Work, Happiness, and Unhappiness

by Warr; Peter

• ISBN13: 9780805857115
• ISBN10: 0805857117
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2007-02-02
• Publisher: Psychology Pres

Summary

Paid work is a primary arena of human activity and one that influences an individual's well-being and sense of self. InWork, Happiness, and Unhappiness,author Peter Warr, an award-winning psychologist who studies the topic of effectiveness and well-being in work situations, explores why some people at work are happier or unhappier than others, and adopts an environment-centered as well as a person-centered approach to explain such differing sentiments. Ultimately, Warr illustrates that environmental and personal sources of happiness are similar across settings, and not solely relevant to the domain of paid work. To elaborate on environmental features that affect well-being, the book presents what is dubbed the "vitamin model". This model identifies nine principle features of any environment that affect happiness or unhappiness, and demonstrates that an increase in a particular environmental feature does not pose an equally significant influence on an individual, much like the benefits associated with vitamins do not accrue when more vitamins are consumed. Consequently, Warr proposes balancing environmental characteristics, such that a deficiency is harmful, but excess is unnecessary. An examination of person-centered approaches complements the environment-centered emphasis. This part of the volume addresses the mental processes that take place in an individual's assessment of his or her happiness or unhappiness, while reviewing judgments made in the face of the type of environmental features introduced in the book's earlier chapters. Cultural, demographic, and gender differences are also covered. The book is written primarily for academic readers, including senior undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, and researchers in fields of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Management, Human Resources, and Labor Studies. However, the topic's centrality in many professions makes it important also to a wider readership.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
The Principal Concepts	p. 1
Work and Its Implications	p. 3
Perspectives on Happiness	p. 7
Content and Structure of the Book	p. 14
Well-Being and Self-Validation	p. 19
Happiness as Well-Being	p. 19
Measuring Happiness as Well-Being	p. 30
Happiness as Self-Validation	p. 38
Measuring Happiness as Self-Validation	p. 44
Three Dimensions of Happiness: Pleasure, Arousal, and Self-Validation	p. 46
Some Concepts Related to Happiness	p. 49
Unemployment and Retirement: Role Preference and Other Influences	p. 61
Unemployment and Unhappiness	p. 62
Retirement and Happiness	p. 71
Multiple Roles Across Time	p. 77
The Vitamin Analogy	p. 81
Nine Primary Features of Any Environment	p. 81
The Primary Features in Employment, Unemployment, and Retirement	p. 89
Vitamins and Environmental Characteristics	p. 95
Environmental Features and Different Forms of Happiness	p. 106
Constant Effects Beyond a Threshold	p. 111
Three Additional Features in Job Settings	p. 112
Availability of Money	p. 115
Physical Security	p. 120
Valued Social Position	p. 124
Supportive Supervision	p. 128
Career Outlook	p. 133
Equity	p. 135
Control, Skill, and Goals	p. 141
Opportunity for Personal Control	p. 141
Opportunity for Skill Use	p. 153
Externally-Generated Goals	p. 158
Variety, Clarity and Social Contact	p. 183
Variety	p. 183
Environmental Clarity	p. 188
Contact With Others	p. 193
Combinations, Measurement, Causes, and Work Profiles	p. 203
The Combination of Job Features	p. 203
Environmental Measures: Objective or Subjective?	p. 214
Environmental Changes Across Time	p. 220
Other Models of the Job Environment	p. 232
Profiling Psychologically Bad and Good Jobs	p. 238
Social and Judgmental Influences	p. 243
Social Influences on Happiness	p. 244
Judgments in a Particular Situation	p. 249
Self-Help Exercises	p. 273
Baseline Happiness and Associated Mental Processes	p. 276
Differences Between Sets of People	p. 281
Cultural Differences	p. 283
Demographic Differences	p. 288
Occupational Differences	p. 314
Personality, Genes, and Happiness	p. 327
Personality, Values, and Motives	p. 327
Personality and Happiness: Meanings and Associations	p. 332
The Inheritance of Happiness	p. 347
Combined Effects: Environment and Personality	p. 349
Personality and Exposure to Environmental Features	p. 351
Moderator Effects and Differential Salience	p. 357
Explaining Dispositional Effects	p. 357
Dispositional Moderators of Job-Happiness Associations	p. 365
Personality and Judgment Processes	p. 377
Person-Environment Fit and Work Values	p. 383
Frameworks of Person-Environment Fit	p. 384
P-E Fit, Wants, and the Vitamin Framework	p. 393
Salience and Person-Environment Fit	p. 394
Occupational Values	p. 398
Some Consequences of Happiness	p. 403
General Considerations	p. 403
Job Performance	p. 407
Associated Thoughts and Behaviors	p. 421
Absence From Work	p. 427
Staff Turnover	p. 432
References	p. 435
Author Index	p. 491
Subject Index	p. 513
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