Under (and Over) Employment: Measurement and Correlates of Employment Discrepancy

Despite the many studies examining the impact of unemployment, underemployment has often been neglected in psychology. Moreover, problems exist with the measurement of underemployment, including categorization of continuous variables and neglect of overemployment. In the current study, we used a new method of measuring underemployment, polynomial regression with response surface mapping, to examine discrepancies between ideal and real hours worked—allowing for the continuous assessment of both under- and overemployment. We also used discrepancy scores to examine variables theorized to be related to under- and overemployment: social class, work volition, job satisfaction, and meaningful work. Partially supporting our hypotheses, work volition and social class were lower for people who were under- and overemployed.

Source: The Counseling Psychologist - October 18, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Allan, B. A., Duffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L. Tags: Regular Manuscripts Source Type: research