,IOP3702 PAST
EXAMINATION
QUESTION
PAPERS AND
MCQ
Personnel Psychology (University of South Africa)
, IOP3702 REVISION QUESTIONS
The meaning of work
• The meaning of work is multifaceted. Not only does work have different meanings, but these
meanings can change over time, as individuals and the nature and structure of work change.
• The meaning of work is significant for the study of careers because it influences the individuals
expectation of work and their career.
• The meaning of work embraces the significance that work or working has in people‟s lives.
• Work constitutes a major element of human activity that transpires over much of people‟s lives.
• Work sustains life in the sense of biological survival and it can also sustain the quality of life.
• Next to family work has been found to have relatively more importance than other areas of life
such as leisure.
Repeated x 2
Workplace Spirituality
Workplace spirituality is the recognition that employees have an inner life that nourishes and is
nourished by meaningful work that takes place in the context of community.
Spirituality is the feeling individuals have about the fundamental meaning of who they are, what they
are doing and the contributions they are making.
Spirituality represents the quest to unite one's inner life and outer world (i.e. the community
environment which provides constant connection to one‟s co-workers).
The community environment is viewed as a place in which people can experience personal growth by
being involved in meaningful work that gives a purpose to their life where they feel valued for
themselves as individuals and have a sense of working together with others for a common purpose.
The search for meaning and purpose, and consequent realisation, provide an individual with a sense
of alignment and order ─ a spiritual cohesiveness, which instills a sense of tightness and well-being.
Spiritual cohesiveness is a sense of wholeness, a oneness with who we are and an awareness of
how we fit with our external environment.
Work is a central part of people‟s existence and the search for spiritual wholeness occurs within the
context of the workplace. In the modern workplace, many people are increasingly embarking upon a
spiritual journey seeking to discover their true selves through the search for a higher purpose that
provides meaning to their lives.
Self Actualization
Self-actualization is a process of inner-directedness through which the individuals give expression to
their intrinsic nature. It involves the tendency to enrich oneself by psychological growth and by seeing
meaning in being.
Characteristics associated with self-actualized people include autonomy in the sense of relative
independence of the physical and social environment, democratic orientation, feeling of
connectedness with others, freshness of appreciation, and feeling at ease with complexity and
ambiguity
These characteristics can be condensed into a single quality, namely openness to experience.
Openness can be associated with work that can facilitate self-actualization i.e. intrinsic satisfaction.
EXAMINATION
QUESTION
PAPERS AND
MCQ
Personnel Psychology (University of South Africa)
, IOP3702 REVISION QUESTIONS
The meaning of work
• The meaning of work is multifaceted. Not only does work have different meanings, but these
meanings can change over time, as individuals and the nature and structure of work change.
• The meaning of work is significant for the study of careers because it influences the individuals
expectation of work and their career.
• The meaning of work embraces the significance that work or working has in people‟s lives.
• Work constitutes a major element of human activity that transpires over much of people‟s lives.
• Work sustains life in the sense of biological survival and it can also sustain the quality of life.
• Next to family work has been found to have relatively more importance than other areas of life
such as leisure.
Repeated x 2
Workplace Spirituality
Workplace spirituality is the recognition that employees have an inner life that nourishes and is
nourished by meaningful work that takes place in the context of community.
Spirituality is the feeling individuals have about the fundamental meaning of who they are, what they
are doing and the contributions they are making.
Spirituality represents the quest to unite one's inner life and outer world (i.e. the community
environment which provides constant connection to one‟s co-workers).
The community environment is viewed as a place in which people can experience personal growth by
being involved in meaningful work that gives a purpose to their life where they feel valued for
themselves as individuals and have a sense of working together with others for a common purpose.
The search for meaning and purpose, and consequent realisation, provide an individual with a sense
of alignment and order ─ a spiritual cohesiveness, which instills a sense of tightness and well-being.
Spiritual cohesiveness is a sense of wholeness, a oneness with who we are and an awareness of
how we fit with our external environment.
Work is a central part of people‟s existence and the search for spiritual wholeness occurs within the
context of the workplace. In the modern workplace, many people are increasingly embarking upon a
spiritual journey seeking to discover their true selves through the search for a higher purpose that
provides meaning to their lives.
Self Actualization
Self-actualization is a process of inner-directedness through which the individuals give expression to
their intrinsic nature. It involves the tendency to enrich oneself by psychological growth and by seeing
meaning in being.
Characteristics associated with self-actualized people include autonomy in the sense of relative
independence of the physical and social environment, democratic orientation, feeling of
connectedness with others, freshness of appreciation, and feeling at ease with complexity and
ambiguity
These characteristics can be condensed into a single quality, namely openness to experience.
Openness can be associated with work that can facilitate self-actualization i.e. intrinsic satisfaction.
