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:

Ego Control

The capacity of an individual to regulate their impulses, desires, and potentially disruptive emotions in order to function effectively in social and personal contexts.

Ought Self

The person you think you should be.

Ideal Self

A person's conception of how they would like to be, often serving as a motivation for self-improvement.

Desired Self

Refers to an individual's ideal version of themselves, which they aspire to become or achieve.