Korean Psychological Journal of Culture and Social Issues
- P-ISSN1229-0661
- E-ISSN1229-0661
- KCI
Vol.31 No.1
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of experience avoidance in the effect of emptiness on smartphone dependence, and the controlled mediating effect of perceived social support in the effect of emptiness and experience avoidance on smartphone dependence. To this end, a questionnaire on the smartphone dependence scale, the experience avoidance scale, the perceived social support scale, and the emptiness scale was conducted on 281 college students sampled from the online community. As a result of the analysis, it was found that experiential avoidance partially mediates the relationship between emptiness and smartphone dependence. This means that high emptiness increases the level of experiential avoidance, which can lead to a higher level of smartphone dependence. In the effect of emptiness on smartphone dependence through experience avoidance, the controlled mediating effect of perceived social support was not significant. In other words, regardless of perceived social support, the higher the experiential avoidance, the higher the dependence on the smartphone. This study is significant in that it has confirmed the emotional and cognitive processes involved in college students' smartphone dependence, suggesting that intervention in experiential avoidance is important to alleviate this. Finally, the limitations and suggestions of this study were discussed.
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of psychological distance (temporal and spatial) on crime anxiety. In Study 1, a total of 440 participants were assigned to eight different scenario conditions: temporal distance (one day ago vs. ten years ago), spatial distance (domestic vs. international (USA)), and crime severity (low vs. high), with 55 participants per condition. Respondents read a scenario about “a motiveless crime incident,” which was set differently for each condition and then measured their level of anxiety on an 11-point Likert scale. The analysis revealed that the main effects of temporal and spatial distance were not confirmed, and only the main effect of severity was identified. Interaction effects were observed only between spatial distance and severity. Specifically, in low-severity crime incidents, there was a difference in anxiety levels depending on spatial distance, but in high-severity crime incidents, there was no difference in anxiety levels based on spatial distance. Study 2 was conducted to find the reason why the effect of temporal distance on anxiety was not significant in Study 1. In Study 2, to verify if the results of Study 1 were a unique pattern appearing only in motiveless crimes, an additional scenario contrasting with motiveless crimes, targeting a specific individual (friend), was added. In Study 2, 60 participants were assigned to each of the eight conditions of temporal distance (one day ago vs. twenty years ago), crime type (motiveless crime vs. specific individual crime), and crime severity (low vs. high), totaling 480 participants (excluding 3 outliers). The analysis revealed significant main effects for temporal distance, crime severity, and crime type. Additionally, an interaction effect between temporal distance and crime type was confirmed. In the case of crimes targeting specific individuals, the expected difference in anxiety based on temporal distance was observed, as anticipated in Study 1. However, in the case of motiveless crimes, there was no difference in anxiety based on temporal distance. This result indicates that motiveless crimes cause high anxiety regardless of temporal distance, differing from existing studies where temporal distance effects on crime anxiety were observed.
Abstract
Recent studies suggest an increased risk of suicide among unmarried men. The purpose of the present study was to test the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between job satisfaction and suicidal ideation in this population. To verify the significant pathway through which job satisfaction affects suicidal ideation via self-esteem among unmarried men, generally known risk factors for male suicide (depression, hopelessness, childhood trauma, alcohol abuse, and family history of suicide) were controlled. An online survey was conducted with 177 unmarried men between the ages of 20 and 49. Participants completed measures assessing job satisfaction, self-esteem, suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, childhood trauma, and alcohol use. We used bootstrap method to verify the statistical significance of the mediating effect. The results indicated that the direct effect of self-esteem was not significant but a full mediation of self-esteem was found between the relationship of job satisfaction and suicidal ideation among unmarried men. Based on these findings, implications for the study, suggestions for future research, and limitations were discussed.
Abstract
This study aimed to adapt the Presentation of Online Self Scale in Adult (POSSA) into Korean and establish its validity among Korean adults. In Study 1, a preliminary Korean version of the scale was administered to 200 adults aged 19-39 (Sample 1) for item analysis and exploratory factor analysis(EFA). Three items with low item loadings and factor loadings were deleted. The results revealed a three-factor structure, identical to the original scale, resulting in a final scale consisting of 14 items. In Study 2, the scale was administered to 120 adults aged 19-39 (Sample 2) for confirmatory factor analysis(CFA). The results supported the three-factor model of the Korean version of the POSSA. Convergent validity was established by examining factor loadings, average variance extracted (AVE), and composite reliability (CR). Concurrent validity was supported by correlations with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, which showed results consistent with previous studies for neuroticism and openness. Predictive validity was supported by multiple regression analyses, with all subfactors significantly predicting identity and intimacy. Additionally, two subfactors significantly predicted self-directedness and empathy. Based on these research findings, the significance, limitations, and implications were discussed, and suggestions for future research were provided.
Abstract
Based on Donnelly et al.’s (2016) Escape Theory, this study aimed to investigate the multiple mediating effects of neuroticism and self-reflection on the relationship between social comparison tendency and materialism in a sample of Korean adults. A total of 445 participants (218 men and 227 women) were surveyed through an online platform, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that the social comparison tendency significantly influenced materialism, with the relationship being both individually and serially mediated by neuroticism and self-reflection. Specifically, the results suggest that a stronger tendency among Korean adults to engage in social comparisons is associated with heightened negative emotional states, which, in turn, reduces their likelihood of engaging in in-depth self-reflection and instead focus on materialistic values to emotionally escape from their negative emotional states. These findings underscore the importance of addressing the interconnected mechanisms of social comparison tendency, neuroticism, and self-reflection to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive materialism.
Abstract
This study verified that the concept of benign and malicious envy are independent and examined the influence and role of justice perception and direction of self-perceived socioeconomic status (SES) on each type of envy. To achieve this, a survey study (Study 1; general socioeconomic context) and an experimental study (Study 2; job promotion scenario) were conducted. In Study 1, justice perception was measured using the belief in a just world, whereas in Study 2, justice perception of the envied target was directly manipulated. Direction of self-perceived status was measured as the difference between subjective SES and objective SES to explore the interaction effect between justice perception and direction of self-perceived status on envy. The results of both studies indicate no significant relationship between benign envy and malicious envy. For benign envy, a significant main effect of justice perception was found, while for malicious envy, an interaction effect between justice perception and direction of self-perceived status was significant. Specifically, higher justice perception of the target was associated with stronger benign envy response. Furthermore, the negative relationship between justice perception and malicious envy was significant only when the direction of self-perceived status was downward. Conversely, this relationship was either positively significant (Study 1) or not significant (Study 2) when the direction of self-perceived status was upward. These findings highlight the conceptual independence of benign and malicious envy and the distinct roles of justice perception and direction of self-perceived status. Based on these findings, this study discusses the implications for understanding social issues related to malicious envy in Korean society and suggests potential solutions to address these challenges.
Abstract
To prevent recurring social disasters, proactive civic engagement demanding fundamental improvements for the disaster safety system is essential. Based on this premise, the present study identified factors that affect individuals’ intention to engage in system-improvement behavior through two studies. Specifically, we investigated whether political orientation affects individuals’ willingness to participate in system-improvement actions aimed at preventing social disasters such as the Itaewon disaster and examined the mediating role of system-justifying memory-memories that exonerate or avoid systemic flaws-related to a past social disaster (i.e., the Sewol ferry disaster). In a preliminary study, we collected collective memories associated with the Sewol ferry disaster from a sample of South Korean college students (N = 27). The findings confirmed the presence of system-justifying elements in these collective memories and identified their key components. The main study tested the mediation hypothesis with a sample of South Korean adults (N = 200). The results indicated that individuals with more conservative political orientations exhibited lower intentions to engage in system-improvement behaviors aimed at preventing disasters such as the Itaewon disaster. This relationship was mediated by the system-justifying memory associated with the Sewol disaster. These findings suggest that political orientation influences collective memory of social disasters, which in turn plays a crucial role in shaping individuals’ intention to participate in collective action for systemic change. Based on these results, we discuss the role of collective memory in shaping system-improvement behavior in the context of social disasters and suggest directions for future research.
Abstract
The study examined the effect of social comparison orientation on self-concealment using two subscales (ability and opinion) and examined the double mediation effect of perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional expressiveness between social comparison orientation and self-concealment by gender. Based on the data from 80 males and 80 females in their 20~50s, the double mediation effects of perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional expressiveness between the relationship of social comparison orientation and self-concealment were not significant for men. But, the ambivalence over emotional expressiveness mediated the relationship between social comparison orientation and self-concealment. The double mediation effects of perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional expressiveness between social comparison orientation and self-concealment were significant for women. In addition, perfectionistic self-presentation fully mediated the relationship between social comparison orientation and self-concealment. Higher social comparison orientation predicted perfectionistic self-presentation, and perfectionistic self-presentation predicted self-concealment. For both men and women, the double mediation effects of perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional expressiveness between ability comparison orientation and self-concealment were significant.
Abstract
Growing societal concerns have emerged regarding the potential effects of smartphone dependency on adolescents’ psychosocial development. This study aimed to investigate the influence of smartphone dependency on adolescents’ early sexual intercourse experiences and its underlying mechanisms. An analysis was conducted on data from 52,802 students enrolled in 800 middle and high schools, collected through a nationwide survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in 2023. Using PROCESS Macro Model 14, the analysis revealed that smartphone dependency indirectly influenced sexual intercourse experiences through anxiety (indirect effect = .103, 95% CI [.086, .119]). Notably, the moderated mediation effect of gender showed that the impact of anxiety on sexual intercourse experiences was stronger among female students (B = .483, p < .001) compared to male students (B = .301, p < .001). This study elucidates the complex mechanisms underlying between smartphone dependency and adolescent sexual behavior, and by identifying gender-differential effects, provides practical implications for promoting adolescent mental health and developing sex education programs. The findings suggest that interventions for adolescent smartphone use should focus on promoting psychological well-being rather than merely restricting usage, while incorporating gender-specific approaches and expanding sex education programs to encompass smartphone use and mental health considerations. These results are expected to provide crucial scientific evidence for future youth policy development.