chapter 12

Question 1

The Meaning of Work

Answer 1

– 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

Question 2

– Four meanings that describe work:

Answer 2

• Developing self, union with others, (blue and pink collar) expressing self, and serving others (white collar)

Question 3

– Meaning-mission fit:

Answer 3

• Corporate executive with better personal-mission alignment care more about employees’ happiness, job satisfaction, and emotional well-being.

Question 4

– Career construction theory:

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

– Career construction theory:

two theories

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Occupational Development
– People have
• Expectations change as the result of:

Answer 6

– 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

Question 7

– Reality Shock

Answer 7

• 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.

Question 8

• Role of Mentors and Coaches
– A mentor or developmental coach is a
– A developmental coach is an

Answer 8

– 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.

Question 9

• 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.

Answer 9

– 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.

Question 10

• JobSatisfaction
Job satisfaction tends to show
• Older workers report
– This may be partly because of

Answer 10

– 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.

Question 11

• Alienation

Answer 11

– 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

Question 12

– Burnout

Answer 12

• A depletion of a person’s energy and motivation, the loss of occupational idealism, and the feeling that one is being exploited

exhaustion

Question 13

• 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.

Answer 13

– 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

Question 14

best way to prevent burnout is to

Answer 14

focus on both the organization and the employee and foster passion

Question 15

• Passion

Answer 15

– 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)

Question 16

• Gender Differences in Occupational Choice

Answer 16

– 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.

Question 17

Women and Occupational Development
– Women entrepreneurs are
– Women who leave their jobs do so for two main reasons:

Answer 17

– 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)

Question 18

• Ethnicity and Occupational Development

Answer 18

– 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.

Question 19

– Gender discrimination

Answer 19

• 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.

Question 20

– Glass ceiling

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

– Glass elevator

Answer 21

• In traditionally female occupations, men may rise much faster than female counterparts.

Question 22

glass cliff

Answer 22

where women leadership position is only appointed in times of crisis (precarious)

Question 23

• Bias and Discrimination
– Equal pay for equal work
– Sexual harassment

Answer 23

– 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.

Question 24

Age Discrimination

Answer 24

• 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.

Question 25

• Retraining Workers
– career plateauing.
– To adapt to the effects of the global economy and an aging work force, many corporations provide•

Answer 25

– 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.

Question 26

• 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

Answer 26

– 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) .

Question 27

• 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

Answer 27

– 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

Question 28

• 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

Answer 28

• 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

Question 29

• Dependent Care
– Being responsible for dependent care has significant
– Less distress occurs if a
– Backup Care:

Answer 29

– 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.

Question 30

Juggling Multiple Roles
• Dividing household chores
• Husbands
and wives view the division of labor differently.
• African American and Hispanic men

Answer 30

– 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

Question 31

Work–Family Conflict
-definition
– Dual earners couples must find a 
– Couples need to 
– Women across many cultures are

Answer 31

• 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.

Question 32

Leisure activities

Answer 32

discretionary activity that includes simple relaxation, activities for enjoyment and creative pursuits

Question 33

• Types of Leisure Activities
- Leisure activities can also be considered in
-People develop a
-Each activity has a
• The activities are determined by perceived

Answer 33

– 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).

Question 34

• Developmental Changes in Leisure
– Longitudinal research shows that leisure preferences in adulthood
-• However, as people grow older they tend to

Answer 34

– 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

Question 35

Consequences of Leisure Activities

- Leisure activities promote ‘• Importantly, it is the

Answer 35

– 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.

Question 36

retirement

Answer 36

loss of occupational identity with nothing to replace it

Question 37

• What Does Being Retired Mean?
– Retirement is largely a development of the
– Changing conceptions of work are resulting
• Retirement can be

Answer 37

– 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

Question 38

• Why Do People Retire?'
– Most people retire because they 
– Gender differences
– Ethnic differences
• African Americans tend to label themselves as

Answer 38

– 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.

Question 39

• 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

Answer 39

– 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.

Question 40

• Employment and Volunteering
– Working in late life
• For many people, “retirement” involves
• Older workers face 
• The relationship between 

– Volunteering

Answer 40

• 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.