DAN Faculty in the News
Congratulations Jennifer Robertson!
Jennifer Robertson, Associate Professor in the DAN Department has been awarded the Emerald Literati Award for her research on "Linking Attachment Theory to Abusive Supervision".
Excerpt from the Social Science News:
Abusive supervision can have extreme consequences for both employers and organizations, creating unnecessary stress and increased burnout and turnover, and a decrease in employee and organizational performance. A paper by Jennifer Robertson has investigated whether the roots of abusive supervision may lie in supervisors’ perceptions of themselves, others and relationships that are developed during infancy.
Robertson, Associate Professor in the DAN Department of Management & Organizational Studies, and co-authors, have investigated this relationship in a paper entitled, “Linking Attachment Theory to Abusive Supervision”. Now that paper, which was recently published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, has received an Emerald Literati Award, recognized as a highly commendable paper of 2019.
Attachment Theory, developed in the field of Developmental Psychology, suggests that our early interactions with primary care-givers can impact how we view ourselves and others through life. If, when an infant cries or calls for attention, their care-giver responds consistently, the infant will develop secure attachment, and see themselves and others in a positive way. On the other hand, if the care-giver does not respond, or responds inconsistently, the infant will develop insecure attachment and see themselves and/or others negatively. Importantly, these perceptual views can impact how we approach relationships, including those in the workplace.
