scholarly journals A small number of workers with specific personality traits perform tool use in ants

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
István Maák ◽  
Garyk Roelandt ◽  
Patrizia d'Ettorre
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Exploratory Activity ◽  
Liquid Food ◽  
Personality Tests ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Aphaenogaster Senilis ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
The Individual

Ants use debris as tools to collect and transport liquid food to the nest. Previous studies showed that this behaviour is flexible whereby ants learn to use artificial material that is novel to them and select tools with optimal soaking properties. However, the process of tool use has not been studied at the individual level. We investigated whether workers specialise in tool use and whether there is a link between individual personality traits and tool use in the ant Aphaenogaster senilis. Only a small number of workers performed tool use and they did it repeatedly, although they also collected solid food. Personality predicted the probability to perform tool use: ants that showed higher exploratory activity and were more attracted to a prey in the personality tests became the new tool users when previous tool users were removed from the group. This suggests that, instead of extreme task specialisation, variation in personality traits within the colony may improve division of labour.

Personality change and environmental concerns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher James Hopwood ◽  
Ted Schwaba ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Personality Change ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
German Population ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sustainable Behavior ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

Personal concerns about climate change and the environment are a powerful motivator of sustainable behavior. People’s level of concern varies as a function of a variety of social and individual factors. Using data from 58,748 participants from a nationally representative German sample, we tested preregistered hypotheses about factors that impact concerns about the environment over time. We found that environmental concerns increased modestly from 2009-2017 in the German population. However, individuals in middle adulthood tended to be more concerned and showed more consistent increases in concern over time than younger or older people. Consistent with previous research, Big Five personality traits were correlated with environmental concerns. We present novel evidence that increases in concern were related to increases in the personality traits neuroticism and openness to experience. Indeed, changes in openness explained roughly 50% of the variance in changes in environmental concerns. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the individual level factors associated with changes in environmental concerns over time, towards the promotion of more sustainable behavior at the individual level.

scholarly journals Major Evolutionary Transitions in Social Insects, the Importance of Worker Sterility and Life History Trade-Offs

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abel Bernadou ◽  
Boris H. Kramer ◽  
Judith Korb
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Social Insects ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Group Members ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Worker Sterility

The evolution of eusociality in social insects, such as termites, ants, and some bees and wasps, has been regarded as a major evolutionary transition (MET). Yet, there is some debate whether all species qualify. Here, we argue that worker sterility is a decisive criterion to determine whether species have passed a MET (= superorganisms), or not. When workers are sterile, reproductive interests align among group members as individual fitness is transferred to the colony level. Division of labour among cooperating units is a major driver that favours the evolution of METs across all biological scales. Many METs are characterised by a differentiation into reproductive versus maintenance functions. In social insects, the queen specialises on reproduction while workers take over maintenance functions such as food provisioning. Such division of labour allows specialisation and it reshapes life history trade-offs among cooperating units. For instance, individuals within colonies of social insects can overcome the omnipresent fecundity/longevity trade-off, which limits reproductive success in organisms, when increased fecundity shortens lifespan. Social insect queens (particularly in superorganismal species) can reach adult lifespans of several decades and are among the most fecund terrestrial animals. The resulting enormous reproductive output may contribute to explain why some genera of social insects became so successful. Indeed, superorganismal ant lineages have more species than those that have not passed a MET. We conclude that the release from life history constraints at the individual level is a important, yet understudied, factor across METs to explain their evolutionary success.

Miejsce pracy w Marksowskim humanizmie

Etyka ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 113-131
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Kuderowicz
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
A Value ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
Free Development ◽  
Spontaneous Expression ◽  
Material Conditions ◽  
The Individual

The article deals with the attitude of Marx and Engels towards the appraisal of labour as a value, and the relation between labour and the implementation of the principle of universal development of the individual personality. First, the changes in their views on the appraisal of labour are discussed. In his Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts Marx understood labour as a spontaneous expression of human thought and the formation of a new environment in which man recognizes his own qualities. In that period Marx considered value to be an affirmation of human life and a requirement put to the individual and to society. In his later, mature works Marks refused to consider an act of labour as value and defined it as conquering nature. The act of labour was to Marx no longer a value but a process which is giving value to human products and, therefore, is a necessary condition of human existence in all social systems. Marx did not regard the act of labour as a postulate or an ideal. In his opinion, the act of labour acquired value depending on its effects for the universal development of all individuals. The Marxian ideal of a perfect man implied a series of postulates relating to the organization of labour. The author criticizes Raymond Aron’s interpretation of Marxian humanism. In the works of Marx, Aron perceives a contradiction between the postulate of universal labour and the postulate of leisure in the meaning of condition in which the idea of the perfect man is realized. According to the author, from the ideal of a perfect man results the postulate of obligatory labour for all members of the society, i.e., that everybody should contribute to the development of the productive forces in order to secure the material conditions for the development of their personality. The realization of Marxian humanism requires also the maintenance of definite proportions between labour determined by the social division of labour (necessary in this sense), and leisure which should imply not only resting but also activity towards a free development of various individual abilities. In the works of Marx there is no contradiction but a complementary relation between labour and leisure. Pobierz

scholarly journals Multidimensionality of gender ideology and relationships with gendered practices: an exploratory analysis across Europe in 2002 and 2012

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heejung Chung ◽  
Pia S. Schober
Keyword(s):  
Gender Ideology ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Gender Ideologies ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Gender Culture ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Individual ◽  
International Social

Many researchers assume a one-dimensionality of gender ideology constructs and/or stability of dimensions across countries and time, yet these assumptions have rarely been tested. WE apply factor analyses on two waves of the International Social Survey Programme in 2002 and 2012, and comparable European countries to test this. Our results show that gender ideologies can be distinguished into distinctive domains that relate to mother’s employment, women’s work, men’s role in the family, and finally women’s breadwinning. These dimensions have be found to be relatively stable across countries and time. Results from regression models investigating different aspects of the gender division of labour suggest that distinguishing dimensions is less important when considering gender ideologies at the individual level but can make a big difference when examining gender culture at the country level.

scholarly journals Character and Temperament Dimensions in Subjects with Depressive Disorder: Impact of the Affective State on Their Expression

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stojan Bajraktarov ◽  
Antoni Novotni ◽  
Slavica Arsova ◽  
Dance Gudeva-Nikovska ◽  
Viktorija Vujovik
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Novelty Seeking ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
The People ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: The depression is a cross-cultural condition that occurs in all cultures and within all nations with certain specificities, even though there are some differences in its manifestation. The hereditary load is of major importance, but also the individual personality factors, in the form of risk factors, are associated with the occurrence of depression. Personality characteristics have a significant impact on the occurrence of the recurrent depressive disorder and the outcome of the treatment as well.AIM: To identify the specific personality traits in people with the recurrent depressive disorder and the impact of the affective state on them.METHODS: Three questionnaires were used: a general questionnaire, Beck's scale of depressive symptoms, and TCI-R (inventory for temperament and character).RESULTS: The most indicative differences in the dimensions are found in the Harm avoidance and the Self-direction dimensions, and most variable dimensions dependent on effective state are Novelty seeking and Reward dependence.CONCLUSION: The people with the recurrent depressive disorder have a different profile of personality traits (temperament and character) compared with the control group, and their characteristics depend on their current affective state.

A Bright Side to Family Firms: How Socioemotional Wealth Importance Affects Dark Traits–Job Performance Relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-395
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. McLarty ◽  
Daniel T. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Socioemotional Wealth ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Examining socioemotional wealth’s influence at the individual level, an interactionist approach was used to test its moderation effect on the dark personality traits–job performance relationship, using supervisor-employee dyads in family firms. Termed the Dark Triad, dark personality traits include narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Results showed that when supervisors in family firms prioritize socioemotional wealth, the expected relationships between the Dark Triad and employee job performance outcomes (task, citizenship, and counterproductive behaviors) is ameliorated. These findings demonstrate that family firms can create an environment that improves the otherwise negative impact that dark personality has on job performance.

Knowledge sabotage as an extreme form of counterproductive knowledge behavior: the role of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and competitiveness

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 2299-2325
Author(s):  
Alexander Serenko ◽  
Chun Wei Choo
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Workplace Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study empirically tests the impact of the Dark Triad personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) and co-worker competitiveness on knowledge sabotage. Design/methodology/approach A model was constructed and tested by means of Partial Least Squares with data from 150 participants recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Findings The individual personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy are significant predictors of individual knowledge sabotage behavior, whereas co-worker Machiavellianism and psychopathy trigger co-worker knowledge sabotage. Out of the three Dark Triad traits, individual and co-worker psychopathy emerged as the strongest knowledge sabotage predictor. Co-worker competitiveness has a positive effect on co-workers’ knowledge sabotage behavior. There is a relatively strong relationship between co-worker and individual knowledge sabotage which suggests that knowledge sabotage is a form of contagious workplace behavior. Individuals underestimate their negative behavior and traits and/or overestimate those of their fellow co-workers. Practical implications Managers should realize that the Dark Triad personality traits could predispose certain individuals to engage in extremely harmful counterproductive knowledge behavior. They need to ensure that individuals with these traits are not hired or are identified during their probation periods. It is recommended that organizations include knowledge sabotage measures in their periodic employee surveys. Organizations should help their employees objectively re-evaluate their own traits and knowledge behavior as well as those of their colleagues to ensure that their reciprocating knowledge behavior is more aligned with the reality in their organization. Originality/value This study offers a reliable and valid quantitative survey instrument to measure the presence of knowledge sabotage.

Singapore's Changing Demography, the Eldercare Predicament and Transnational ‘Care’ Migration

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda S.A. Yeoh ◽  
Shirlena Huang
Keyword(s):  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Transnational Migration ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
The Body ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Care Chain ◽  
Transnational Family ◽  
The Individual ◽  
City State ◽  
The City

AbstractScholars have recently argued that globalisation processes have significantly altered not just the productive but reproductive sphere. ‘Reproduction’ is formulated to include both biological and social reproduction, and which at the individual level requires ‘care’ throughout the life-cycle – that is, from cradle to grave – in sustaining the body in its corporeal and affective aspects. Concepts that have emerged in the literature in recent decades such as the ‘transnational family’, ‘global householding’ and ‘global care chain’ draw attention to the observation that the formation and sustenance of households is increasingly reliant on the international movement of people and transactions among household members residing in more than one national territory. Applying these notions to the context of the city-state of Singapore where the predicament around eldercare (resulting essentially from rapid fertility decline, shortages of Singapore women's reproductive labour and rigidities in the gender household division of labour) accompanies rapid globalisation, this paper examines strategies of care substitution which draw on the lowly paid labour of two groups of transnational subjects (mainly women) – transnational domestic workers working in the privatised sphere of the home, and transnational healthcare workers in institutionalised settings. The paper reflects upon the interdependencies between flows of transnational care migration and delves into the gender and class implications of these flows for an understanding of the links between transnational migration and social change.

scholarly journals The influence of face masks on emotion recognition and the role of individual differences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah McCrackin ◽  
Francesca Capozzi ◽  
Florence Mayrand ◽  
Jelena Ristic
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Facial Feature ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Face Features ◽  
Upper Face ◽  
The Individual

With widespread adoption of mask wearing, the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic highlighted a need for a deeper understanding of how facial feature obstruction affects emotion recognition. Here we asked participants (n=120) to identify disgusted, angry, sad, neutral, surprised, happy, and fearful emotions from faces with and without masks, and examined if recognition performance was related to their level of social competence and personality traits. Performance was reduced for all masked relative to unmasked emotions. Masks impacted recognition of expressions with diagnostic lower face features the most (disgust, anger) and those with diagnostic upper face features the least (fear, surprise). Recognition performance also varied at the individual level. Persons with higher overall social competence were better at identifying unmasked expressions, while persons with lower trait extraversion and higher trait agreeableness were better at recognizing masked expressions. These results reveal novel insights about the role of face features in emotion recognition and show that obscuring facial features affects social communication differently as a function of individual social competence and personality traits.

Agency, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation

2021 ◽  
pp. 191-217
Author(s):  
Robert Huggins ◽  
Piers Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Regional Development ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Regional Competitiveness ◽  
Community Culture ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
High Road

This chapter explores whether community culture and personality traits are associated with entrepreneurial activities. It seeks to consider the importance of personality held at the individual level and culture held at the group level. This allows the connections between the foundations of the behavioural model of regional development—community culture and personality—and activities associated with the regional development to be explored. It further explores the extent to which human agency plays a role in determining the nature of entrepreneurial endeavours. Following an examination of behavioural micro-relationships at the individual level, the analysis then moves on to examine evidence of the relationship between human agency and differing forms of regional development. It focuses on traditional economic measures of development including GDP and unemployment, but also considers inputs and outputs from innovation and the entrepreneurial environment required to generate high-road regional competitiveness.

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