chapter 12 Flashcards
The Meaning of Work
– Specific occupation doesn’t affect workers’ need to derive meaning from work.
either work=source of one’s life problems or source of fulfillment and contentment
– Four meanings that describe work:
• Developing self, union with others, (blue and pink collar) expressing self, and serving others (white collar)
– Meaning-mission fit:
• Corporate executive with better personal-mission alignment care more about employees’ happiness, job satisfaction, and emotional well-being.
– Career construction theory:
• People build careers through their own actions that result from the interface of their own personal characteristics and the social context.
-people construct careers rather than enter them
– Career construction theory:
two theories
• Holland’s personality-type theory-choose career based on personality type
– Choose occupations to optimize person-occupation fit
– Six personality types that represent different combinations have been identified.
» Investigative, social, realistic, artistic, conventional, enterprising
• Social cognitive career theory
– Career choice is the result of the application of Bandura’s
social cognitive theory, especially self-efficacy (belief in your ability).
-choose career based on interests
Occupational Development
– People have
• Expectations change as the result of:
– People have expectations about what they want to
become and when they hope to get there
• Expectations change as the result of:
– Realizing that one’s interests have changed or the dream was not a good fit
– But also due to age, race, or sexual discrimination, lack of opportunity, and obsolescence (lack) of skills
– Reality Shock
• The realization that what you learn in the classroom does not always transfer directly into the “real world” and does not represent all that you need to know.
• Role of Mentors and Coaches
– A mentor or developmental coach is a
– A developmental coach is an
– A mentor or developmental coach is a coworker who teaches a new employee the unwritten rules and fosters occupational development.
– A developmental coach is an individual who helps a person focus on their goals, motivations, and aspirations to help them achieve focus and apply them appropriately.
• Role of Mentors and Coaches and how they are successful
Occupational success often depends on the
– Mentors helping younger employees learn the job is one way to achieve
-Women and minorities have an
– The quality of the mentor
–______mentoring is a new twist on selecting mentor/mentee relationships.
– Occupational success often depends on the quality of the mentor–protégé relationship.
– Mentors helping younger employees learn the job is one way to achieve generativity.
– Women and minorities have an especially important need for both mentors and coaches.
– The quality of the mentor really matters.
– Speed mentoring is a new twist on selecting mentor/mentee relationships.
• JobSatisfaction
Job satisfaction tends to show
• Older workers report
– This may be partly because of
– The positive feelings that result from an appraisal of one’s work
– Job satisfaction tends to show low to moderate increases with age.
• Older workers report higher job satisfaction than younger workers.
– This may be partly because of self-selection. » Unhappy workers may quit.
– Other reasons include intrinsic satisfaction, good fit, lower importance of work, finding nonwork diversions, and life- cycle factors.
• Alienation
– Alienation
• Feeling that what one is doing is meaningless, or cannot see the connection between what they do and the final product.
most likely to experience with routine and repetitive actions
– Burnout
• A depletion of a person’s energy and motivation, the loss of occupational idealism, and the feeling that one is being exploited
exhaustion
• Alienation and Burnout (contd.)
– Burnout _____ with age and years on the job.
– Burnout has several bad effects on the brain:
– Burnout _______ the quality of the services people are supposed to receive from the burned-out employee.
– Burnout increases with age and years on the job.
– Burnout negatively affects the quality of the services people are supposed to receive from the burned-out employee.
– Burnout has several bad effects on the brain:
• Less ability to regulate negative emotions resulting from weakened connections between the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and prefrontal cortex
• Poorer judgment and emotional outbursts
best way to prevent burnout is to
focus on both the organization and the employee and foster passion
• Passion
– A strong inclination toward an activity individuals like, value, and where they invest time and energy
– Two kinds:
• Obsessive = makes it difficult to engage in other activities (more common to burnout)(internal urge)
• Harmonious = freely choose to engage in the enjoyable activity(more satisfaction)
• Gender Differences in Occupational Choice
– Traditionally women were expected to enter secretarial, teaching, and social work jobs.
– Women who do enter nontraditional occupations and are successful are viewed more poorly by both men and women.
• Women in traditional female occupations changed jobs less often.
Women and Occupational Development
– Women entrepreneurs are
– Women who leave their jobs do so for two main reasons:
– Women entrepreneurs are starting small businesses at a faster rate than men.
– Women who leave their jobs do so for two main reasons:
• The organizations are rewarding masculine values of working.
• Women may feel disconnected from the workplace. (unsupportive)
• Ethnicity and Occupational Development
– African American and European American women do not differ in plans to enter nontraditional occupations.
• But African American women plan for more education.(tend to be overqualified for their job)
– Latino Americans are similar to European Americans in occupational development and work values.
– Gender discrimination
- Denying a job to someone solely on the basis of whether the person is a man or a women
- Gender discrimination is a major issue in terms of getting jobs, occupational development, and also in pay.
– Glass ceiling
• The level to which women may rise in a company, but not go beyond
• This is a barrier to promotion women and ethnic minorities often experience.
-loss of woman leaders
– Glass elevator
• In traditionally female occupations, men may rise much faster than female counterparts.
glass cliff
where women leadership position is only appointed in times of crisis (precarious)
• Bias and Discrimination
– Equal pay for equal work
– Sexual harassment
– Equal pay for equal work
• Women get paid a fraction of what men with similar jobs earn.
• Eliminating the salary disparity between men and women has proven more difficult than initially believed.
– Sexual harassment
• Victims are usually single or divorced young adult women.
• The reasonable person standard is used to decide whether an act constitutes harassment.
Age Discrimination
- Making employment decisions or denying employment solely on the basis of age
- Age Discrimination in employment act (Protects worker over the age of 40)
- Age discrimination occurs in many ways, such as differential layoff patterns and stereotypical views about older workers.
• Retraining Workers
– career plateauing.
– To adapt to the effects of the global economy and an aging work force, many corporations provide•
– Rapid changes in the nature of work have resulted in the displacement of older workers. (need to be retrained)
– As a result, there is greater career plateauing.
• When there is a lack of promotional opportunity in an organization or a person chooses not to seek advancement
• Thus, learning new skills is essential to maximize one’s opportunities
– To adapt to the effects of the global economy and an aging work force, many corporations provide retraining opportunities for workers.
• Occupational Insecurity
– Occupational insecurity is a
• Fear that one may lose one’s job is a better predictor of
People who believe their job is in jeopardy—even if it is not—show
• Coping methods
– Occupational insecurity is a growing problem.(because of economic downturns, that are nonpreventable)
• Fear that one may lose one’s job is a better predictor of anxiety than the actual likelihood of job loss.
– People who believe their job is in jeopardy—even if it is not—show levels of stress similar to unemployed people.
• Coping methods include emotion-focused coping(focus on how stress it makes them feel) and problem-focused coping (focus on problem do something to solve it) .
• Coping with Unemployment
– Unemployed workers have significantly
– The effects of job loss vary with
– Unemployment rates for many ethnic minority groups are substantially
– How long a person is unemployed affects
– Unemployed workers have significantly lower mental health, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and subjective physical health than employed workers.
– The effects of job loss vary with age, gender, and education.
– Unemployment rates for many ethnic minority groups are substantially higher than for European Americans.
– How long a person is unemployed affects their reaction. 1yr-suicidal
• The Dependent Care Dilemma – Employed caregivers • Whether a women returns to work after having a child depends on • Stepping out of their occupations • Many workers must also
- Whether a women returns to work after having a child depends on financial need and how attached she is to her work.
- Stepping out of their occupations negatively affects their career paths, even for short leaves.
- Many workers must also care for a parent or partner.
-depending on financial situation, they might not afford quality care, so have on other option but to leave work
• Dependent Care
– Being responsible for dependent care has significant
– Less distress occurs if a
– Backup Care:
– Being responsible for dependent care has significant negative effects on caregivers.
– Less distress occurs if a women has good support from their partners and average or high control over their jobs.
– Backup Care: emergency care for dependent children or adults so the employee does not need to lose a day of work when the usual care is unavailable.
Juggling Multiple Roles • Dividing household chores • Husbands and wives view the division of labor differently. • African American and Hispanic men
– Working mothers do most of the housework. • Unequal division of labor is a major cause for
arguments and unhappiness.
– Men are often most satisfied with an equitable division
based on number of hours spent.
– Women are most satisfied when men perform
traditional women’s chores.
– Ethnic differences are apparent.
• African American and Hispanic men spend more time on
household chores than European American men
Work–Family Conflict -definition – Dual earners couples must find a – Couples need to – Women across many cultures are
• The feeling of being pulled in multiple directions by incompatible demands from one’s job and one’s family
– Dual earners couples must find a balance between their occupational and family roles.
• Flexible work schedules go a long way to helping parents balance work and family.
– Couples need to make time for each other.
– Women across many cultures are more likely to be affected.
• Research in China found work conflict led to higher rates of depression in working women.
Leisure activities
discretionary activity that includes simple relaxation, activities for enjoyment and creative pursuits
• Types of Leisure Activities
- Leisure activities can also be considered in
-People develop a
-Each activity has a
• The activities are determined by perceived
– Leisure activities can also be considered in terms of the degree of cognitive, emotional, or physical involvement.
– People develop a repertoire of preferred leisure activities.
• Each activity has a different meaning and importance to every individual.
• The activities are determined by perceived competence(how good you think you are) and psychological comfort ( how well it meets your personal goals for performance).
• Developmental Changes in Leisure
– Longitudinal research shows that leisure preferences in adulthood
-• However, as people grow older they tend to
– Longitudinal research shows that leisure preferences in adulthood reflect those in earlier life.
• However, as people grow older they tend to engage in leisure activities that are less strenuous and more family-oriented.
-emerging adulthood activities that give them a rush
Consequences of Leisure Activities
- Leisure activities promote ‘• Importantly, it is the
– Leisure activities promote well-being and can enhance all aspects of people’s lives.
• Importantly, it is the amount of satisfaction you derive from your leisure activities, not your level of participation.
– Quality rather than quantity of leisure activities.
retirement
loss of occupational identity with nothing to replace it
• What Does Being Retired Mean?
– Retirement is largely a development of the
– Changing conceptions of work are resulting
• Retirement can be
– Retirement is largely a development of the 20th century and is still an evolving concept.
– Changing conceptions of work are resulting in changing conceptions of retirement.
• Retirement can be crisp or blurred.
– Crisp: making a clean break from employment by stopping work entirely
– Blurred: repeatedly leaving and returning to work, with some periods of unemployment
• Why Do People Retire?' – Most people retire because they – Gender differences – Ethnic differences • African Americans tend to label themselves as
– Most people retire because they choose to.
• Although some people are forced to retire because of financial status or serious health problems.
– Gender differences
• Married women’s decision to retire is predicted most by her husband’s health status or number of dependents.
• The opposite is true for men.
• African Americans tend to label themselves as retired or not retired based on subjective disability, work history, and source of income rather than on whether they are currently employed.
• Adjustment to Retirement
– New patterns of personal involvement must be developed in the context of
– Most people are _____with their retirement, as long as they have:
– The relation between health and retirement is
– New patterns of personal involvement must be developed in the context of changing roles and lifestyles in retirement.
– Most people are satisfied with their retirement, as long as they have:
• Financial security
• Health
• A supportive network of relatives and friends
– The relation between health and retirement is complex.
• Employment and Volunteering – Working in late life • For many people, “retirement” involves • Older workers face • The relationship between
– Volunteering
- For many people, “retirement” involves working at least part-time.
- Older workers face many challenges, including ageism and discrimination.
- The relationship between age and job performance is extremely complex.
- Healthy, active retired adults maintain community ties by volunteering.
- They also experience personal development, a sense of purpose, and the chance to share their skills.
