Affective reactions to employment and unemployment as a function of prior expectations and motivation.
Self-esteem and depressive affect measures were obtained from 809 employed and 137 unemployed young people and compared with at-school measures taken three years earlier. Scores were analysed in relation to at-school expectations of obtaining employment and expressed importance of getting a job. In both employed and unemployed groups, low prior expectations of getting a job led to a greater increase in self-esteem than high prior expectations. Among the unemployed, those who had rated getting a job as relatively important showed a greater increase in depressive affect than those who had rated getting a job as relatively less important.
Winefield
A H
AH
Department of Psychology, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Tiggemann
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept; D012718:Set, Psychology; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*