Behavioral consequences of psychological contract breach: examining the neutralizing effects of organization-based self-esteem

Drawing upon social exchange (Blau, 1964) and behavioral plasticity (Brockner, 1988) perspectives, we examined the moderating role of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) in the relationship between psychological contract breach and organization-directed outcomes: in-role behavior (IRB), organizational citizenship behaviors towards the organization (OCBO), and workplace deviance behavior towards the organization (WDBO). Data were collected from 304 rank-andfile employees belonging to various occupational groups based in Metro Manila. Results indicated that psychological contract breach was negatively associated with OCBO and IRB and positively related to WDBO. Moreover, OBSE moderated the relationship between psychological contract breach and organization-directed behaviors such that individuals with low as opposed to high OBSE reacted more negatively to psychological contract breach.