Can self-consciousness and team reflexivity guard against the consequences of objectification?

Abstract

Objectification in the workplace refers to relationships in which employees can be reduced to the status of objects. This phenomenon has deleterious consequences for health. In this study we examine the protective role of reflexivity, i.e. self-consciousness and team reflexivity. 98 employees answered an online questionnaire which measured objectification, self-consciousness, team reflexivity, mentalization and instrumentality/humanness. The results highlighted a moderation effect of private self-consciousness in the relations between objectification and its consequences. An elevation of self-consciousness is associated with a decrease in dementalization and is associated with an increase in instrumentality. Team reflexivity promotes a decrease in instrumentality and an elevation in humanness either directly or indirectly via the diminution of objectification. The two forms of reflexivity are therefore complementary when facing objectification in the workplace and its consequences. The question of the articulation of the self and co-regulation processes is discussed in connection with these results.