The Psychology of Human Freedom

Westcott, Malcolm R.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-8813-5

Cited by 45 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…Gecas (1989) argues that efficacy is a core dimension of the self which motivates corresponding self-affirming behavior. A sense of control also produces positive emotional reactions (Bandura 1997;Izard 1991;Westcott 1988) and is a source of intrinsic motivation (Deci 1980;Reeve and Nix 1997). Overall, self-determination, autonomy, and sense of control have been important themes in research by psychologists and sociologists over the past few decades.…”

Section: Choice Process Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Commitment in Structurally Enabled and Induced Exchange Relations

2006

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Network structures both enable and constrain the development of social relations. This research investigates these features by comparing the development of commitments in structurally enabled and structurally induced exchange relations. We integrate ideas from the theory of relational cohesion and the choice process theory of commitment. In an experiment we manipulate and compare a structurally enabled relation with a structurally induced relation. The main hypotheses are that a structurally enabled relation generates a greater sense of control, more positive emotions, greater perceived cohesion, and more commitment behavior than a structurally induced relation. The results of the experiment support these hypotheses. The implication is that enabling and constraining features of network structures exert important effects on cohesion and commitment in relations within those structures.

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Section: Choice Process Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Commitment in Structurally Enabled and Induced Exchange Relations

2006

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“…In most instances, these concepts have been used as sensitizing concepts having context-dependent meanings. Some of these meanings have been human agency (Giddens, 1984), intrinsic motivation (Deci, 1975(Deci, , 1980, work autonomy (Kohn & Schooler, 1983;Kohn & Slomczynski, 1990), freedom (Westcott, 1988), empowerment (Kanter, 1972(Kanter, , 1977Tannenbaum, 1968), self-efficacy (Gecas & Schwalbe, 1983;Schwalbe, 1985), and lack of alienation (Blauner, 1964;Marx, 193211964), In this study, we define autonomy as the degree of discretion or freedom built in jobs and organizational structures. Autonomy is independent of the job or position occupants.…”

Section: Sense Of Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sense of Control Among Hospital Employees: An Assessment of Choice Process, Empowerment, and Buffering Hypotheses¹

Yoon¹,

Han

Seo

1996

J Applied Social Pyschol

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This study examines 3 theoretical arguments explaining employees' sense of control: (a) The choice process hypothesis stipulates that employees' sense of control is a consequence of their choice processes and perceived choice size; (b) the empowerment hypothesis proposes that sense of control results from the empowerment role of social and organizational support which endorse and authorize employees' job activities; and (c) the buffering hypothesis indicates that a successful management of job‐related stressors is the key to greater sense of control, and that social support plays a role in buffering the potential negative influences of job‐related stressors. An assessment of the hypotheses over a sample of 1,585 hospital employees in Korea provided overall support for the choice process hypothesis and partial support for both the empowerment and the buffering hypotheses. We discuss some practical and cross‐cultural research implications of the findings.

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“…As Westcott (1988) aptly puts it, “the notion of human freedom” is “a conceptual labyrinth. It is a labyrinth with a very large number of entrances, a very large number of turnings, and no clear exit” (p. 26).…”

Section: Implications and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Freedom is a complex and messy issue that has been rather overlooked in psychology. There have been some sporadic and disparate treatments of freedom issues in psychology over the years (e.g., Baer, Kaufman, & Baumeister, 2008; Deese, 1985; Dennett, 1984/1990; Fromm, 1941/1969; James, 1890/1983; Skinner, 1971/2002; Westcott, 1988), and freedom issues are implied in some of the topics that some psychologists pursue, such as self-regulation, autonomy, and decision making. Although explicitly conceptualizing human functioning in relation to freedom has not been a central topic in psychology, freedom seems to be important to people the world over.…”

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confidence: 99%

Towards a psychology of free action

Raeff

2017

Theory & Psychology

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Although freedom has been of grave concern to people for centuries, it has surprisingly not been a central topic in psychology. The goal of this article is to begin constructing a theoretical framework for addressing freedom issues in terms of free action, which is generally defined as doing as one sees fit without coercion or constraint. Insofar as free action is a form of human action, it is first necessary to conceptualize action. The paper begins by conceptualizing action from a systems perspective in terms of interrelated individual, social, and cultural processes. Next, free action is conceptualized as a form of action that involves particular ways of structuring individual, social, and cultural processes. The article ends with some implications of this conceptualization of free action for continued theory building and research on the psychology of free action.

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The Psychology of Human Freedom

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

Commitment in Structurally Enabled and Induced Exchange Relations

Commitment in Structurally Enabled and Induced Exchange Relations

Sense of Control Among Hospital Employees: An Assessment of Choice Process, Empowerment, and Buffering Hypotheses¹

Towards a psychology of free action

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The Psychology of Human Freedom

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

Commitment in Structurally Enabled and Induced Exchange Relations

Commitment in Structurally Enabled and Induced Exchange Relations

Sense of Control Among Hospital Employees: An Assessment of Choice Process, Empowerment, and Buffering Hypotheses1

Towards a psychology of free action

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Sense of Control Among Hospital Employees: An Assessment of Choice Process, Empowerment, and Buffering Hypotheses¹