Promised DE&I, Experienced Microaggressions: Investigating Psychological Contract Violation and (Dis)Trust in Leaders and Organizations

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dc.contributor.advisorKing, Danielle Den_US
dc.creatorFattoracci, Elisaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-29T19:28:40Zen_US
dc.date.available2025-05-29T19:28:40Zen_US
dc.date.created2025-05en_US
dc.date.issued2025-04-10en_US
dc.date.submittedMay 2025en_US
dc.date.updated2025-05-29T19:28:40Zen_US
dc.description.abstractResearch suggests that employees form psychological contracts (i.e., unwritten, mutual obligations between employers and employees) about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I; Lee et al., 2021; Yueng & Sheh, 2020), yet little is known about how encounters with subtle racial discrimination at work may trigger violations of these contracts and subsequently influence relational outcomes. Grounded in psychological contract theory (Rousseau, 1989), this project investigates whether and why experienced and witnessed workplace racial/ethnic microaggressions, a subtle form of discrimination that targets racial/ethnic minority group members, may relate to lower trust and higher distrust in leaders and organizations via psychological contract violation. Additionally, this study examines two boundary conditions: (a) the moderating effect of DE&I psychological contract strength on the relationship between microaggressions and psychological contract violation, and (b) the moderating effect of satisfaction with leader responses to microaggressions on the relationship between psychological contract violation and the focal outcomes. Panel data collected from 315 employees across 8 weekly surveys was analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling (MLSEM). Results suggest that across participants, psychological contract violation mediates the relationship between microaggressions and the focal outcomes. No support emerged for the hypothesized boundary conditions. Theoretical implications and practical recommendations are discussed.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/118407en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectracial/ethnic microaggressions, DE&I promises, trust, distrust, psychological contract violationen_US
dc.titlePromised DE&I, Experienced Microaggressions: Investigating Psychological Contract Violation and (Dis)Trust in Leaders and Organizationsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPsychologyen_US
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychologyen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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