When a happy worker is a productive worker: A preliminary examination of three models.

This 2-yr longitudinal field study examined the contributions of psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and dispositional affect--positive and negative affect--to job performance. 49 public sector management professionals from a governmental county agency participated in this study. Measures of job satisfaction, dispositional affect, and psychological well-being were available at Time 1. Measures of composite job performance were available at Time 1 and Time 2 (2 yrs later). Results show that while psychological well-being predicted job performance, the data fail to establish relations between job satisfaction and dispositional affect as predictors of job performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of core self-evaluations traits—self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis.

This article presents meta-analytic results of the relationship of 4 traits—self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability (low neuroticism)—with job satisfaction and job performance. With respect to job satisfaction, the estimated true score correlations were .26 for self-esteem, .45 for generalized self-efficacy, .32 for internal locus of control, and .24 for emotional stability. With respect to job performance, the correlations were .26 for self-esteem, .23 for generalized self-efficacy, .22 for internal locus of control, and .19 for emotional stability. In total, the results based on 274 correlations suggest that these traits are among the best dispositional predictors of job satisfaction and job performance. T. A. Judge, E. A. Locke, and C. C. Durham's (1997) theory of core self evaluations is used as a framework for discussing similarities between the 4 traits and their relationships to satisfaction and performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the heritability of job satisfaction: The mediating role of personality.

In this article the authors investigate the extent to which traits reflecting individual differences in personality and affectivity explain or mediate genetic influences on job satisfaction. Using estimates of the dispositional source of job satisfaction according to 2 dispositional frameworks--the five-factor model and positive affectivity-negative affectivity (PA-NA)--and behavioral-genetic estimates of the heritabilities of job satisfaction and the dispositional factors, the authors computed the proportion of genetic variance in job satisfaction that is explained by these trait frameworks. Results indicate that the affectivity model is a stronger mediator of genetic effects on job satisfaction than the five-factor model. PA and NA mediate about 45% of the genetic influences on job satisfaction, whereas the five-factor model mediates approximately 24% of these genetic effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How important are dispositional factors as determinants of job satisfaction? Implications for job design and other personnel programs.

According to recent research, stable dispositional factors may result in considerable consistency in attitudes such as job satisfaction across time and situations. If true, this finding may have important implications. For example, Staw and Ross (1985) argued that "many situational changes such as job redesign… may not affect individuals as intended." Such personnel programs "may be prone to failure because they must contend with attitudinal consistency" (p. 478). The present article has two purposes. First, methodological and conceptual problems with the Staw and Ross assessment of the impact of situational and dispositional factors on job satisfaction are discussed. Second, given Staw and Ross's focus on job redesign, this article examines the impact on job satisfaction of changes in two very different measures of job complexity. Findings indicate that changes in situational factors such as job complexity are important predictors of job satisfaction, consistent with Hackman and Oldham's (1975, 1976) job design model. In contrast, measurement problems preclude accurate assessment of the predictive power of dispositional factors. Contrary to the concern raised by Staw and Ross (1985) and Staw, Bell, and Clausen (1986), it does not appear likely that the success of personnel programs will be significantly constrained by the influence of attitudinal consistency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subjective expectation, outcome discrepancy, and job satisfaction.

Investigated subjective expectation as a source of satisfaction valence associated with job outcomes. Four variables were of major interest: desired outcome, actual outcome, subjective expectation, and job satisfaction. The following hypotheses were tested, using 3 measures of satisfaction in a laboratory analog study with 120 undergraduates: (a) A positive linear relationship exists between "actual outcome–desired outcome" discrepancy and job satisfaction. (b) A negative linear relationship exists between subjective expectation and job satisfaction. Results on all dependent measures support the 1st hypothesis. Support for the 2nd hypothesis was evident but not consistent across the 3 satisfaction measures. The problem of equivalence of satisfaction measures is discussed, as is the relationship of the results to existing research and implications for further investigation. (French summary) (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dispositional model of job attitudes revisited: Findings of a 10-year study.

Research findings showing that satisfaction scores are stable over time led B. M. Staw and J. Ross (1985) to suggest that job satisfaction is rooted in dispositional mechanisms. The current study tested this hypothesis by administering a questionnaire to 166 U.S. Department of Defense employees on 2 occasions. Measures of job satisfaction (r?=?.37, p?r?=?.41, p?     

Adaptation-Level Theory, Opponent Process Theory, and Dispositions: An Integrated Approach to the Stability of Job Satisfaction.

Research suggests that the stability of job satisfaction is partially the result of dispositions (J. J. Connolly & C. Viswesvaran, 2000; C. Dormann & D. Zapf, 2001; T. A. Judge & J. E. Bono, 2001a; T. A. Judge, D. Heller, & M. K. Mount, 2002). Opponent process theory (R. L. Solomon & J. D. Corbit, 1973, 1974) and adaptation-level theory (H. Helson, 1948) are alternative explanations of this stability that explain how environmental effects on job satisfaction dissipate across time. On the basis of an integration of these explanations, the authors propose that dispositions (a) influence employees' equilibrium or adaptation level of job satisfaction, (b) influence employees' sensitivity to workplace events, and (c) influence the speed at which job satisfaction returns to equilibrium after one is exposed to a workplace event. Research and applied implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and job satisfaction: The mediating role of job characteristics.

This study tested a model of the relationship between core self-evaluations, intrinsic job characteristics, and job satisfaction. Core self-evaluations was assumed to be a broad personality concept manifested in 4 specific traits: self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and low neuroticism. The model hypothesized that both subjective (perceived) job characteristics and job complexity mediate the relationship between core self-evaluations and job satisfaction. Two studies were conducted to test the model. Results from Study 1 supported the hypothesized model but also suggested that alternative models fit the data well. Results from Study 2 revealed that core self-evaluations measured in childhood and in early adulthood were linked to job satisfaction measured in middle adulthood. Furthermore, in Study 2 job complexity mediated part of the relationship between both assessments of core self-evaluations and job satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis.

This study reports results of a meta-analysis linking traits from the 5-factor model of personality to overall job satisfaction. Using the model as an organizing framework, 334 correlations from 163 independent samples were classified according to the model. The estimated true score correlations with job satisfaction were -.29 for Neuroticism, .25 for Extraversion, .02 for Openness to Experience, .17 for Agreeableness, and .26 for Conscientiousness. Results further indicated that only the relations of Neuroticism and Extraversion with job satisfaction generalized across studies. As a set, the Big Five traits had a multiple correlation of .41 with job satisfaction, indicating support for the validity of the dispositional source of job satisfaction when traits are organized according to the 5-factor model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caregiving outcomes for older mothers of adults with mental retardation: A test of the two-factor model of psychological well-being.

A two-factor model of caregiving appraisal and psychological well-being, based on previous findings with caregiving spouses (M. P. Lawton et al; see record 1991-34214-001) was tested with 225 older mothers who provided care at home to an offspring with mental retardation The effects of objective caregiving stressors, caregiver resources, and subjective appraisals (caregiving satisfaction and burden) on the positive and negative dimensions of psychological well-being were examined. LISREL 8 analyses revealed that the model differed in two key ways for caregiving mothers: (a) Positive psychological well-being appeared to diminish subjective burden, and (b) both objective stressors and resources were unrelated to subjective burden. These findings suggest the need for future research into how caregiving dynamics are influenced by the specific nature of the relationship between the caregiver and the recipient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: The role of core evaluations.

Past research has suggested that dispositional sources of job satisfaction can be traced to measures of affective temperament. The present research focused on another concept, core self-evaluations, which were hypothesized to comprise self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and nonneuroticism. A model hypothesized that core self-evaluations would have direct effects on job and life satisfaction. It also was hypothesized that core self-evaluations would have indirect effects on job satisfaction. Data were collected from 3 independent samples in 2 countries, using dual source methodology. Results indicated that core self-evaluations had direct and indirect effects on job and life satisfaction. The statistical and logical relationship among core evaluations, affective disposition, and satisfaction was explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivation, comportements organisationnels discrétionnaires et bien-être en milieu Africain: Quand le devoir oblige?

This study tested an organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) model based on the motivational model of job burnout (MMJB) with Gabonese employees (N = 146). It was hypothesized that to the degree that employees perceive their supervisors as promoting their autonomy, competence and relatedness, their motivation at work will be more self-determined. Supervisory style and motivation would then predict job satisfaction, which in turn influences life satisfaction. Work motivation and job satisfaction should also determine OCB and the latter should then influence life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling analyses overall support the model. However, altruism OCB was negatively related to self-determined motivations, which then negatively predicted life satisfaction. These results support SDT's prediction that a behaviour regulated by non-self-determined motivations will negatively affect well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability in the midst of change: A dispositional approach to job attitudes.

Analyzed data on the job satisfaction of over 5,000 45–59 yr old males to investigate the dispositional argument that job attitudes are consistent within individuals, showing stability both over time and across situations. Data were collected longitudinally over multiple waves, with the majority of the sample assessed on job satisfaction during 1966, 1969, and 1971. Results show significant stability of attitudes over a 5-yr time period and significant cross-situational consistency when individuals changed employers and/or occupations. Prior attitudes were also a stronger predictor of subsequent job satisfaction than either changes in pay or the social status of the job. Implications of these results for developing dispositional theories of work behavior are discussed, along with possible implications for popular situational theories (e.g., job design, social information processing). (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work stress, self-efficacy, Chinese work values, and work well-being in Hong Kong and Beijing.

The authors tested the direct and moderating effects of self-efficacy and Chinese work values on relationships between job stressors and work well-being among employees in Hong Kong and Beijing. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from 105 and 129 employees in Hong Kong and Beijing, respectively. The results revealed that self-efficacy was positively related to job satisfaction in both samples. Self-efficacy was found to be a stress moderator in some of the stressor-work well-being relationships for both samples. The direct effect of Chinese work values on work well-being was minimal, and its moderating effects were partially demonstrated in some of the stressor-job satisfaction relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance.

The happy–productive worker hypothesis has most often been examined in organizational research by correlating job satisfaction to performance. Recent research has expanded this to include measures of psychological well-being. However, to date, no field research has provided a comparative test of the relative contribution of job satisfaction and psychological well-being as predictors of employee performance. The authors report 2 field studies that, taken together, provide an opportunity to simultaneously examine the relative contribution of psychological well-being and job satisfaction to job performance. In Study 1, psychological well-being, but not job satisfaction, was predictive of job performance for 47 human services workers. These findings were replicated in Study 2 for 37 juvenile probation officers. These findings are discussed in terms of research on the happy–productive worker hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maintenance of satisfaction in romantic relationships: Empathy and relational competence.

On the basis of a series of recent investigations linking personality, social behavior, and social satisfaction, as well as the theoretical concept of relational competence, we propose a model of relationship satisfaction. The model is based on the notion that personality in general and empathy in particular affect relationship satisfaction through their influences on specific mediating behaviors. The tenets of the model were tested by assessing the key constructs for both members of 264 heterosexual romantic couples. In general, the model was strongly supported, as three separate facets of dispositional empathy had separate and predictable influences on self-reported behavior, which in turn significantly influenced partners' perceptions of those behaviors. Also as expected, perceptions of partner behavior were significant influences on one's satisfaction with the relationship. The model worked especially well for longer term relationships and somewhat better for predicting female behavior; the role of one facet of empathy—perspective taking—was especially strong for longer relationships. Thus, the model appears to be a fruitful way to examine the role of personality on social and psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are Normal Narcissists Psychologically Healthy?: Self-Esteem Matters.

Five studies established that normal narcissism is correlated with good psychological health. Specifically, narcissism is (a) inversely related to daily sadness and dispositional depression, (b) inversely related to daily and dispositional loneliness, (c) positively related to daily and dispositional subjective well-being as well as couple well-being, (d) inversely related to daily anxiety, and (e) inversely related to dispositional neuroticism. More important, self-esteem fully accounted for the relation between narcissism and psychological health. Thus, narcissism is beneficial for psychological health only insofar as it is associated with high self-esteem. Explanations of the main and mediational findings in terms of response or social desirability biases (e.g., defensiveness, repression, impression management) were ruled out. Supplementary analysis showed that the links among narcissism, self-esteem, and psychological health were preponderantly linear. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are health and happiness the product of wisdom? The relationship of general mental ability to educational and occupational attainment, health, and well-being.

This study tested a structural model explaining the effects of general mental ability on economic, physical, and subjective well-being. A model was proposed that linked general mental ability to well-being using education, unhealthy behaviors (smoking and excessive drinking), occupational prestige, and health as mediating variables. The sample consisted of 398 individuals, from whom measures were collected across 4 periods. The results supported a model that includes direct and indirect (through unhealthy behaviors and occupational prestige) links from mental ability to physical well-being (i.e., health) and economic well-being. Furthermore, the results supported the relationships of economic well-being and physical well-being to subjective well-being. Overall, the study underscores the importance of general mental ability to work and nonwork outcomes, including physical, economic, and psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective well-being: The case of health.

As a means of integrating bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective well-being (SWB), a framework was proposed that, in part, posits that both objective life circumstances and global personality dimensions indirectly affect SWB through their effects on the interpretation of life circumstances. This proposition was tested both cross-sectionally and longitudinally among a sample of approximately 375 men and women. Personality was operationalized in terms of the dispositional trait negative affectivity (NA), and the life circumstance investigated was health. Strong support was obtained for the hypothesized indirect effects of NA and objective health on SWB. Implications of the integrative framework for the study of SWB are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)