The impact of identity conflicts among Chinese knowledge-based miners on unsafe behavior: A moderated chain mediation model

1.2.1 Identity conflicts (IC) and unsafe behaviors (USB) of knowledge-based miners (KBMs)

The JD-R theory [8] posits that irrespective of occupational types, work conditions can be classified into two primary categories: job demands and job resources, which are two dimensions that significantly impact the psychological well-being of employees. Job demands [9] necessitate employees to exert sustained efforts in terms of psychological, emotional, and physical aspects within the work environment, which are associated with certain physiological and psychological costs. Consequently, an excessive burden of job demands may lead to work burnout, identity conflicts, role overload, thereby posing a threat to employees’ job security. In contrast, job resources [9] act as positive factors, encompassing the support employees receive in terms of physical, psychological, or organizational aspects in their work, such as job security, organizational support, and performance feedback, etc.

Identity conflict (IC) is the sense of identity imbalance when individuals perceive a fundamental mismatch between their personal values or behaviors and certain social identity norms they possess [10]. Individuals constantly seek to integrate and balance their personal values with their social identities within the complex social environment. On the one hand, miners may find themselves caught in a dilemma where the organizational culture, policies, and systems in their work environment, along with their own psychosocial resources and interpersonal skills, clash with the values they hold dear, leading to a conflict between their “assigned work identity” and their “long-standing self-consistent values”. On the other hand, highly educated miners may perceive their qualifications to surpass the requirements of their positions, creating a subjective perception of an overqualification. IC can result in significant physical and mental exhaustion for miners, ultimately influencing their decision-making processes [10].

Miners with less than 5 years of work experience and a college degree or higher are classified as KBMs, while miners with more than 5 years of work experience and a high school diploma or lower are classified as EBMs [11]. In comparison to EBMs, KBMs possess a more comprehensive theoretical framework in terms of job abilities and have higher self-value and achievement expectations. Consequently, the dissonance in the work environment of coal mining or the perception of overqualification may lead KBMs to oscillate between their ideal identity and their actual identity during their interactions with the environment. Failure to appropriately address this dilemma may result in the escalation of IC of KBMs, which can have adverse effects on their occupational mental health and subsequently influence their safety behavior. Drawing from the JD-R theory [8], IC, as an obstructive job demands, has the potential to diminish the level of work engagement among KBMs, resulting in negative consequences, including emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue. Consequently, it may give rise to job burnout and positively affect USB. Based on the above, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H₁: There exists a significant positive correlation between IC and USB among KBMs.

1.2.2 The mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE)

Role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) refers to employees’ perceived ability to effectively perform tasks beyond the scope of their designated job responsibilities, encompassing a broader and more proactive range of work duties. Different from self-efficacy focused on individual specific capabilities, RBSE bases on the perspective of active behavior, emphasizing employees’ capacity to voluntarily undertake integrative tasks beyond the limitations of work roles, namely, to address macro-level issues [12]. Employees with high levels of RBSE demonstrate heightened sensitivity to their role positioning [13] and exhibit a propensity to actively leverage additional resources in order to engage in tasks beyond their assigned roles [14]. By breaking through the shackles of roles to achieve psychological equilibrium, they effectively mitigate negative cognitive effects arising from IC. Drawing on this premise, it is hypothesized that when KBMs encounter IC, the presence of RBSE can facilitate the active reconstruction of their cognitive structures, thus enhancing their safety competence. Consequently, the following hypotheses are posited:

H₂: RBSE mediates the impact of IC on USB among KBMs.

H_2a: IC has a negative impact on RBSE.

H_2b: RBSE has a negative impact on USB.

1.2.3 The mediating effect of psychosocial resources (PSR)

Psychosocial resources (PSR) which originates from the field of positive psychology, refers to the collective term encompassing individual psychological resources (PR) and interpersonal social resources (SR) that enhance the individual’s ability to cope with stress [15]. The resource perception model emphasis [16], PSR play a pivotal role in promoting an individual’s sense of self-security through various means, such as facilitating the enhancement of self-worth and fostering positive interpersonal relationships, enabling individuals to make informed decisions when confronted with the adverse consequences of stress. The possession of abundant PSR allows individuals to reduce subjective interference and effectively manage adaptive responses in the face of adversity. Furthermore, based on the JD-R theory, PSR as a work-related resource provide valuable support for KBMs, assisting in the enhancement of their occupational mental well-being. The buffering characteristics inherent in PSR play a vital role in alleviating the conflicting feelings arising from IC among KBMs and mitigating the emergence of insecure psychological states. Further exploration is needed to understand the specific effects of these processes. Consequently, based on the two dimensions of PSR, the following hypotheses are posited: H₃: PR mediate the impact of IC on USB among KBMs. H_3a: IC has a negative impact on PR. H_3b: PR have a negative impact on USB. H₄: SR mediate the impact of IC on USB among KBMs. H_4a: IC has a negative impact on SR. H_4b: SR have a negative impact on USB.

1.2.4 The chain mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) and psychosocial resources (PSR)

Individual behavioral intentions are influenced by perceived control, and the strength of perceived environmental control behavior positively affects the prediction of their behavior [17]. Consequently, it can be inferred that IC weakens the PR and SR of KBMs, thereby diminishing their safety competence in the workplace. Moreover, RBSE is posited to enhance the level of PSR through dual pathways of PR and SR. From the dimension of PR, RBSE can effectively address overqualification and positively impact employees’ psychological well-being. KBMs, when actively engaged in performing external role tasks, are able to enhance their self-worth and augment their PR, thus effectively managing the stress brought about by IC, evoking positive emotions in employees and strengthening their safety competence. On the dimension of SR, supervisor support, organizational support, and social support among interpersonal social resources are regarded as effective mechanisms for individuals to alleviate negative emotions arising from IC [18]. RBSE can promote employees’ psychological sense of safety within the group [19], thereby enhancing SR and alleviating employees’ negative emotions. Based on these arguments, the following hypotheses are posited:

H₅: RBSE and PSR play a chain mediating role between IC and USB among KBMs.

H_5a: RBSE has a positive impact on PR.

H_5b: RBSE has a positive impact on SR.

1.2.5 The moderating effect of positive explanatory bias (PEB)

In group situations, individuals demonstrate a tendency to interpret ambiguous information with either positive or negative biases, thus indicating the presence of an explanatory bias in their information processing [20]. According to the social cognitive theory, both social and individual cognitive factors play a significant role in determining individual behavior, different group information processing biases lead to varying individual behaviors. Specifically, positive explanatory bias (PEB) acts as a catalyst for instilling positive emotional perceptions among employees, contributing to an enhanced sense of psychological safety within the group [13]. From the vantage point of positive psychology, this paper aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms through which information processing biases influence USB among KBMs.

In situations characterized by ambiguity, individuals’ positive or negative explanations of event meaning have a profound impact on their acceptance within a group. When facing ambiguous information, employees who exhibit a tendency toward positive explanations tend to give positive interpretation to the fuzzy situation, indicating that individuals are more inclusive of group information [21]. The tendency effectively reduces the interference of subjective judgment in their work. When KBMs are required to undertake broader tasks and responsibilities, it becomes imperative for them to possess the confidence to transcend the limitations imposed by their respective work roles and engage in proactive behavior. On the one hand, PEB serves to enhance the perception of work safety among KBMs [13], enabling them to approach ambiguous situations with greater self-assurance, thereby enriching their PR; On the other hand, in scenarios involving ambiguous communication and interaction with superiors and organizations, KBMs with PEB tend to perceive predominantly positive information from their peers. This perception serves to foster psychological integration between individuals and the group [21], thereby further augmenting their SR. Consequently, PEB emerges as a critical moderating factor that influences the relationship between RBSE and PSR. Based on these considerations, the following hypotheses are posited:

H₆: PEB moderates the impact of RBSE and PR.

H₇: PEB moderates the impact of RBSE and SR.