title: Transforming Dissatisfaction with Services into Self-Determination: A Social Psychological Perspective on Community Program Effectiveness.
abstract: A field study of supported employment for adults with mental illness (N=174) provided an experimental test of cognitive dissonance theory. We predicted that most work-interested individuals randomly assigned to a non-preferred program would reject services and lower their work aspirations. However, individuals who chose to pursue employment through a non-preferred program were expected to resolve this dissonance through favorable service evaluations and strong efforts to succeed at work. Significant work interest-by-service preference interactions supported these predictions. Over two years, participants interested in employment who obtained work through a non-preferred program stayed employed a median of 362 days versus 108 days for those assigned to a preferred program, and participants who obtained work through a non-preferred program had higher service satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Community Intervention Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.
authors.forename: Cathaleene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macias
authors.forename: Elliot
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aronson
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
authors.forename: Gifford
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weary
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Barreira
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Rodican
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bickman
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fisher