Mini-Case: a Day at the Office

question 25

Essay

Mini-Case: A Day at the Office. Your boss has called you into his office. It's 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. He asks, "I've talked to others in your group, and they have agreed to work this weekend to get the project out the door by next Monday. I had better be able to count on you. It's not going to pretty if you can't make it work." You respond, "Let me check my calendar and get back to you by 11:00 a.m. I need to double-check my calendar before I commit." Your boss grudgingly agrees. In checking your schedule, you see that you have a meeting at 2:00 p.m. with one of your company's major clients to review the latest shipment. If you work this weekend, you will have to cancel the meeting because you will have some preparation work to do prior to working on the project this weekend. The client will not be pleased if you cancel the meeting. You immediately find Max and say, "Max, good friend, remember that time I pulled your shift last May when your wife had the baby? Well, I need for you to cover for me this weekend. Can you?" Max agrees. You go to your boss's office and before you have an opportunity to speak, he says, "I was a little brusque with you earlier. The fact is, I really need for you to see this project through for me. You are the only one in the group that fully comprehends what this project means to the company. I need your expertise and judgment on this."
-Your spouse has reminded you on several occasions during the past week how he wants to visit his family this weekend. He has implied that unless you agree to go, you will hear about this until the day you die. Which influence strategy is your spouse using?

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Definitions:

Fixated Stage

A concept in Freudian psychoanalysis that suggests a person may be stuck at an early developmental stage due to unresolved conflicts.

Freudian Stage

Stages of psychosexual development outlined by Sigmund Freud, theorized to influence personality based on the focus of libidinal energies at different ages.

Fixation Evidence

Data or observations supporting the psychological concept that individuals can become stuck at an early developmental stage, affecting future behavior and attitudes.

Regression

A defense mechanism in psychoanalysis where an individual adopts more childish manners of dealing with stress and conflict.