Verification of the impact of emotional maturity on negative perceptions of whistleblowers, the mediating effects of perspective-taking and emotional concern, and the moderating effect of gender

The aim of this study is to reveal how the level of emotional maturity and concern among social members affects their perception of whistleblowers. Based on this, it seeks ways to establish an appropriate perception of whistleblowers. Data for the study were collected through a survey and analyzed using SPSS 25.0, AMOS 25.0, and Mplus 8.5, employing the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The findings are as follows: First, the direct effect of emotional maturity on reducing negative perceptions of whistleblowers is confirmed only among men. Emotional maturity have a positive effect on the reduction of men's negative perceptions of whistleblowers through enhanced emotional concern, and the partial mediating effect of emotional concern has been verified. Second, for women, emotional maturity positively influences the reduction of negative perceptions of whistleblowers through enhanced emotional concern. However, the direct effect of emotional concern on reducing negative perceptions of whistleblowers is not statistically significant, indicating the full mediating effect of emotional concern. These results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing negative perceptions of whistleblowers by enhancing emotional maturity are more effective for men than for women. Furthermore, the findings imply that emotional concern is a crucial psychological characteristic for reducing women's negative perceptions of whistleblowers through emotional maturity.