Felissa K. Lee

Personality and the Goal-Striving Process: The Influence of Achievement Goal Patterns, Goal Level, and Mental Focus on Performance and Enjoyment

The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms by which personality traits influence performance and satisfaction. Specifically, the authors examined how 3 personality characteristics derived from self-determination theory (autonomy, control, and amotivated orientations) influence performance and enjoyment through achievement goal patterns, goal level, and mental focus. Data were collected from 284 students at 5 points in time. In particular, mental focus emerged as an important aspect of the self-regulation process. The results suggest that global personality traits can help researchers to understand and predict the motivational strategies that people use while working toward goals in achievement settings.

Promoting Life-Career Development in the Student Athlete: How Can Career Centers Help?

Journal of Career Development, Vol. 25(2), Winter 1998 College, for many students, is a period of exploration that leads to career choice. Undergraduates often choose majors with specific interests in mind. As graduation approaches individuals may spend hours developing resumes, searching for internships, and seeking other experiences that will make them competitive job applicants. What happens, though, to college students with no vocational goals upon graduation ? Uncertain of how to even begin selecting or pursuing a career, these students may become quite anxious or despondent. Varsity student-athletes may fall disproportionately into this latter category of students. For a number of reasons, it seems that varsity student-athletes, especially at large Division I universities, may not dedicate much thought or effort to developing a career path. Only a small number of these athletes will ultimately compete professionally. Thus, when their playing careers are over, athletes may be left without an alternative occupation in mind. The university career center could be a valuable resource for these athletes. It is likely, however, that only a small percentage of athletes will ever seek the center out on their own.

Artisans, Athletes, Entrepreneurs, and Other Skilled Exemplars of the Way

We introduce management and spirituality scholars to the “knack” passages from the c. 4th century B.C.E. text, the Zhuangzi . The knack passages are parables about low status figures, such as wheelwrights, furniture makers and cooks, whose actions offer insights into the spirituality of ordinary work and, we argue, of entrepreneurship. Such non-corporate settings are lesser-studied domains for spirituality. Ancient Chinese writings have been noticed by spirituality and management writers but we call for deeper scholarly textual attention. We seek also to model more attention to the renaissance in scholarship on classical China. More ambitiously, we hope to show that these passages are not only germane but worthy of careful consideration. Our efforts reflect the influence of Slingerlands (2003) study of “effortless action” as a central soteriological goal in ancient China.

Positivity, by B. Fredrickson

Positivity, by B. Fredrickson, New York, Crown Publishers, 2009, 277 pp., US

Gender, Race, and Perceived Similarity Effects in Developmental Relationships: The Moderating Role of Relationship Duration

24.95 (Hardback), ISBN 9780307393739 The day you decide to do it is your lucky day. Japanese proverb This quote popped t...