Psychological entitlement predicts noncompliance with the health guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this research, we examined whether psychological entitlement predicted noncompliance with the health guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic. People higher in psychological entitlement typically try to avoid behaviors that might cause themselves harm, but their high expectations, lack of concern about others, and distrust of authority figures could affect their perceptions of the threat of the coronavirus and their views on the benefits of following the health guidelines. Across three studies (N = 1004, online samples from the United States), people higher in psychological entitlement reported less compliance with the health guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic than people lower in psychological entitlement. Moreover, people higher in psychological entitlement believed that the threat of the virus was overblown and were less concerned about harming others, views that may partly explain their noncompliance. People higher in psychological entitlement were also more likely to report that they had contracted COVID-19, and thus their refusal to follow the health guidelines may have had negative consequences for them. An appeal to self-image concerns did not lead individuals higher in entitlement to be more likely to comply with the health guidelines.

Ease and control: the cognitive benefits of hierarchy.

This review identifies two cognitive benefits of social hierarchy that may contribute to hierarchy maintenance. First, research indicates that people pay attention to hierarchies automatically, early, and accurately. As a result, hierarchies feel easy to process, which increases liking and support of hierarchy. Second, through their clear, predictable structures and the opportunities they provide for personal agency, hierarchies help people satisfy their need for control, which may lead people to seek out and maintain hierarchy, especially if they currently hold a high rank or believe in social mobility. These cognitive benefits of ease and control may have effects on the performance of hierarchies and on people's willingness to change unfair structures.

Did You Reject Me for Someone Else? Rejections That Are Comparative Feel Worse.

Rejections differ. For those who are rejected, one important difference is whether they are rejected for someone else (comparative rejection) or no one at all (noncomparative rejection). We examined the effect of this distinction on emotional reactions to a rejection in four studies ( N = 608), one of which was fully preregistered. Our results show that comparative rejections feel worse than noncomparative rejections and that this may be because such rejections lead to an increased sense of exclusion and decreased belonging. Furthermore, we found evidence that, by default, people react to a rejection as though it were comparative-that is, in the absence of any information about whether they have been rejected for someone or no one, they react as negatively as if they were rejected for someone. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these findings, including why people often seek out information in the wake of a rejection.

Stress and anxiety scores in first and repeat IVF cycles: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The role of stress in reproduction, particularly during treatment for infertility, has been of considerable interest; however, few studies have objectively measured stress and anxiety over the course of the IVF cycle or compared the experience of first-time and repeat patients. METHODS: This prospective cohort pilot study enrolled 44 women undergoing IVF at a university-based clinic to complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale (ISES) at three time points prior to ovarian stimulation (T1), one day prior to oocyte retrieval (T2), and 5-7 days post embryo transfer (T3). RESULTS: Mean STAI State scores were significantly elevated at all three time points (p<0.01). STAI State and PSS mean values did not change over time and did not differ in first-time vs. repeat patients. Self-efficacy (ISES) scores declined over time, with a greater decline for repeat patients. Of the 36 women who completed a cycle, 15 achieved clinical pregnancy. Using logistic regression modeling, all scores at T2 were correlated with pregnancy outcome with lower scores on the STAI State and PSS and higher scores on the ISES associated with higher pregnancy rates. CONCLUSIONS: Stress and anxiety levels remained elevated across all cycles. Women with lower stress and anxiety levels on the day prior to oocyte retrieval had a higher pregnancy rate. These results emphasize the need to investigate stress reduction modalities throughout the IVF cycle.

The fluency of social hierarchy: the ease with which hierarchical relationships are seen, remembered, learned, and liked.

We tested the hypothesis that social hierarchies are fluent social stimuli; that is, they are processed more easily and therefore liked better than less hierarchical stimuli. In Study 1, pairs of people in a hierarchy based on facial dominance were identified faster than pairs of people equal in their facial dominance. In Study 2, a diagram representing hierarchy was memorized more quickly than a diagram representing equality or a comparison diagram. This faster processing led the hierarchy diagram to be liked more than the equality diagram. In Study 3, participants were best able to learn a set of relationships that represented hierarchy (asymmetry of power)--compared to relationships in which there was asymmetry of friendliness, or compared to relationships in which there was symmetry--and this processing ease led them to like the hierarchy the most. In Study 4, participants found it easier to make decisions about a company that was more hierarchical and thus thought the hierarchical organization had more positive qualities. In Study 5, familiarity as a basis for the fluency of hierarchy was demonstrated by showing greater fluency for male than female hierarchies. This study also showed that when social relationships are difficult to learn, people's preference for hierarchy increases. Taken together, these results suggest one reason people might like hierarchies--hierarchies are easy to process. This fluency for social hierarchies might contribute to the construction and maintenance of hierarchies.

Victim entitlement to behave selfishly.

Three experiments demonstrated that feeling wronged leads to a sense of entitlement and to selfish behavior. In Experiment 1, participants instructed to recall a time when their lives were unfair were more likely to refuse to help the experimenter with a supplementary task than were participants who recalled a time when they were bored. In Experiment 2, the same manipulation increased intentions to engage in a number of selfish behaviors, and this effect was mediated by self-reported entitlement to obtain positive (and avoid negative) outcomes. In Experiment 3, participants who lost at a computer game for an unfair reason (a glitch in the program) requested a more selfish money allocation for a future task than did participants who lost the game for a fair reason, and this effect was again mediated by entitlement.

Methods for understanding the stigma of AIDS in the United States: a review and future directions / Métodos para entender el estigma del SIDA en los Estados Unidos: una revisión y direcciones futuras

Since AIDS was first diagnosed in the United States in 1982, people with AIDS have been severely stigmatized. In this article, we explore the origin of the AIDS stigma and offer an explanation for why individuals with AIDS are stigmatized. Then, we review studies that exemplify how the stigma of AIDS in the United States is typically investigated. Finally, we outline future research directions for studying the stigma of AIDS. Specifically, we argue that future research should disentangle the stigmas of homosexuality, IV drug use, and the stigma of AIDS; address the implications of the AIDS stigma in the workplace; and consider strategies for remediating the stigma.

Desde el primer diagnóstico de SIDA en los Estados Unidos en 1982, las personas con SIDA has sido severamente estigmatizadas. En este artículo exploramos el origen del estigma asociado al SIDA y ofrecemos una explicación de las razones por las cuales se estigmatiza a las personas con SIDA. Entonces, revisamos estudios que ejemplifican cómo el estigma del SIDA ha sido típicamente estudiado en los Estados Unidos. Finalmente, esbozamos futuras direcciones de investigación para el estudio del estigma del SIDA. Específicamente, argumentamos que las futuras investigaciones deben explorar las combinaciones de los estigmas sobre la homosexualidad, el uso de drogas inyectables y el SIDA; abordar las implicaciones del estigma del SIDA en los escenarios de trabajo; y considerar estrategias para reducir el estigma.