LITERERATURE-
SUMMARY FOR WORK &
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Robbin Leijten
,Litererature-summary for Work & Health Psychology
Inhoudsopgave
An introduction to contemporary work psychology...................................................................2
Chapter 1 - introduction - people at work...................................................................................2
What do we mean by work psychology..................................................................................2
What do we mean by workers.................................................................................................2
The meaning of work..............................................................................................................2
The roots of work psychology................................................................................................3
Changes in the world of work.................................................................................................3
The crucial role of task analysis in modern work psychology................................................4
Job characteristic model: Hackman & Oldham. (1976)..............................................................4
Job demands–resources theory: Bakker, Demerouti& Sanz-Vergel. (2023)..............................6
Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) : Hornung, Rousseau, Glaser, Angerer, & Weigl. (2010)..............8
Job crafting: Fong, Tims, Khapova & Beijer. (2021).................................................................9
Wise proactivity framework: Parker, Wang & Liao. (2019)....................................................11
Demands: Van den Broeck, De Cuyper, De Witte & Vansteenkiste. (2010)...........................14
Recovery: De Bloom, Kinnunen & Korpela. (2015)................................................................17
Resources: Xanthopoulou, Bakker, Demerouti, & Schaufeli. (2009).......................................20
Work Family interaction: Carlson, Grzywacz & Zivnuska. (2009)..........................................21
Work-family interaction: Michel, Kotrba, Mitchelson, Clark & Baltes. (2011).......................23
Well-being: Bakker & Oerlemans (2011).................................................................................25
Performance: Koopmans, Bernaards, Hildebrandt, de Vet & van der Beek (2014).................27
Safety at work: Nahrgang, Morgeson & Hofmann. (2011)......................................................28
Sickness absence: Lohaus & Habermann. (2019).....................................................................28
pag. 1
,Litererature-summary for Work & Health Psychology
An introduction to contemporary work psychology
Chapter 1 - introduction - people at work
What do we mean by work psychology
Definition of work
Work = a set of coordinated and goal-directed activities that are conducted in exchange for
something else, usually (but not necessarily) some form of monetary reward
Three core elements
o Goal directed activities = actions are intended to achieve a predefined result
o Coordinated activities = tasks are performed systematically, following routines,
procedures and guidelines, often with tools or machinery
o Effort en compensation = work requires physical, emotional or mental effort and is
usually rewarded
Functions of work
o Economic survival --> income
o Social identity and status
o Time structure and social contacts
o Share purpose and regular activity
Work psychology
Work psychology studies = behavior, motivation, thoughts, emotions, health and well-being of
employees in the context of work
Goal: optimize work performance and employee health and well-being
o Historical focus on productivity
o Modern focus on health and well-being as prerequisites for sustainable performance
Other subdisciplines
o Work psychology = focus on tasks and activities
o Organizational psychology = focus on context
o Personnel psychology = focus on employee characteristics
What do we mean by workers
The global workforce
Workforce = people aged 15 and older who are economically active
Selection bias in contemporary work psychology
Research primarily focuses on western economies and white-collar workers (highly educated,
professional, large organizations
Consequences
o Limited generalizability of findings
o Underrepresented groups such as low income workers, ethnic minorities, developing
countries
The meaning of work
Pop culture perspective on work
In the media there are negative examples of work such as the office (tv series) or Nine to Five
(Dolly Parton), and positive examples such as The Big Bang Theory
Why is work important
Unemployment comes with lower health and well-being due to income loss and loss of social
benefits
Jahoda's relative deprivation model
Five social benefits of work
o Time structure = provides rhythm to the day
pag. 2
, Litererature-summary for Work & Health Psychology
o Social contacts = interaction with colleagues
o Shared purpose = collective mission
o Social identity/status = role in society
o Regular activity = physical and mental engagement
The roots of work psychology
Early systematic thinkers on work
Ancient times
o Hippocratic collection: medical routines and guidelines for doctors
o Roman army: standardization of tasks and psychological insights
The birth of occupational medicine
Georg Bauer
o De Re Metallica = first scientific description of health risks in mining
Protective clothing
Dust masks to prevent lung diseases
5-day workweek with 3 shifts of 8 hours
Bernardino Ramazzini
o Described occupational diseases in 52 professions --> start of occupational medicine
Work psychology; industrialization and science
Industrial revolution
o Mechanization and mass production
o Urbanization and factories with poor working conditions
o New simple, repetitive boring tasks
Solutions for productivity
o Psychotechnics
Application of psychological insights to work
Focus on match between worker and task
o Scientific management (Taylorism)
One best way to perform a task
Assumptions: workers are lazy and stupid, therefore tasks should be
simplified
Break tasks into small steps , time and motion studies, pay-for-performance,
separation of planning/execution
But; demotivating en conflicts between employers and employees
Work psychology
Human relations movement
o Hawthorne experiments at western electric
Study effects of lighting, breaks and wages on productivity
But social dynamics were more important than physical conditions
Modern work psychology
o Sustainable performance = productivity + health/well-being
o Builds on occupational medicine, ergonomics, social psychology, organizational
sociology
Changes in the world of work
The changing nature of work
Service sector growth (since 1970) --> less physically demanding but emotional labour
Knowledge workers --> high cognitive load, knowledge is the most important asset
The changing workforce
Increasing diversity takes overcoming prejudices and bias and managing diversity
Flexibilization of work
New ways of working
o Flexibility in time
o Flexibility in place
pag. 3
SUMMARY FOR WORK &
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Robbin Leijten
,Litererature-summary for Work & Health Psychology
Inhoudsopgave
An introduction to contemporary work psychology...................................................................2
Chapter 1 - introduction - people at work...................................................................................2
What do we mean by work psychology..................................................................................2
What do we mean by workers.................................................................................................2
The meaning of work..............................................................................................................2
The roots of work psychology................................................................................................3
Changes in the world of work.................................................................................................3
The crucial role of task analysis in modern work psychology................................................4
Job characteristic model: Hackman & Oldham. (1976)..............................................................4
Job demands–resources theory: Bakker, Demerouti& Sanz-Vergel. (2023)..............................6
Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) : Hornung, Rousseau, Glaser, Angerer, & Weigl. (2010)..............8
Job crafting: Fong, Tims, Khapova & Beijer. (2021).................................................................9
Wise proactivity framework: Parker, Wang & Liao. (2019)....................................................11
Demands: Van den Broeck, De Cuyper, De Witte & Vansteenkiste. (2010)...........................14
Recovery: De Bloom, Kinnunen & Korpela. (2015)................................................................17
Resources: Xanthopoulou, Bakker, Demerouti, & Schaufeli. (2009).......................................20
Work Family interaction: Carlson, Grzywacz & Zivnuska. (2009)..........................................21
Work-family interaction: Michel, Kotrba, Mitchelson, Clark & Baltes. (2011).......................23
Well-being: Bakker & Oerlemans (2011).................................................................................25
Performance: Koopmans, Bernaards, Hildebrandt, de Vet & van der Beek (2014).................27
Safety at work: Nahrgang, Morgeson & Hofmann. (2011)......................................................28
Sickness absence: Lohaus & Habermann. (2019).....................................................................28
pag. 1
,Litererature-summary for Work & Health Psychology
An introduction to contemporary work psychology
Chapter 1 - introduction - people at work
What do we mean by work psychology
Definition of work
Work = a set of coordinated and goal-directed activities that are conducted in exchange for
something else, usually (but not necessarily) some form of monetary reward
Three core elements
o Goal directed activities = actions are intended to achieve a predefined result
o Coordinated activities = tasks are performed systematically, following routines,
procedures and guidelines, often with tools or machinery
o Effort en compensation = work requires physical, emotional or mental effort and is
usually rewarded
Functions of work
o Economic survival --> income
o Social identity and status
o Time structure and social contacts
o Share purpose and regular activity
Work psychology
Work psychology studies = behavior, motivation, thoughts, emotions, health and well-being of
employees in the context of work
Goal: optimize work performance and employee health and well-being
o Historical focus on productivity
o Modern focus on health and well-being as prerequisites for sustainable performance
Other subdisciplines
o Work psychology = focus on tasks and activities
o Organizational psychology = focus on context
o Personnel psychology = focus on employee characteristics
What do we mean by workers
The global workforce
Workforce = people aged 15 and older who are economically active
Selection bias in contemporary work psychology
Research primarily focuses on western economies and white-collar workers (highly educated,
professional, large organizations
Consequences
o Limited generalizability of findings
o Underrepresented groups such as low income workers, ethnic minorities, developing
countries
The meaning of work
Pop culture perspective on work
In the media there are negative examples of work such as the office (tv series) or Nine to Five
(Dolly Parton), and positive examples such as The Big Bang Theory
Why is work important
Unemployment comes with lower health and well-being due to income loss and loss of social
benefits
Jahoda's relative deprivation model
Five social benefits of work
o Time structure = provides rhythm to the day
pag. 2
, Litererature-summary for Work & Health Psychology
o Social contacts = interaction with colleagues
o Shared purpose = collective mission
o Social identity/status = role in society
o Regular activity = physical and mental engagement
The roots of work psychology
Early systematic thinkers on work
Ancient times
o Hippocratic collection: medical routines and guidelines for doctors
o Roman army: standardization of tasks and psychological insights
The birth of occupational medicine
Georg Bauer
o De Re Metallica = first scientific description of health risks in mining
Protective clothing
Dust masks to prevent lung diseases
5-day workweek with 3 shifts of 8 hours
Bernardino Ramazzini
o Described occupational diseases in 52 professions --> start of occupational medicine
Work psychology; industrialization and science
Industrial revolution
o Mechanization and mass production
o Urbanization and factories with poor working conditions
o New simple, repetitive boring tasks
Solutions for productivity
o Psychotechnics
Application of psychological insights to work
Focus on match between worker and task
o Scientific management (Taylorism)
One best way to perform a task
Assumptions: workers are lazy and stupid, therefore tasks should be
simplified
Break tasks into small steps , time and motion studies, pay-for-performance,
separation of planning/execution
But; demotivating en conflicts between employers and employees
Work psychology
Human relations movement
o Hawthorne experiments at western electric
Study effects of lighting, breaks and wages on productivity
But social dynamics were more important than physical conditions
Modern work psychology
o Sustainable performance = productivity + health/well-being
o Builds on occupational medicine, ergonomics, social psychology, organizational
sociology
Changes in the world of work
The changing nature of work
Service sector growth (since 1970) --> less physically demanding but emotional labour
Knowledge workers --> high cognitive load, knowledge is the most important asset
The changing workforce
Increasing diversity takes overcoming prejudices and bias and managing diversity
Flexibilization of work
New ways of working
o Flexibility in time
o Flexibility in place
pag. 3
