Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/35250

Title

Motives and traits: predicting occupational health and well being in a managerial sample

Author(s)

Code, Sharon;  Langan-Fox, Janice

Abstract

Past research on the role of personality in the occupational stressor-strain relationship has focused almost exclusively on 'sub-traits' such as Type A Behaviour Pattern, Locus of Control, Negative Affectivity, and Dispositional Optimism. This is problematic for several reasons. First, there are at least three theoretical levels of personality: motives, cognitions, and traits. Second, there are two domains that together define personality psychology, namely nomothetic and idiographic approaches. Third, the role of trait personality, defined according to the 'Big Five', in predicting occupational stress and strain is not well understood. The current paper argues that the role of different levels and domains of personality in the occupational stressor-strain must be considered in future research. Data examining the combined/interactive role of Big Five traits (idiographic approach) in predicting occupational stress, coping strategies, and strain among 217 male and female managerial personnel is presented. Supporting an idiographic approach, the combination of low neuroticism with high extraversion and/or high conscientiousness predicted lower stressor exposure and physical ill health and higher subjective well being and job satisfaction, while the combination of high neuroticism with low conscientiousness predicted maladaptive coping. Further, high neuroticism and low agreeableness interacted to predict higher physical ill health and lower subjective well-being and job satisfaction.

Publication type

Conference abstract

Source

Paper presented at the 6th Australian Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 30 June - 03 July 2005

Publication year

2005

Keyword(s)

Big Five;  Coping behaviour;  Job satisfaction;  Neuroticism;  Occupational health;  Organisational behaviour;  Organisational psychology;  Personality traits;  Stress;  Stressor-strain;  Type A behaviour

Publisher

Australian Academic Press