Elizabeth M. Bott

Perceiving a Calling, Living a Calling, and Job Satisfaction: Testing a Moderated, Multiple Mediator Model.

The current study examined the relation between perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction among a diverse group of employed adults who completed an online survey (N = 201). Perceiving a calling and living a calling were positively correlated with career commitment, work meaning, and job satisfaction. Living a calling moderated the relations of perceiving a calling with career commitment and work meaning, such that these relations were more robust for those with a stronger sense they were living their calling. Additionally, a moderated, multiple mediator model was run to examine the mediating role of career commitment and work meaning in the relation of perceiving a calling and job satisfaction, while accounting for the moderating role of living a calling. Results indicated that work meaning and career commitment fully mediated the relation between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction. However, the indirect effects of work meaning and career commitment were only significant for individuals with high levels of living a calling, indicating the importance of living a calling in the link between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Calling and Life Satisfaction: It's Not About Having It, It's About Living It

The present study examined the relation of career calling to life satisfaction among a diverse sample of 553 working adults, with a specific focus on the distinction between perceiving a calling (sensing a calling to a career) and living a calling (actualizing ones calling in ones current career). As hypothesized, the relation of perceiving a calling to life satisfaction was fully mediated by living a calling. On the basis of this finding, a structural equation model was tested to examine possible mediators between living a calling and life satisfaction. As hypothesized, the relation of living a calling to life satisfaction was partially mediated by job satisfaction and life meaning, and the link between living a calling and job satisfaction was mediated by work meaning and career commitment. Modifications of the model also revealed that the link of living a calling to life meaning was mediated by work meaning. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Examining a Model of Life Satisfaction among Unemployed Adults.

The present study examined a model of life satisfaction among a diverse sample of 184 adults who had been unemployed for an average of 10.60 months. Using the Lent (2004) model of life satisfaction as a framework, a model was tested with 5 hypothesized predictor variables: optimism, job search self-efficacy, job search support, job search behaviors, and work volition. After adding a path in the model from optimism to work volition, the hypothesized model was found to be a good fit for the data and a better fit than a more parsimonious, alternative model. In the hypothesized model, optimism, work volition, job search self-efficacy, and job search support were each found to significantly relate to life satisfaction, accounting for 35% of the variance. Additionally, using 50,000 bootstrapped samples, optimism was found to have a significant indirect effect on life satisfaction as mediated by job search self-efficacy, job search support, and work volition. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Work Volition as a Critical Moderator in the Prediction of Job Satisfaction

Building on the Psychology of Working Framework, the current study explored the extent to which work volition functioned as a moderator in the relation between positive affect, core self-evaluations, perceived organizational support (POS), and work self-efficacy to job satisfaction. In a diverse sample of 206 employed adults, work volition was found to be a significant moderator in the relations of self-efficacy and POS to job satisfaction. Specifically, as work volition increased, the relation of self-efficacy to job satisfaction increased, whereas the relation of POS to job satisfaction decreased. Results of this study lend initial support to the proposition that the strength and direction of established predictors of job satisfaction depend, in part, on an individual’s level of work volition. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Does the Source of a Calling Matter? External Summons, Destiny, and Perfect Fit

This study examined the endorsement of three different sources of a calling—external summons, destiny, and perfect fit—and how the endorsement of these sources related to levels of living a calling, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. With a sample of 200 employed adults, participants were asked to select a source group that best described where their calling originated. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed no significant differences among the three primary source groups on levels of living a calling, job satisfaction, or life satisfaction. However, group membership was a significant moderator in the relation of living a calling to life satisfaction. Specifically, the relation of living a calling to life satisfaction was more pronounced for participants endorsing a destiny belief than for those endorsing other sources. Overall, results indicate that as long as workers feel they are living out their calling, the source of their calling matters little in terms of how calling links to job and life satisfaction.

A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study of Career Calling Among Undergraduates: Testing for Predictors

This two-wave longitudinal study investigated the reciprocal relations between five possible predictors of career calling (presence of life meaning, search for life meaning, career decision self-efficacy, personal growth initiative, and intrinsic religiousness) among a sample of undergraduate college students over a 6-month period. Using structural equation modeling, two models were tested. The first model included all five predictor variables and was a poor fit for the data; the second model included only search for life meaning and personal growth and displayed improved model fit. Results from the second model indicated that search for life meaning and personal growth at Time 1 significantly predicted calling at Time 2, whereas calling at Time 1 was a nonsignificant predictor of either Time 2 outcomes. These findings suggest the more one is searching for his or her meaning in life and intentionally engaging in self-improvement, the more likely she or he is to later experience a calling.

Time Management, Passion, and Collaboration A Qualitative Study of Highly Research Productive Counseling Psychologists

The present study interviewed 17 of the most research-productive counseling psychologists within APA-accredited counseling psychology programs. Using Consensual Qualitative Research, seven domains emerged from the interviews: root of productivity, personality characteristics, productivity strategies, work environment, nonwork life, impact, and tips. Within these domains, 13 general categories emerged and 19 typical categories emerged. Overall, these participants were successful early in their careers, received mentorship/support while in graduate school, chose research topics that were salient to them and about which they were passionate, effectively managed their time, collaborated well with students and professionals, had a structured approach to writing, worked in a supportive research environment, and spent a considerable amount of time outside of work with family or participating in hobbies. Based on the results, practical suggestions are offered for individuals within the field of counseling psychology who wish to be productive researchers.

Exploring the Role of Work Volition Within Social Cognitive Career Theory

The current study examined the role of work volition within social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) with a sample of 292 undergraduate students in science-related majors. Students with higher levels of volition endorsed higher levels of science self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and goals. Analyses revealed that work volition was a significant moderator in the link of self-efficacy and outcomes expectations and self-efficacy and goals; stronger links were found in students with lower levels of volition. A structural model was tested with all hypothesized SCCT paths and examined whether work volition continued to moderate these two paths. The model was an excellent fit to the data, and all theorized direct and indirect effects were significant. However, in the full model, work volition was no longer a significant moderator, suggesting that the direction and strength of the relations within the SCCT model are equivalent for students at varying levels of work volition. Practical implications are discussed.

Calling among the unemployed: Examining prevalence and links to coping with job loss

In the current manuscript, we examined how calling functions among samples of involuntarily unemployed adults. In Study 1, with a large Internet-based sample, involuntarily unemployed adults were just as likely as employed adults to perceive a calling, but were significantly less likely to feel they were living a calling. In Study 2, with a sample of 144 involuntarily unemployed adults, the link between calling and coping with job loss was explored. Specifically, a structural model was tested whereby the link of calling to four coping styles was hypothesized to be mediated by motivation to pursue a calling. The model was found to be a good fit to the data. Calling motivation was a significant mediator in the link of calling to positive assessment, proactive search, and non-work organization and none of the direct paths of calling to each coping style was significant after including calling motivation in the model.

Career development among undocumented immigrant young adults: A psychology of working perspective.

Undocumented immigrants are among the most vulnerable of workers in the U.S. and face a unique set of barriers to obtaining adequate education and decent work. In the current study, we conducted a qualitative examination of the career development of undocumented young adults. Drawing from the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT; Duffy, Blustein, Diemer, & Autin, 2016), we examined barriers (e.g., economic constraints, marginalization) and resources (e.g., social support, critical consciousness, proactive personality) to participants’ career development and sense of work volition. As a secondary aim, we explored general work attitudes. Using Consensual Qualitative Research methods, we interviewed 12 undocumented young adults between the ages of 18 and 26. All participants were DACA recipients. Barriers that most impacted work volition were economic strain and limited mobility; resources that were most supportive for work volition were social support, institutional support, and public policy changes. Regarding work attitudes, participants endorsed a high value of a strong work ethic, a variety of motivations to work, and a high degree of resilience. Implications for counseling psychologists, career development specialists, educators, and policymakers are discussed.