When self-control is no longer a protective factor: the moderating effect of institutionalized identity on attitudes toward artificial intelligence.

As artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly applied in high-risk industries, understanding the attitudes of different occupational groups toward AI and their underlying psychological correlates has become an important research issue. Existing studies typically conceptualize self-control as a psychological trait with universal adaptive value, suggesting that it helps buffer "individuals" negative attitudes toward new technologies; however, this assumption is primarily based on samples from the general population. Drawing on a situated perspective of psychological functioning, the present cross-sectional study examined whether institutionalized identity moderates the relationship between self-control and negative attitudes toward AI, using a convenience sample of 289 participants (179 university students, 76 pilots, and 34 flight instructors). Negative AI attitudes were assessed with the Negative Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence Scale (NARS), which captures concerns and reservations toward AI rather than acceptance, trust, reliance, or behavioral adoption. Results showed that among university students, self-control was stably and negatively associated with negative AI attitudes; among pilots, this relationship was no longer significant; and among flight instructors, a non-significant positive trend was observed, which-given the small subgroup size (