Turning Tables: Offenders Feel Like “Victims” When Victims Withhold Forgiveness

When offenders apologize to victims for a wrongdoing, they often expect forgiveness in return. Sometimes, however, victims may withhold forgiveness. Across four experimental studies, we find that offenders feel like “victims” when victims respond to their apologies with non-forgiveness. This can be explained by the fact that they interpret non-forgiveness as both a norm violation and a threat to their sense of power. Together, these mechanisms can account for the relationship between non-forgiveness and negative conciliatory sentiments in offenders. These effects of non-forgiveness emerge irrespective of whether the transgression is recalled (Study 1) or imagined (Studies 2-4). They are specific to non-forgiveness rather than a lack of explicit forgiveness (Study 3), and are not qualified by subtle prods for participants to take the victim’s perspective (Study 4). These findings demonstrate a destructive response pattern in offenders that warrants further attention.

“Proof under reasonable doubt”: Ambiguity of the Norm Violation as Boundary Condition of Third-Party Punishment

In six studies, we consistently observed costly third-party punishment (3PP) to decrease under ambiguity of the norm violation. Our research suggests that, under ambiguity, some people experience concerns about punishing unfairly. Those with higher (vs. lower) other-oriented justice sensitivity (Observer JS) reduced 3PP more pronouncedly (in Studies 1-3 and 4b, but not replicated in Studies 4-5). Moreover, those who decided to resolve the ambiguity (hence, removing the risk of punishing unfairly) exceeded the 3PP observed under no ambiguity (Study 4). However, we did not consistently observe these concerns about punishing unfairly to affect 3PP (Study 4-5). We further considered whether people could use ambiguity as justification for remaining passive – thus, avoiding the costs of 3PP. We did not find conclusive evidence supporting this notion. Taken together, ambiguity entails a situational boundary of 3PP that sheds light on the prevalence of this behavior and, potentially, on its preceding decision-making.

The Comic

An account of comic value is presented in this chapter that refines the traditional ‘incongruity’ theory of comedy. It is argued that humorous objects are regarded as norm-violating (by failing, exceeding, or deliberately breaking a norm). In addition, these violations are regarded as ‘non-serious’ in the sense that we discern no pragmatic pull to correct, avoid, or imitate the norm-violation. These conditions are further refined by a consideration of timing in comedy and the humour of persona-based stand-up. The reward of comedy is then analysed as a kind of pleasurable release or relief from demands to uphold norms. Finally the chapter considers whether comic value can reconcile us with the absurdity of our lives.

Strange nominative case in topicalized object pronominal relative clauses

In an online production experiment, we investigated the effect of sentence position on the preference for either a nominative or object form of an object pronoun restricted by a relative clause in Dutch. Results show a significant preference for the nominative form of the restricted object pronoun in sentence-initial position as it was chosen in 95% of the cases. In the original object position this percentage is only 20%. The preference for a nominative pronominal object is considered a grammatical norm violation. We account for this in terms of a combination of two factors. First, the presence of the relative clause makes the object ‘long’. Second, the sentence-initial position is a syntactic position that is relatively far removed from the original object position. We argue that when a long object is topicalized, there are too many intervening elements between the pronoun and the verb of which it is the complement. If the distance between the pronominal object and the verb has become too long, the object case fades from the working memory. This then results in the appearance of nominative case as the default case for topicalized object pronominal relative clauses in Dutch.

Positive Deviance Traits and Social Entrepreneurship for Women Empowerment Amid COVID-19

Purpose: The threat of the COVID-19 pandemic persists despite concerted global efforts to contain it. So also is its impact on social entrepreneurs. One of the main questions being, what is the extent to which small businesses overcome the imminent economic recession amid the threat of COVID-19? Many small businesses have already closed operations due to the countrywide lockdown in India and the resultant cash flow constraints. The government has introduced loan guarantee schemes as a way of support, but it is not sufficient for operational expenses. This study examines the survival traits of positive deviance and social entrepreneurial roles that may be pertinent to women’s empowerment, concerning the challenges that have emerged from the pandemic. Methodology: Case study methodology was adopted, engaging Rosenblatt’s Transactional Theory to collect qualitative data, which are part of the narratives based on the experiences of a focus group within the social entrepreneurial venture, called Pipal Tree, while a descriptive approach was deployed to isolate and analyze the relevant survival traits, that is, leadership, multidimensional resourcefulness, altruism, innovation, norm-violation and labelling/stigmatization. Findings: The findings revealed that every trait—that is, leadership, multidimensional resourcefulness, altruism, innovation, norm-violation, and labelling/stigmatization—could potentially play an important role and contribute towards the sustainability of social entrepreneurs to empower women amidst the pandemic. The paper observed that ultimately this insight might be relevant to social entrepreneurs, managers and policymakers in developing effective survival strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality values: This is a conceptualization and empirically based study that engaged in primary data collection, analysis and interpretation supported with literature evidence. As well as insights on the literature and methodology development, its unique contributions also include conceptualizing the phenomenon and strategy development. Additionally, it promotes diversity and inclusivity, as well as highlighting inequality. Social implication/Practical values: This study can serve as a guide towards addressing social issues relating to global social entrepreneurship policy-making. As such, it would be a powerful tool for women empowerment, policymakers, not-for-profit organizations, civil society and social entrepreneurs in the post-COVID-19 global environment. Theoretical contributions: This study has added the literature to the existing theory relating to social deviance, social entrepreneurship and women empowerment, thereby advancing knowledge. Highlighting issues about how humanity responds to this strange new threat from the COVID-19 pandemic is critical to saving lives. The new knowledge gained will often equip social entrepreneurs to capture new ways of survival (innovative ways) in complex and new challenges to cope with post-COVID-19 socio-economic circumstances. These benefits gained may be beneficial not only in Jharkhand India but nationally as well as globally. The authors also made an addition to the definition of positive deviance. Practical contributions: The study contributes towards enabling social entrepreneurs to cope in uncertain situations, which is critical to survival most challenging or crises and not just in entrepreneurship—so in critical decision-making, problem-solving, diversity management, gender equity, human rights advancement through women empowerment, business setting and expansion, in helping weakness into strengths and ensuring a level playing ground and inclusivity. Women empowerment can be a positive strength in policy formulation and implementation processes. These kinds of reflections from the perspective of women are significant, relevant and valuable in a post-pandemic environment across the Jharkhand India region and are transferable elsewhere across the globe.

Contagious accuracy norm violation in political journalism: A cross-national investigation of how news media publish inaccurate political information

This study introduces social norm theory to mis- and disinformation research and investigates whether, how and under what conditions broadsheets’ accuracy norm violation in political journalism becomes contagious and shifts other news media in a media market towards increasingly violating the accuracy norm in political journalism as well. Accuracy norm violation refers to the publication of inaccurate information. More specifically, the study compares Swiss and UK media markets and analyses Swiss and UK press councils’ rulings between 2000 and 2019 that upheld complaints about accuracy norm violations in political journalism. The findings show that broadsheets increasingly violate the accuracy norm the closer election campaigns approach to election dates. They thereby drive other news media in a media market to increasingly violate the accuracy norm as well. However, this holds only for the UK media market but not for the Swiss media market. Therefore, the findings indicate that the higher expected benefits of accuracy norm violation that exist in media markets characterised by higher competition outweigh the higher expected costs of accuracy norm violation created by stronger press councils’ sanctions, and, thereby, facilitate contagious accuracy norm violation in political journalism during election campaigns.

SPECIAL LANGUAGE MEANS IN BY JAMES JOYCE

Постановка задачи. В статье рассматриваются средства выразительности в романе Дж. Джойса «Улисс», в тексте которого присутствуют практически все возможные стилистические приемы и фигуры речи. Базируясь на семантической двуплановости как отличительном признаке большинства образных средств, автор пытается проследить механизмы формирования языкового инструментария, характерного для модернистского произведения. Производится попытка понять, как происходит процесс порождения знаков в «Улиссе» и как их интерпретировать. Для этого особое внимание уделяется группе слов с большим семиотическим потенциалом. Результаты. Установлены некоторые языковые средства выразительности, характерные для романа «Улисс». Их отличительной особенностью является авторская индивидуальность, усиленная специфичностью романа «потока сознания», когда потенциал языка используется по-новому. Выводы. Образные средства способны придавать фигуральность любому художественному тексту. Однако создание модернистского романа «Улисс» потребовало от Джойса особых усилий в формировании языковых средств. Характерный признак данного произведения, поток сознания, спровоцировал использование лингвистического резерва несколько иным способом - бесконечными парадоксами, запутанными символами и ассоциациями. Нередко последнее связано с изменением семиозиса. Так, специфические средства создания образности в «Улиссе», заключающиеся в гротескности и эксцентричности, основываются на нарушении нормы языка, что приводит к многократному усилению эстетико-художественного эффекта в романе. Statement of the problem. The article examines the means of expression in J. Joyce's novel Ulysses , which contains virtually all possible stylistic devices: phonological, morphological, grammatical, syntactic and lexical. Based on the semantic duality as a distinctive feature of the majority of figurative means, the author tries to trace the mechanisms of the linguistic tools formation that could be characteristic of a modernist work. An attempt is made to understand how the process of generating signs in Ulysses takes place and thus how it can be interpreted. For this, special attention is paid to a group of words with great semiotic potential. Results. Some linguistic means of expressiveness characteristic of the novel Ulysses have been identified. Their main feature is the author's individuality reinforced by the specificity of the "stream of consciousness" novel, when the potential of the language is used in a new way. Conclusion. Different stylistic devices and expressive language means are able to make an impression and add figurativeness to any literary text. However, the creation of the modernist novel Ulysses required special efforts from Joyce in the formation of linguistic means. A distinctive feature of this work, the stream of consciousness, provoked the use of the linguistic potential in a slightly different way creating endless paradoxes, confusing symbols and associations. Often the latter is associated with the change in semiosis generation. Thus, the specific means of creating imagery in Ulysses lead to the language norm violation. In its turn, the grotesque and eccentricity bring multiple increase in the aesthetic and artistic effect in the novel.