Future Work Selves: How Salient Hoped-For Identities Motivate Proactive Career Behaviors

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Strauss, Karoline; Griffin, Mark A.; Parker, Sharon K.
• 署名单位: University of Sheffield; University of Western Australia; University of Western Australia
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/a0026423
• 发表日期: 2012
• 页码: 580-598
• 关键词: future work self; POSSIBLE SELVES; PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR; careers; IDENTITY SALIENCE

摘要

The term future work self refers to an individual's representation of himself or herself in the future that reflects his or her hopes and aspirations in relation to work. The clearer and more accessible this representation, the more salient the future work self. An initial study with 2 samples (N = 397; N = 103) showed that future work self salience was distinct from established career concepts and positively related to individuals' proactive career behavior. A follow-up longitudinal analysis, Study 2 (N = 53), demonstrated that future work self salience had a lagged effect on proactive career behavior. In Study 3 (N = 233), we considered the role of elaboration, a further attribute of a future work self, and showed that elaboration motivated proactive career behavior only when future work self salience was also high. Together the studies suggest the power of future work selves as a motivational resource for proactive career behavior.