Why Do Employees Withdraw Under Authority: A Social Cognitive Perspective on Psychological Distance and Moral Identity

Background Understanding why employees withdraw from work responsibilities is critical for organizational effectiveness. This study explores how authoritarian leadership contributes to employee work withdrawal behavior, applying the triadic reciprocal causation model from social cognitive theory. Specifically, it investigates psychological distance as a mediating cognitive mechanism and tests moral identity’s moderating role in potentially buffering the negative consequences. Methods A two-wave survey was conducted with 213 employees from various industries in China. Structural equation modeling and moderated mediation analysis were performed using MPLUS 8.3 and SPSS 26.0. Results It was found that authoritarian leadership positively influenced employee psychological distance and work withdrawal behavior, with psychological distance mediating this relationship. Employee moral identity negatively moderated both the link between psychological distance and withdrawal behavior and the indirect effect of authoritarian leadership, thereby reducing its overall impact. Conclusions This study identifies psychological distance as a key mechanism linking authoritarian leadership to withdrawal and highlights moral identity as a protective factor. The findings offer insights for promoting healthier leader-employee relationships and minimizing withdrawal in the workplace.