1
Industrial Psychology
CAREER PSYCHOLOGY.
IOPS221
Summarized using;
Schreuder, A.M.G., & Coetzee, M. (2016). Careers: An organisational perspective (5th ed.) together
with the lecturer’s slides and the 2018 Study Guide.
N. Strydom 0780481404
, 2
Study unit 1:
THE MEANING OF WORK AND CAREER CONCEPTS.
Study outcomes:
• Explain the meaning of work in different societies and eras.
• Explain the psychology of working.
• Explain work as central life interest.
• Classify and summaries various work values.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the various concepts as applicable to career
psychology.
Explain the meaning of work in different societies and eras.
Different societies and eras. Meaning.
1. Pre-industrial times - Tree Meanings:
1. Work as drudgery.
2. Work as instrumental to spiritual or
religious ends.
3. Work as intrinsically meaningful for its own
sake.
2. Greeks and romans - Viewed work as a burden that contaminates the
mind.
3. Hebrews - Also saw work as drudgery.
- Provides an opportunity for expiation of sin and
regaining spiritual dignity.
4. Early Christians - Incorporated the meaning of work as charity
(share the fortunes of ones work with the
needy.)
- Shared Hebrews vies.
5. Catholic - Includes expiation, charity and purification
6. Protestant - Viewed work as a duty.
7. Western societies - perspective that work is internally driven factors
and values (individualism, individual
achievement, status)
8. African-based societies- - external factors and values (collectivism,
working for collective good)
9. 21st- Century of work - Changing meaning of work. (universal meaning)
- Working provides people with social status and
social identity, which in turn provides the family
with power and access to resources.
N. Strydom 0780481404
, 3
- Unemployed- feel isolated because social-
connections is present in employment
- Post-industrial saw employees with these 5 characteristics:
Self-actualisation.
Hedonism.
Entitlementalism.
Antiproductivism.
Anti- authoritarianism.
- Meaningful work is associated with:
Life satisfaction and life meaning.
Lower levels of anxiety.
Higher job performance and productivity.
Greater career commitment.
More intrinsic work motivation.
Sacrifice of time and pay for careers.
Explain the psychology of working.
- The psychology of working framework (Blustein, 2006) recognises that work can fulfil three
basic needs:
1. Survival and Power
safety, food, clothing, shelter
education, status, material wealth
2. Social connectedness
work connects people to greater society
co-workers, supervisors
3. Self-determination
work is intrinsically motivating, form of one’s authentic identity
- Sources of work meaning:
Individualism
- Represents self/agency.
- Involves drawing meaningfulness from establishing the self as valuable.
Contribution
- Represents others/agency.
- The extent to which one perceives that he is making a significant impact on
others.
Self-connection
- Represents self/communion.
- Involves an individual feeling aligned and engaged with her identity.
Unification
N. Strydom 0780481404
, 4
- Represents other/communion.
- Involves harmony with other.
Explain work as central life interest.
- What is meant by the centrality of work?
The degree of importance that working has in the life of an individual at any given point
in time.
It was stimulated by the fact that for most adults working occupies a large part of their
lives.
It does not refer to the content of work, but to the value outcomes.
- Discuss the differential centrality of work for industrial workers, the managerial sector and
professional groups.
Work seems to be losing its centrality for industrial workers.
Half of the managerial sector does not regard it as central life interest, whereas
professional groups do.
Because professional work is creative, it involves personal responsibility for the
outcomes of ones work performance and it involves a degree of risk and uncertainty,
which requires personal accountability.
- Explain how job performance is viewed by individuals with high work centrality and individuals
with low work centrality.
High work centrality:
Individuals who have high work centrality will probably see job performance as
instrumental in obtaining non-financial or psychological rewards such as self-
worth, growth and personal satisfaction.
Low work centrality:
May perceive performance as relating only to pay or other economic rewards
associated with the job.
Classify and summaries various work values.
- Value:
• Is used to denote norms, beliefs, principles, preferences, needs, interests, worldview or
ideology.
• Values can be seen as orientation that selectively determine modes of behaviour.
• The believe that represents broad motivational goals.
N. Strydom 0780481404
Industrial Psychology
CAREER PSYCHOLOGY.
IOPS221
Summarized using;
Schreuder, A.M.G., & Coetzee, M. (2016). Careers: An organisational perspective (5th ed.) together
with the lecturer’s slides and the 2018 Study Guide.
N. Strydom 0780481404
, 2
Study unit 1:
THE MEANING OF WORK AND CAREER CONCEPTS.
Study outcomes:
• Explain the meaning of work in different societies and eras.
• Explain the psychology of working.
• Explain work as central life interest.
• Classify and summaries various work values.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the various concepts as applicable to career
psychology.
Explain the meaning of work in different societies and eras.
Different societies and eras. Meaning.
1. Pre-industrial times - Tree Meanings:
1. Work as drudgery.
2. Work as instrumental to spiritual or
religious ends.
3. Work as intrinsically meaningful for its own
sake.
2. Greeks and romans - Viewed work as a burden that contaminates the
mind.
3. Hebrews - Also saw work as drudgery.
- Provides an opportunity for expiation of sin and
regaining spiritual dignity.
4. Early Christians - Incorporated the meaning of work as charity
(share the fortunes of ones work with the
needy.)
- Shared Hebrews vies.
5. Catholic - Includes expiation, charity and purification
6. Protestant - Viewed work as a duty.
7. Western societies - perspective that work is internally driven factors
and values (individualism, individual
achievement, status)
8. African-based societies- - external factors and values (collectivism,
working for collective good)
9. 21st- Century of work - Changing meaning of work. (universal meaning)
- Working provides people with social status and
social identity, which in turn provides the family
with power and access to resources.
N. Strydom 0780481404
, 3
- Unemployed- feel isolated because social-
connections is present in employment
- Post-industrial saw employees with these 5 characteristics:
Self-actualisation.
Hedonism.
Entitlementalism.
Antiproductivism.
Anti- authoritarianism.
- Meaningful work is associated with:
Life satisfaction and life meaning.
Lower levels of anxiety.
Higher job performance and productivity.
Greater career commitment.
More intrinsic work motivation.
Sacrifice of time and pay for careers.
Explain the psychology of working.
- The psychology of working framework (Blustein, 2006) recognises that work can fulfil three
basic needs:
1. Survival and Power
safety, food, clothing, shelter
education, status, material wealth
2. Social connectedness
work connects people to greater society
co-workers, supervisors
3. Self-determination
work is intrinsically motivating, form of one’s authentic identity
- Sources of work meaning:
Individualism
- Represents self/agency.
- Involves drawing meaningfulness from establishing the self as valuable.
Contribution
- Represents others/agency.
- The extent to which one perceives that he is making a significant impact on
others.
Self-connection
- Represents self/communion.
- Involves an individual feeling aligned and engaged with her identity.
Unification
N. Strydom 0780481404
, 4
- Represents other/communion.
- Involves harmony with other.
Explain work as central life interest.
- What is meant by the centrality of work?
The degree of importance that working has in the life of an individual at any given point
in time.
It was stimulated by the fact that for most adults working occupies a large part of their
lives.
It does not refer to the content of work, but to the value outcomes.
- Discuss the differential centrality of work for industrial workers, the managerial sector and
professional groups.
Work seems to be losing its centrality for industrial workers.
Half of the managerial sector does not regard it as central life interest, whereas
professional groups do.
Because professional work is creative, it involves personal responsibility for the
outcomes of ones work performance and it involves a degree of risk and uncertainty,
which requires personal accountability.
- Explain how job performance is viewed by individuals with high work centrality and individuals
with low work centrality.
High work centrality:
Individuals who have high work centrality will probably see job performance as
instrumental in obtaining non-financial or psychological rewards such as self-
worth, growth and personal satisfaction.
Low work centrality:
May perceive performance as relating only to pay or other economic rewards
associated with the job.
Classify and summaries various work values.
- Value:
• Is used to denote norms, beliefs, principles, preferences, needs, interests, worldview or
ideology.
• Values can be seen as orientation that selectively determine modes of behaviour.
• The believe that represents broad motivational goals.
N. Strydom 0780481404
