Journal of Business Research· 2026Q1
Youngism at work: How age discrimination against younger employees fractures psychological sense of community
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Daily age-based discrimination against younger employees strengthens their identification with their peer group, leading to increased in-group community but decreased organizational community (an "identity trade-off").
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Daily age-based discrimination increases younger employees' identification with their peer group.
- Increased peer identification leads to higher in-group PSOC but lower organizational PSOC.
- A growth mindset moderates the relationship, weakening the link between discrimination and peer identification.
- The study used a 10-day daily diary design with 63 Chinese employees.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Age discrimination against younger employees has become increasingly prevalent, yet its psychological consequences remain underexplored. Grounded in the rejection-identification model and social identity theory, we examine how youngism shapes younger employees’ psychological sense of community (PSOC). Using a daily diary design across 10 working days with 63 Chinese employees (≤ 3 years’ tenure, 546 daily observations), we find that daily age-based discrimination strengthens younger employees’ identification with their peer group, which in turn enhances their in-group PSOC while diminishing their organizational PSOC. We refer to these opposing outcomes as an “identity trade-off”. Furthermore, a growth mindset moderates the relationship between discrimination and age-group identification, such that this relationship is weaker among individuals with stronger growth mindset. By focusing on younger targets of ageism, we elucidate a dual-pathway mechanism through which youngism erodes workplace community and identify a boundary condition that mitigates this process. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Business Research, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology and Physiological PsychologyPsychology