Which of the following is considered a behavior of abusive supervision in social psychology?

• A. Ignoring employees' contributions
• B. Encouraging teamwork and collaboration
• C. Providing constructive feedback to employees
• D. Publicly humiliating subordinates

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of abusive supervision in social psychology. Abusive supervision refers to a pattern of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors by a supervisor, excluding physical contact, that can harm employees psychologically or emotionally.
2. Step 2: Identify behaviors that fit the definition of abusive supervision. These typically include actions such as public humiliation, ignoring contributions, ridiculing, or undermining employees.
3. Step 3: Evaluate each option given in the problem against the abusive supervision criteria. For example, 'Ignoring employees' contributions' and 'Publicly humiliating subordinates' are behaviors that can be considered abusive because they harm the employee's dignity and morale.
4. Step 4: Contrast these with positive supervisory behaviors like 'Encouraging teamwork and collaboration' and 'Providing constructive feedback to employees,' which promote a healthy work environment and are not abusive.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the behaviors considered abusive supervision in this context are 'Ignoring employees' contributions' and 'Publicly humiliating subordinates' based on their negative impact on employees.