Publication Date
2011
Document Type
Dissertation
Committee Members
Nathan Bowling (Advisor), Gary Burns (Committee Member), David Lahuis (Committee Member), Tamera Schneider (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Abstract
Causal attributions can play an integral part in how employees respond to events in the work environment (Bowling and Beehr, 2006; Dasborough and Ashkanasy, 2002; Perrewé and Zellars, 1999). Causal attributions of a work behavior or event include locus of causality (i.e., self-directed, supervisor-directed, organization-directed), stability, and intentionality (i.e., altruistic, self-serving). In the current study, I examined the consequences of subordinates' causal attributions on responses to emotional and instrumental supervisor support. As expected, emotional and instrumental supervisor support were positively associated with job satisfaction, supervisor satisfaction, organizational citizenship behaviors, and organizational commitment assessed 30 days later. Emotional supervisor support also had a weak positive relationship with physical health, whereas instrumental supervisor support was unrelated to physical health. Several causal attributions were found to moderate the relationships between supervisor support and positive criteria, but the moderating effects varied depending upon the type of supervisor support provided, the causal attribution, and the criteria being predicted. Overall, the moderating effects of causal attributions were most common when pertaining to emotional supervisor support and predicting either job satisfaction or supervisor satisfaction. Implications of the current study include, but not limited to, an emphasis on training supervisor's to provide emotional support that is perceived as stable and altruistic. In addition, future researchers should further examine the effects of attributions on criteria that pertain to an employee's self concept.
Page Count
132
Department or Program
Department of Psychology
Year Degree Awarded
2011
Copyright
Copyright 2011, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
