Week 4 Notes

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of Social Cognitive Career Theory?

The environmental feedback received during career development.

The influence of interests on career choices. (correct)

The role of economic factors in occupational development.

The optimization of person-occupation fit.

How does job satisfaction typically change with age?

It shows low to moderate increases as individuals age. (correct)

It is consistently low across all ages.

It tends to decrease as individuals get older.

It remains unchanged regardless of age.

Which factor is NOT mentioned as contributing to alienation in the workplace?

Views of the work as meaningless.

Lack of connection to the end product.

Excessive workload. (correct)

Repetitive job tasks.

What characterizes harmonious passion?

Engaging in enjoyable activities by choice. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes 'Reality Shock'?

The realization that classroom knowledge does not fully prepare individuals for real-world tasks. Signup and view all the answers

What motivates women to pursue non-traditional occupations according to the provided content?

Intrinsic career desires and satisfaction. Signup and view all the answers

Which category do men fall into when choosing non-traditional occupations?

Seekers, Finders, and Settlers. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about gender differences in occupational choice is true?

Successful women in non-traditional roles face mixed perceptions from peers. Signup and view all the answers

Which leisure activity profile is associated with the best recovery experiences and job performance?

Active Artists Signup and view all the answers

What is a key psychological experience associated with recovery from work stress?

Psychological detachment Signup and view all the answers

What factors primarily influence married women's decisions to retire?

Husband's health status and number of dependents Signup and view all the answers

In which scenario does 'bridging employment' occur?

Engaging in part-time roles after retirement Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of leisure activities is emphasized as more beneficial for individual well-being?

Diversity of activities Signup and view all the answers

Which group is identified as the one that engages in physical activities but rarely participates in social or cultural events?

Socially and Culturally Inactives Signup and view all the answers

What does career construction theory emphasize as crucial in building a career?

The significance of social context Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT one of the four meanings derived from work according to the DUES model?

Understanding the environment Signup and view all the answers

Holland's Personality-Type Theory aims primarily to achieve what between individual characteristics and their chosen occupation?

Optimized fit Signup and view all the answers

Why might an individual interested in biology choose a different career path according to career construction theory?

Negative reinforcement from their social context Signup and view all the answers

Which industries are commonly associated with high-risk occupations for men?

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing Signup and view all the answers

Which personality type is NOT included in Holland’s Personality-Type Theory?

Creative Signup and view all the answers

What can lead to work being a source of stress for an individual?

Inability to connect personal values with work Signup and view all the answers

What are two primary reasons women may leave their jobs?

The organization rewards masculine values and feeling disconnected Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Glass Ceiling' refer to?

A barrier preventing women and ethnic minorities from promotion Signup and view all the answers

What effect does occupational insecurity have on workers?

It raises stress levels akin to those of unemployed individuals Signup and view all the answers

Which group experienced 57.4% fewer positive responses for leadership positions according to the Australian job application study?

Ethnic minorities Signup and view all the answers

What is one main predictor of satisfaction for ethnic minority employees in organizations?

Sensitivity to ethnicity issues Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential outcome for older workers who face age discrimination?

They often take on lower-skilled positions Signup and view all the answers

How does work-family conflict peak among families?

When at least two preschool children are in the home Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'Dependent Care Dilemma' highlight?

The decision-making process about childcare options Signup and view all the answers

What is implied by the term 'work-to-family spillover'?

Work environment significantly influences home life Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Meaning of Work

People need to derive meaning from work.
Four meanings of work: Developing self, Union with others, Expressing self, Serving others.
Work can be a source of stress if you are not deriving meaning from it.

Occupation Choice

Career construction theory: People build careers from the interface of personal characteristics and the social context.
Holland’s personality-type theory: Optimizes person-occupation fit.
Social Cognitive Career Theory: Career choice is influenced by interests and self-efficacy.

Occupational Development

People have expectations about what they want to become and when they hope to get there.
Change in occupation can be a result of: Changes in interests, Age, race, or sexual discrimination, lack of opportunity, and obsolescence of skills.
Reality shock: The realization that what you learn in the classroom does not always transfer directly into the "real world."
Having a mentor or coach can help buffer reality shock.
In today's world, you can have several different occupations, not just one long-term career path.

Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction: Positive feelings resulting from an appraisal of one’s work.
Job satisfaction is linked to productivity.
Job satisfaction tends to increase with age.
Older workers report higher job satisfaction than younger workers.
Job satisfaction improves with age due to self-selection, where unhappy workers may quit their jobs.
Other reasons for increased satisfaction with age include intrinsic satisfaction, good fit, lower importance of work, finding non-work diversions, and life-cycle factors.

Alienation and Burnout

Alienation: Feeling that what one is doing is meaningless or cannot see the connection between their work and the final product.
Burnout: Depletion of a person’s energy and motivation, loss of occupational idealism, and feeling exploited.
Symptoms of burnout include cynicism, lack of personal accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion.

Passion

Passion: Strong inclination toward an activity an individual likes, values, and invests time and energy in.
Two types of passion: Obsessive (makes it difficult to engage in other activities) and Harmonious (freely choosing to engage in an enjoyable activity).

Gender Differences in Occupational Choice

Traditionally, women were expected to enter secretarial, teaching, and social work jobs.
Women who enter non-traditional occupations and are successful are often viewed more poorly by both men and women.
Women in traditionally female occupations change jobs less often.

Men in Non-Traditional Occupations

Men in these occupations fall into three main categories: Seekers, Finders, and Settlers.
Settlers are associated with a more intrinsic career orientation and express a desire to remain close to occupational and professional practice.
Role strain is prevalent in men’s experiences in their non-traditional career – result from balancing masculine and feminist aspects of the role.

ABS Data

2019-2020 Workforce Participation Rate:
- Men: 78.1%
- Women: 67.6%
The 2019-20 workforce participation rate is the highest for women over the past 10 years.
Women are also working for longer, likely due to better paid parental leave and flexible working conditions.
There have been minimal changes for male employment over time.

Workplace Fatalities

Majority of workplace fatalities are men.
194 workers were fatally injured in 2020.
96% of workers were male compared to 4% of females.
Men tend to work in high-risk industries or occupations:
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Transport, postal, and warehousing
- Construction
Most fatalities involve a vehicle, i.e., vehicle collision.

Women and Occupational Development

Women entrepreneurs are starting small businesses at a faster rate than men.
Women who leave their jobs do so for two main reasons: The organisation rewards the masculine values of working, and women may feel disconnected from the workplace.

Bias and Discrimination

Gender discrimination: Denying a job to someone solely based on whether the person is a man or a woman.
Gender discrimination is a significant issue in terms of getting a job, occupational development and also in pay.
Glass Ceiling: The level to which women may rise in a company but not go beyond.
Glass Cliff: When a woman is placed in a leadership position because an organisation is in crisis.

Ethnic Minority Workers

Vocational identity and vocational goals differ across ethnic groups.
If an organisation is sensitive to ethnicity issues, it's a strong predictor of satisfaction for ethnic minority employees.
Discrimination based on ethnicity occurs in hiring.

Age Discrimination

Making employment decisions or denying employment solely based on age
Age discrimination occurs in many ways such as differential layoff patterns and stereotypical views about older workers.
Older Australians can feel they don't get the same opportunities and are chosen as the first to go when organisations need to make changes.
Retraining workers: Rapid changes in work have resulted in the displacement of older workers.
Learning new skills is essential to maximize one's opportunities.

Occupational Insecurity and Unemployment

Occupational insecurity is a growing problem.
Fear of job loss is a better predictor of anxiety than the actual likelihood of job loss.
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.
How long a person is unemployed affects their reaction.

Occupational Transitions

The Dependent Care Dilemma:
- Whether a woman 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 and children (Sandwich generation).
Being responsible for dependent care has significant adverse effects on caregivers.
Less distress occurs if a woman has good partner support and average or high control over their job.
Backup Care: emergency care for dependent children or adults so the employee does not need to lose a day or work when the usual care is unavailable.

Work and Family

Dividing household chores: Working mothers do most of the housework.
Unequal division of labour is a significant cause for arguments and unhappiness in relationships.
Husbands and wives view the division of labour differently.
Men are often most satisfied with an equitable division based on hours spent.
Women are most satisfied when men perform traditional women’s chores.

Work-Family Conflict

Feeling of being pulled in multiple directions by incompatible demands from one’s job and family.
Work-family conflict peaks when at least two preschool children are in the home.
Dual-earner couples have difficulty finding time for one another.
The issues faced by dual-earner couples are global.
Women generally feel work-to-family spillover more than men, but both genders feel the pressure.

Leisure Activities

Leisure activities can be considered in terms of the degree of cognitive, emotional, or physical involvement.
People develop a repertoire of preferred leisure activities.
Each activity has different meaning and importance to every individual.
The activities are determined by perceived competence and psychological comfort.

Longitudinal Leisure Profiles

Four stable longitudinal leisure activity profiles:
- Social sports (wo)men: Engaged in physical and social activities but rarely in creative or cultural activities.
- Active Artists: Pursued all leisure activities, particularly creative activities (reported most beneficial recovery experiences and job performance).
- Socially and Culturally Inactives: Exercised frequently but seldom engaged in social, cultural, or creative activities.
- Inactive Soloists: Spent little time on physical activities.

Recovery Experiences

It is not the activity per se that helps to recover from job stress, but its underlying attributes and psychological experiences.
Individuals differ regarding the specific activities they experience as recovering.
The underlying psychological experiences crucial for recovery are relatively uniform across persons:
- Psychological detachment
- Relaxation
- Mastery
- Control

Changes in Leisure Activities

Developmental Changes in Leisure: Longitudinal research shows that preferences in adulthood reflect those in earlier life.
Consequences of Leisure Activities: Leisure activities promote well-being and can enhance all aspects of people's lives.
Quality rather than quantity of leisure activities.

Retirement

Retirement: A development of the 20th century, still evolving.
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.
Why do people retire? Most people retire because they choose to retire.
Gender differences:
- Married women's decision to retire is predicted by her husband's health status or number of dependents.
- The opposite is true for men.

Adjustment to Retirement

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 if they have:
- Financial security
- Health
- A supportive network of relatives and friends.

Employment and Volunteering

Bridging employment: Stop working full time and start working casually.
Working in Late Life: 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 highly complex.
Volunteering: Healthy, active retired adults maintain community ties by volunteering.

Other Work, Leisure & Retirement Issues

Factors influencing the employment of individuals with a disability.
The workforce participation rate for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
The characteristics and increased use of casual employees in Australia and issues around job insecurity and stress.
Sexual harassment in the workplace.
Bullying in the workplace.
Responses to and impact of being made redundant.
Outcomes for low economic resource households.
Loss of identity after being forced to retire or leave a job after sustaining an injury or disability.
Diversity and inclusion issues for individuals whose gender does not meet the binary definition of males or female.
Workforce participation differences between overseas born individuals compared to individuals born in Australia.

Cognitive Aging

Cognitive aging is the natural process of changes in thinking and memory as people age.
While some abilities like problem-solving (fluid intelligence) may decline, others like vocabulary and knowledge (crystallized intelligence) remain stable or improve.
Mental exercise can help maintain cognitive function.

Social and emotional development in adulthood involves changes in roles, responsibilities, and relationships.
Middle adulthood often involves balancing work, family, and caregiving.
Later adulthood focuses on managing personal losses and reflecting on life.
Emotional regulation improves with age, as older adults manage stress more effectively and focus on meaningful relationships.

Physical Health and Aging

Physical changes in adulthood include reductions in muscle mass, endurance, and mobility.
These changes are normal but can be mitigated by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Exercise, diet, and preventative health measures help maintain physical independence in older adults.

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development emphasizes conflict resolution throughout life.
The key conflict in middle adulthood is "generativity vs. stagnation," where adults contribute to society or risk disconnect.
Generativity involves finding purpose through work, parenting, and community involvement.

Theories of Life Structure (Levinson)

Levinson's theory focuses on life transitions and stable periods.
Adults need to reassess life goals and adapt to changes as they age.

Cultural Perspectives on Aging

Cultures differ in how they view aging.
In some, older adults are respected; in others, they may face marginalization.
Cultural beliefs affect everything from family dynamics to attitudes toward aging.

Work, Retirement, and Identity

Transitioning from work to retirement is a major life event.
It requires redefining identity and finding new social roles.
Financial security and social connections influence retirement experiences.

Mental Health and Aging

Mental health challenges are common in aging, but are not inevitable.
Depression and anxiety can be managed with proper care.
Maintaining social ties and activities is crucial for emotional well-being in older adults.

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Description

Explore the various meanings of work and their impact on our lives. Understand theories related to career choice and the factors that influence occupational development. This quiz will help you reflect on your own career journey and the significance of deriving meaning from your work.