Sex differences in job outcome preferences: Trends among newly hired college graduates.

Examined several causes for discrepant findings in the literature related to sex differences in job outcome preferences. 648 college graduates newly hired into entry-level business jobs over a 9-yr period rated job characteristics comprising 3 job outcome dimensions: (a) long-term career objectives, (b) working environment and interpersonal relationships, and (c) intrinsic job aspects. The possibility that the area of professional training could account for sex differences in job outcome preferences was explored, controlling for age, education, organizational level, and occupational category. Although professional training area did have a significant effect on job outcome preferences, sex differences persisted, with females giving significantly less emphasis to career objectives and significantly more emphasis to work environment and interpersonal job aspects than males. Analyses of trends showed a convergence of female preferences toward those of males on the 2 dimensions in which sex differences were found. Efforts to predict turnover from job outcome preferences suggested that females with a relatively high career orientation were less likely than males or other females to leave the organization. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Courses and jobs.

Questionnaires were sent to 412 companies and to 87 other companies in a follow-up study to assess which courses would help psychology majors get jobs. Findings suggest that psychology majors would be better off if they were to take a few courses designed for the business world or related to job requirements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job analysis of psychology internships in counseling center settings.

A widely accepted method of job analysis, the critical incident technique, was applied in order to determine dimensions of performance among psychology interns. All training directors of Association of Psychology Internship Centers were contacted regarding participation, and 46 (90%) completed the critical incident interview. The 270 critical incidents were analyzed with a standard procedure for determining behaviorally defined job dimensions. Seven dimensions were identified: clinical skills, commitment to own professional development, crisis and emergency situations, interpersonal relationships, knowledge, professional and ethical behavior, and programming and consultation skills. The results are presented within the context of other definitions of intern performance and of entry-level psychological practice. In addition, suggestions for improving selection and evaluation of psychology interns are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of gender and sexual orientation on evolutionarily relevant aspects of human mating psychology.

Sexual selection theory provides a powerful model for the analysis of psychological sex differences. This research examined (1) tests of several sex differences in mating psychology predicted from sexual selection theory, (2) broad developmental hypotheses about sex differences in mating psychology—through the relationship of mating psychology to sexual orientation, and (3) the structure of within-sex differences in mating psychology. Scales measuring aspects of mating psychology were administered to heterosexual and homosexual Ss of both sexes. The structure of scale intercorrelations was similar across groups. All scales yielded sex differences consistent with sexual selection theory. Homosexual Ss generally obtained scores similar to those of same-sex heterosexual Ss though several scales were significantly related to sexual orientation. Findings constrain hypotheses concerning the origins of sex differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional interests and career aspirations of graduate students in professional psychology: An exploratory survey.

Graduate students in American professional psychology programs (N = 498) were surveyed to examine differences between specialty area (clinical vs. counseling), degree type (PhD vs. PsyD), and gender with respect to demographics, training models, theoretical orientations, career aspirations and reasons for choices, research productivity, and expected salaries. Clinical and counseling students differed with respect to training models, theoretical orientations, career aspirations, and expected salaries, whereas PhD and PsyD students differed with respect to training models, theoretical orientations, career aspirations, and research emphasis. The changing gender composition in professional psychology is unlikely to have a dramatic effect given their professional similarities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapists' sexual values for self and clients: Implications for practice and training.

Therapists may be confronted with clients whose sexual values and behaviors are different from their own. To understand more about therapists' sexual values and how these values may affect therapy, the current study assessed therapists' sexual values for both themselves and their clients in the areas of premarital, casual, and extramarital sex, open marriages, sexual orientation, and sex in adolescence and late adulthood. Therapists differed selectively in their sexual values depending on their gender, religious involvement, and political affiliation. Therapists appeared comfortable working with a variety of sexual issues in therapy, and it appears that training in sexual issues is helpful in clinical work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The honeymoon effect in job performance: Temporal increases in the predictive power of achievement motivation.

Examined correlations between a job performance criterion and personality measures reflecting achievement motivation and an interpersonal orientation at 3 points in time after 268 airline reservation agents completed job training. Ss completed subscales from the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire and from an extended version of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. The performance criterion consisted of having Ss verify the availability of seats and enter passenger information. Although correlations between the personality predictors and performance were small and nonsignificant for the 3-mo period after beginning the job, by the end of 6 and 8 mo a number of significant relationships had emerged: Work orientation scores had the strongest positive correlation during the 2nd and 3rd periods, whereas Mastery scores showed a significant negative correlation. The variables reflecting interpersonal orientation also showed logical relationships with performance during the latter 2 periods, with Expressivity scores demonstrating a significant positive correlation and Verbal Aggressiveness and Submissiveness scores yielding significant negative correlations. These significant correlations were found after the "honeymoon" period with the work had ended. Implications for the utility of personality measures in selection and performance prediction are discussed. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Status of women in the psychological community in the Southeast: Women as graduate students.

Results of interviews with female and male psychology graduate students in southeastern institutions reveal little evidence of perceived "soft" sex discrimination in assignments, interpersonal relationships, and encouragement received. The sexes were similar in financial aid received and field of psychology pursued. However, females felt that they were not fully accepted as individuals by the faculty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Boys and girls together—and alienated: On enacting stereotyped sex roles in mixed-sex dyads.

Determined how individual differences in sex role orientation (assessed by the Bem Sex Role Inventory) were related to behavior of 43 male and 43 female undergraduates during an initial, unstructured interaction in mixed-sex dyads. The design contrasted 4 different dyad types: (a) the male and female were stereotypically sex typed correspondent to their gender (male ST–female ST). (b) The male was stereotypically sex typed as masculine and the female as androgynous (male ST–female A). (c) The male was androgynous and the female was sex typed as feminine (male A–female ST). (d) Both were androgynous (male A–female A). Analyses of the Ss' behavior during the 5-min interaction period and self-report data collected afterward revealed significantly less interaction and interpersonal attraction in the male ST–female ST dyads than in the other dyad types. Data are discussed in terms of S. L. Bem's (1974) conception of sex role identification and M. Snyder's (1974) conception of self-monitoring. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex of subject and sex composition of the group as determinants of reward allocations.

Conducted 2 studies with 322 undergraduates in which the sex composition of the group was systematically varied. In Study 1, sex of the low-input group member determined allocation norm choice. In Study 2, which differed from other research in the area in that triads had to arrive at an allocation decision through free, unrestricted communication, equality was the dominant choice in all conditions. To understand when and why sex differences occur and to integrate the present results with past research, the variables affecting sex differences in allocation behavior were explored. Results indicate that women and men differ in their interpersonal orientations, which generally leads them to differentially prefer equality and equity. However, situations differ in the extent to which equity or equality is appropriate, with sex composition of the group considered as a situational demand. It was found that sex differences will most likely occur when situational demands are weak or ambiguous and that members of each sex will attempt to change the situation to make it congruent with their interpersonal orientation. It is suggested that sex differences and support for equity have been exaggerated in past research by restricting research to same-sex groups in settings in which equity is congruent with the situational demands. (60 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professionals in scientific disciplines: Sex-related differences in working life commitments.

Examined sex differences in job involvement and organizational commitment along with issues pertaining to role conflicts, treatment on the job, and involvement in professional activities. Data were collected via a mail survey from 440 women and 447 men who were randomly selected from various professional societies. The mean age of women was 39.8 yrs; the mean age for males was 43.8 yrs. No significant differences were observed between men and women on the job involvement and professional activities scales. Men and women differed, however, on their level of organizational commitment, their perceptions of on-the-job treatment, and the extent of their role conflicts. These differences are discussed, and the stronger correlates of job and organizational commitment are identified. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of education to sex, managerial status, and the managerial stereotype.

Investigated the personality traits of achievement orientation, aggression, dominance, and nurturance, as measured by the Personality Research Form, to analyze sex differences when males and females achieve similar job ranks and educational levels. Ss, matched by organization and department, represented 39 firms and included 66 sets of 4 employees each: a male manager, a female manager, a male nonmanager, and a female nonmanager. Results indicate that education is significantly related to each of the 4 personality traits and interacts with sex for dominance and nurturance. Sex differences for these 2 traits practically disappeared when more educated males and females were compared; the more educated members of both sexes approximated the managerial stereotype. There was no interaction between education and managerial status for any of the personality variables. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in employment experiences of 1976 Canadian graduates in psychology.

Two large-scale surveys were undertaken by Statistics Canada in 1978 to examine the employment experiences of 1976 graduates from Canadian universities (outside Quebec). The present report is based on secondary analyses of this data. It compares the experiences of psychology graduates with those from other fields and examines possible sex differences. In terms of full-time employment, salary, and relatedness of job to education and job satisfaction, the employment experiences of psychology graduates were positive. There were, however, consistent sex differences (in favor of males) in salary and, to a lesser extent, in full-time employment rate. Sex differences remained after controlling for several possible contributors, such as working experience, age, marital status, and, in the case of salary, for full-time employment. (French abstract) (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparisons between psychologists and other professional groups.

It is estimated that as of 1953, there were 22,000 persons working as psychologists in the United States; 95,000 living persons have obtained bachelor's degrees with majors in psychology; 5,000 living persons have the Ph.D. degrees in psychology. About 12% of the students who have received a bachelor's degree in psychology have become professional psychologists; this accounts for approximately half of all the people in the country who are working as psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Four-factor justice and daily job satisfaction: A multilevel investigation.

This study examined the differential effects of 4 types of organizational justice on daily job satisfaction at between- and within-individual levels. Specifically, the authors predicted that interpersonal justice and informational justice would exhibit meaningful daily variations and would have direct impacts on individuals’ job satisfaction on a daily basis. They further theorized that distributive justice and procedural justice at a between-person level would moderate the within-person relationships. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to test their hypotheses with a sample of 231 full-time employees in Hong Kong over the course of 25 working days. The results showed that both daily interpersonal and informational justice were positively related to daily job satisfaction. As hypothesized, between-individual distributive justice moderated the relationship between daily interpersonal justice and daily job satisfaction, and between-individual procedural justice moderated the relationship between daily informational justice and daily job satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional Identity of Counseling Psychologists.

This research investigated the professional activities of members of the Division of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) of the American Psychological Association. A random sample of 700 Division 17 members was sent surveys; 304 (43.4%) respondents returned completed surveys. Participants perceived themselves as most involved with professional activities associated with short-term, goal-directed counseling and program development and least involved with research and working with paraprofessionals. Participants differed in terms of the frequency with which they perceived themselves performing certain professional activities as well as the importance they placed on these activities as a function of job setting, whether or not they were licensed for private practice, whether or not they were members of a Division other than Division 17, and whether they identified themselves as counseling or clinical psychologists. Despite these differences, common interests emerged among those Division 17 members sampled, indicating a definable applied specialty within psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive style and pleasant activities among female adolescent suicide attempters.

Cognitive style and pleasant activities of 77 suicide-attempting female minority adolescents were compared with those of 2 groups of non-suicide-attempting female minority adolescents, 39 who were psychiatrically disturbed and 23 who were nondisturbed. Suicide attempters differed from other groups, even when depression and IQ were statistically controlled. They reported significantly fewer alternatives for solving interpersonal problems, were significantly more focused on problems, and were more likely to report a wishful thinking style of coping in stressful situations than were members of the nondisturbed comparison group. Across groups, depression was associated with significantly more dysfunctional attributions. Interpersonal problem-solving ability and attributional style best distinguished the suicide attempters. Results suggest using different cognitive–behavioral interventions with depressed and nondepressed minority female adolescent suicide attempters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The professional option: An alternative to graduate work in psychology.

Discusses the organization of a 4-yr preprofessional curriculum for psychology majors, to offer undergraduate training and help students obtain full-time employment after graduation. Curriculum planning was based on 2 surveys of local business and social service organizations. Results indicate that a BA in psychology was of little help in obtaining work unless field experience supplemented classroom instruction. Specific skills and theoretical knowledge were considered less desirable in prospective employees than facility in personal relations. These findings were of central importance in making recommendations for restructuring the undergraduate curriculum. Suggestions for APA action in this area are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived influence of life experiences on clinical psychologists' selection and development of theoretical orientations.

Investigated the types of life experiences perceived by 31 male and 9 female behavioral and psychodynamic (PD) psychologists as influential in the development of their theoretical orientation. Half of the Ss were experienced therapists (aged 31–59 yrs); the other half were clinical psychology graduate students. Ss completed a theoretical orientation survey and a checklist of variables influencing the selection of a theoretical orientation and were also interviewed individually. Results show that therapists in the PD group (1) reported significantly more mental illness in members of their families of origin, (2) offered significantly more personal as opposed to professional reasons for seeking therapy, (3) reported significantly more conflict within their families of origin when compared with therapists in the behavioral group, and (4) reported seeking personal therapy more often (95%) than therapists in the behavioral group (40%). Implications for training of therapists are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health care utilization as a function of subjective health status, job satisfaction and gender among health care workers in Guangzhou, southern China

Job satisfaction, subjective health and health care utilization was studied on 72 doctors and 127 nurses working at two hospitals in Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.), along with medication use and consultations with physicians over the 14 days preceding data collection. Female doctors were, on average, ten years older than male doctors. Nurses (all female) were comparable to male doctors in terms of age. Current and general subjective health, and job satisfaction differed between doctors and nurses. Nurses were less satisfied than doctors and reported poorer perceived health, until gender and age were controlled. Female doctors had poorer ratings of general and current subjective health and lower job satisfaction than their male colleagues. Path analysis tested whether lower job satisfaction leads to decrements in perceived current health which in turn increased consultation with a physician and medication use. When male and female subjects were examined separately, job satisfaction was inversely related to consultation behaviour among males and positively related to perceived current health in both genders. Among females job satisfaction and consultation behaviour related to current perceived health but were not related to each other. The hypothesized path was upheld for nurses. Lack of power prevented the same path being significant for male or female doctors. In combination, doctors showed significant relationships between the four main variables studied.