Date of Award
4-26-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Chair and Committee
William Bottom
Committee Members
na
Abstract
Numerous instances of individuals organizing and participating in collective actions in response to their in-group’s perceived inequities in intergroup exchange abound. Despite this, there is currently a lack of psychological accounts explaining this phenomenon, resulting in a limited understanding of the psychological process that motivates individuals to engage in collective action. This dissertation redresses this oversight in current research by conducting a multi-method investigation into this phenomenon. It provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the psychological process behind collective actions aimed at rectifying one’s in-group’s perceived inequities. To build this theory, I conducted an inductive study examining six cases of intergroup exchanges, each comprising interrelated intergroup exchange events. Subsequently, two experiments were designed and conducted to test hypotheses derived from the inductively-driven theory. Qualitative data reveal that individuals engage in a process that I term ‘group relational accounting.’ In this process, they keep track of, recall, and update the interactions between their in-group and another group over time. As a result of this process, they engage in intergroup behaviors, including organizing and participating in collective action, to address their in-group’s perceived inequities in their exchange with an out-group. Emotions play a mediating role in the relationship between perceived inequities in one’s group relational account and their intergroup behaviors. Results from both Experiment 1 and 2 provide empirical support for this theoretical framework. Both the theoretical and practical implications of this theoretical framework are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Kim, Daehyeon, "Toward full-cycle organizational research on group relational accounting: Multimethod investigation of the impact on business, labor, and social movements" (2024). Olin Business School Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 39.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/olin_etds/39