Because Mr. Maloney trusts his employees,he treats them kindly. His kindness leads them to work diligently on his behalf,which in turn increases his trust in them. This pattern of trust,kindness,diligence,and increasing trust illustrates what is meant by

A) secure self-esteem.
B) the spotlight effect.
C) external locus of control.
D) reciprocal determinism.

This pattern represents reciprocal determinism, which is the idea that behavior is influenced by both personal factors and the environment, and they both interact with each other in a continual feedback loop. Mr. Maloney's trust in his employees is a personal factor, while his kindness and their resulting diligence are environmental factors. The increasing trust between them is a result of the interaction between the personal and environmental factors.