E-mail, decisional styles, and rest breaks.
E-mail is a common but problematic work application. A scale was created to measure tendencies to use e-mail to take breaks (e-breaking); and self-esteem and decisional style (vigilance, procrastination, buck-passing, hypervigilance) were used to predict the self-reported and actual e-mail behaviors of 133 participants (students and marketing employees). Individuals who were low in defensive avoidance (buck-passing) engaged in more e-mailing per week, both in time spent on e-mail and message volume. E-breakers were more likely to engage in behavioral procrastination and spent more time on personal e-mail.
Baker
James R
JR
School of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Phillips
James G
JG
D000328:Adult; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003657:Decision Making; D034742:Electronic Mail / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012146:Rest / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D017748:Time Management / Q000523:psychology*; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology*