, Rudolph said. But passive responses also may increase a bully’s willingness to “up the ante,” she said. -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a scene in which a youngster is dealing with being bullied at school.
Journaling Prompt: Write about a time when you were bullied or you saw someone being bullied.
Art Prompt: Bully
Nonfiction / Speech Writing Prompt: Write an informative article or speech on how to handle bullies.
Photo Credit: Chesi – Fotos CC on Flickr
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