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Theory X and Y

two contrasting types of managerial philosophy: Theory X managers assume that workers are passive, lazy, and motivated only by money and security, whereas Theory Y managers assume that workers want to grow psychologically and desire autonomy and responsibility. It is hypothesized that these assumptions are self-fulfilling, so that workers who are subjected to Theory X management will act in a lazy and untrustworthy manner, and those who are subjected to Theory Y management and are provided with a workplace that encourages psychological growth will show creativity and initiative. A Theory X manager is authoritarian in leadership style, whereas a Theory Y manager is participative and democratic. [described by Douglas McGregor (1906–1964), U.S. management consultant and social psychologist]

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Psychology term of the day

February 25th 2025

group

group

n. any collection or assemblage, particularly of items or individuals. For example, in social psychology the term refers to two or more interdependent individuals who influence one another through social interactions that commonly include structures involving roles and norms, a degree of cohesiveness, and shared goals. Such social groups thus are contrasted with aggregations. Similarly, in animal behavior, a group refers to an organized collection of individuals that moves together or otherwise acts to achieve some common goal (e.g., protection against predators) that would be less effectively achieved by individual action, and in research, it denotes a collection of participants who all experience the same experimental conditions and whose responses are to be compared to the responses of one or more other collections of research participants.