Purpose: Approaching work as a calling is associated with numerous positive outcomes, yet we know little about how callings develop. Grounded in social cognitive career and meaning making theory, this study explores whether leaders who are called to their roles foster the development of calling in their employees. Design/methodology/approach: Using a three-wave longitudinal design with a sample of 285 U.S. employees, we examined whether perceiving a leader as called—and trusting that leader— predicts growth in employees’ sense of calling over time. Findings: Results indicate that perceiving calling in a leader fosters the development of calling when the leader is trusted, and lowers calling in employees when the leader is not trusted. We found evidence that this process is incremental and slow compared to other modeling processes, requiring four to eight months to be detected. Originality: This study contributes to the literature by identifying leaders as potential socialization agents in the development of calling. The practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

A theoretically grounded, psychometrically sound new scale-the Work Support Scale (WSS)-was developed to address limitations of existing social support measures used in vocational research. Work support was conceptualized and defined using a psychology of working lens. In Study 1, an initial pool of items was developed and reviewed by experts and a small group of participants in the target population via cognitive interviews. Next, survey data was gathered from a development sample of 365 working adults, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted for factor optimization and extraction. A 16-item, four-factor WSS measure that consisted of Emotional Support, Appraisal Support, Informational Support, and Instrumental Support was developed. In Study 2, the WSS was administered to a new sample of 320 working adults to establish reliability and validity. Results of confirmatory factor analysis supported that all three models-the correlational, bifactor (items loaded onto both general work support and the four subscales), and higher order-had a good fit to the data. Scores from the WSS had good reliability and significantly correlated with validity measures in the expected directions. Additionally, the scores from the total WSS demonstrated incremental validity over existing measures of general and work-related support scales in predicting work-related and well-being outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

College students from low social class backgrounds may face barriers to vocational development due to limited resources and campus classism. This study specifically aimed to understand how college student’s childhood and current social class backgrounds related to the development of work capital. Using a sample of 664 college students from a public university, we examine childhood and current social class as contextual predictors of institutionalized, citational, and interpersonal classism via discounting. We also centered classism as a predictor of economic, human, social, and cultural work capital. Structural equation modeling suggested that childhood social class negatively predicted institutionalized classism, in turn, relating to lower economic, social, and cultural work capital. These relations also held constant with current social class mediating the relation between childhood social class and internalized classism, which in turn predicted work capital. Childhood social class positively predicted current social class, which related to greater economic, human, and social work capital. The study offers theoretical and practical insights into how the intergenerational cycle of social class-based power and marginalization and institutionalized classism may shape work capital development in college contexts.

This study explored longitudinal trajectories of decent work profiles guided by core propositions from psychology of working theory. Data were collected from 419 working adults in the United States at three time points over a 6-month period. We examined decent work trajectories using latent transition analysis considering two key covariates (work volition and career adaptability) and while accounting for other variables such as ethnicity, education, and income level. The analysis identified five latent decent work profiles: only safety, low health care, indecent work, average, and decent work. Notably, the indecent and decent work profiles were the most stable, while the only safety and low health care profiles were more likely to change with time. The influence of work volition and career adaptability on transition probabilities was found to partially align with the hypotheses of psychology of working theory. Findings indicated that, within psychology of working theory, these psychological mediators may operate through varied mechanisms to influence both the attainment and maintenance of decent work across time. Implications for future research, practical applications, and theoretical developments are discussed.

South Korea's competitive educational landscape, often characterized as a coercive culture with strong academic pressure, challenges the idea of self-determination theory (SDT) that coercion diminishes motivation. In the current study, we explored this assumption by analyzing data from 2,590 South Korean adolescents across a 4-year period. Specifically, we utilized data from the first to fourth waves of the Korea Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018, beginning with students in 7th grade. Random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) analyses indicated that the interaction between coercive parenting and academic vigor differed depending on gender. Furthermore, the results suggest that the application of SDT may not be generalized in Korean culture and may instead be influenced by unique cultural nuances, such as those that were present for the South Korean sample explored in this study. The study also explored potential implications for advocacy, education, and professional practice, and identified directions for future research. (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic). (sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic). (sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(multigroup RI-CLPM)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic). (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) 2018 (KCYPS 2018)(sic) 1(sic)(sic)(sic) 4(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) 1(sic)(sic) 2,590(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic). (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic). (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic) (sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic). (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).

Decent education is a new construct grounded within the psychology of working theory (Duffy et al., 2022), referring to high-school education that ensures adequate physical safety, psychological safety, an equitable environment, social belongingness, quality instruction, and postgraduation programming. In this multistudy research, we report the development and validation of the French and English versions of the Decent Education Scale (DES) and Retrospective DES (RDES), assessing students' perceptions of their current and past educational experiences. Study 1 gathered data from 445 French-speaking Swiss high-school students to refine items and provide evidence for the psychometric properties of the French DES. Study 2 gathered data from 284 U.S. high-school students to validate the English DES. In addition, to develop and validate the RDES parallel efforts were implemented among U.S. college students in Study 3 (N = 656) and Study 4 (N = 543). Consistent findings across studies resulted in an 18-item DES and RDES with six three-item subscales. Structural analyses revealed that a correlational model best fit the six-subscale DES and RDES. However higher order and bifactor models, both with a general factor, also yielded strong fit. Validity was further demonstrated with scale scores predicting school need satisfaction and school burnout (Study 1), college-going self-efficacy and outcome expectations (Study 2), as well as social support, academic self-efficacy, work volition, and college readiness (Study 4). Implications and recommendations for using the DES in research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Rapid systemic changes in the United States have exacerbated economic inequity. This trend has prompted increased scholarly attention to social class, classism, and access to work capital. Work capital is a multidimensional concept related to vocational resources, which to date has primarily been discussed in a bimodal fashion (yes vs. no). In the current study, we used latent profile analysis on a sample of 439 working adults in the United States to examine potential unique profiles emerging from work capital’s four dimensions (economic, human, social, and cultural work capital). Our analyses revealed three distinct profiles: Low human and cultural work capital, low economic work capital, and moderate work capital. Next, we identified how theoretically informed contextual (childhood and current social class and downward classism) and vocational (work volition, career adaptability, and decent work) correlates would relate to profile membership. Regarding contextual factors, participants in the low economic work capital group were from lower social class backgrounds, and participants in the low human and cultural work capital group experienced higher levels of downward classism. Regarding vocational factors, participants in the moderate work capital group experienced the highest work volition, career adaptability, and decent work attainment. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

According to the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), work need satisfaction is a key predictor of positive outcomes, such as well-being and work fulfillment. However, important cultural differences may exist regarding the relative importance of different types of needs in predicting well-being and work fulfillment. To address this idea, we collected data from workers in the U.S. and Korea and conducted a relative weight analysis with employed adults, comparing how well specific needs predicted the four proposed PWT outcomes. For American workers (n = 281), the five need constructs were more predictive of work and well-being outcomes than for Korean workers (n = 327). The most notable differences were prediction of work meaning and physical health, with social contribution and relatedness need satisfaction being much more predictive of these outcomes in the U.S. than Korean sample, respectively. Overall, the findings suggest that work need satisfaction may promote workers' well-being in both countries; however, these relationships may differ somewhat depending on the culture. Practical implications and future research directions based on these findings are discussed.

This study extended research on Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) by examining the connection of decent work to work fulfillment and general well-being in 346 predominantly U.S. adult workers diagnosed with Chiari malformation (CM), a chronic health condition involving a structural malformation affecting the posterior region and base of the skull, and commonly presenting with chronic head and neck pain and related physical (e.g., fatigue) and psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression) complications. Participants completed an online survey containing measures of PWT's outcomes of decent work constructs as well as the domain-specific marginalization constructs of condition severity and workplace limitations. Results of structural equation modeling analyses supported 12 of 19 hypotheses. Decent work directly and positively predicted survival, social contribution, and self-determination needs; social contribution and self-determination needs directly and positively predicted work fulfillment; survival and self-determination needs directly and positively predicted general well-being; decent work indirectly (via social contribution and self-determination needs) and positively predicted work fulfillment and indirectly (via survival and self-determination needs) and positively predicted general well-being; and condition severity directly and negatively predicted general well-being. Consistent with PWT, attaining decent work contributes to meeting needs for survival, social contribution, and self-determination, which in turn contributes to greater work fulfillment and general well-being in workers with CM.

In the current study we gathered data from a large group of employed adults (N = 710) to examine the degree to which participants experienced their work as unique combinations of decent and meaningful. We applied latent profile analysis (LPA) to construct specific profiles according to how strongly participants endorsed five components of decent work and meaningful work. Seven different profiles emerged from our analyses which were labeled as a) Only healthcare, b) Unfulfilling, c) Highly meaningless, d) Adequate safety and rest, e) Adequate, f) Fulfilling, and g) Absent healthcare. We examined group differences amongst the profiles in terms of hypothesized predictor (economic constraints, marginalization experiences) and outcome (work-family conflict, intentions to quit) variables. Mixed support was found for the hypotheses, and profiles where participants did or did not have healthcare access at work were particularly unique in comparison to other profiles.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate subjective social mobility among U.S. immigrants-here referred to as shifts in experiences of marginalization and economic constraints before and after immigration-and assess how mobility is related to a host of theoretically informed predictors and outcomes. Surveys were completed by 242 employed U.S. immigrants who had been in the United States for an average of 11.65 years. A latent profile analysis was conducted which identified four groups with different social mobility types: subjective upward mobility, privileged, underprivileged, and subjective downward mobility. Four times as many participants experienced downward versus upward mobility (38.4% vs. 10.3%), with the majority maintaining a privileged (21.9%) or underprivileged (29.3%) status. Additionally, the downward mobility group had significantly lower work volition, work need satisfaction, and decent work compared to other groups. Implications for counseling practice, advocacy, and research for socially mobile immigrants are discussed.

Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) has been increasingly adopted by counseling and vocational psychologists since its inception in 2016, and approximately 100 quantitative studies to date have tested various propositions of the Theory. As a relatively new theory, there has been lack of consistency in how the main constructs are conceptualized and measured by scholars, thus limiting further application of PWT. The following paper is aimed at addressing this inconsistency by providing a guide for researchers interested in using PWT as a theoretical framework in their studies. First, we provide an overview of PWT and the definitions of its core constructs: economic constraints, marginalization, work volition, career adaptability, decent work, and need satisfaction. Then, we review quantitative studies conducted to date to show how each of the constructs have been conceptualized and measured. Finally, we provide specific recommendations that researchers can follow in their future studies based on this review. It is hoped that the recommendations can provide a more streamlined way of measuring the constructs as well as ideas for researchers to expand the psychology of working literature.

This paper presents psychology of working theory (PWT) as a framework for addressing career concerns faced by those with chronic health issues. PWT is a relevant framework for contextualizing the lived experiences of clients navigating work and chronic illness. Specifically, individuals with chronic health conditions may face additional barriers to their career development and are at risk for higher incidences of workplace discrimination, job stress, and job loss. Core elements of PWT outlined in this paper are applied to a case study of a client with breast cancer. More specifically, the constructs of decent work, critical consciousness, and career adaptability are applied at the level of the individual and systemic interventions. Issues of equity, access, intersectionality, power, and privilege are highlighted as they relate to the context of work. We offer suggestions for advocacy for career counselors working with clients with chronic illness navigating work and careers.

The school-to-work transition can be extraordinarily challenging in the turbulent labor market, and the uncertainty about employment outlooks can cause intense anxiety for college students. Drawing from psychology of working theory (PWT), the current study examined the predictor section of the PWT model in relation to employment anxiety with a sample of impoverished undergraduates in China ( N = 362). Findings suggest that (1) economic constraints were negatively associated with work volition and future decent work perceptions; (2) work volition mediated the relation between economic constraints and future decent work perceptions; (3) future decent work perceptions were negatively related to employment anxiety; and (4) proactive personality and social support attenuated the adverse influence of economic constraints on work volition. Overall, this study contributes to PWT by adding a new outcome (employment anxiety) and also providing evidence of moderation effects. Implications for universities and career counselors are discussed.

Turnover among millennial employees is frequent and is more common when work is not considered decent. Nevertheless, the potential reasons for why decent work attainment links with millennials' turnover intentions deserves further exploration. Grounded in the psychology of working theory and social exchange theory, the current research explored the roles of overall well-being and perceived career opportunity in the relation between decent work and turnover intentions. Through an analysis of three-wave data obtained from 327 millennials in China, we found that decent work was indirectly related to turnover intentions via overall well-being, and that perceived career opportunity served as an important moderator in this relation. The results suggest that millennials who perceive their work as indecent may have greater turnover intentions in part because they are less satisfied with their lives. This relation is even stronger when they perceive few career opportunities in their current job.

The present study examined the degree to which a large group of incoming college students (N = 2,290) had experienced economic constraints and marginalization across their lifetimes, before starting college. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify groups of students whose lifetime experiences differed based on economic constraints and marginalization experiences, and four distinct profiles emerged: (1) Privileged (low economic constraints and low marginalization; 52.8%), (2) Primarily Marginalized (high marginalization, 30.1%), (3) Primarily Constrained (high economic constraints; 7%), and (4) Marginalized and Constrained (high marginalization and high economic constraints; 10.3%). Compared to the Privileged group, students in the Marginalized and Constrained group were five times more likely to be first-generation students, 2.5 times more likely to intend to seek counseling in college, and two times more likely to identify as a Student of Color. They also experienced significantly greater current financial stress and lower life satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The current study was aimed at understanding how social mobility relates to vocational outcomes. Drawing from Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), social mobility was operationalized as changes in experiences of economic constraints and marginalization between childhood and adulthood. We used latent profile analysis to create profiles among a sample of employed adults ( N = 533) and compared profile membership to PWT informed outcomes: work volition, career adaptability, and decent work. The five profiles of social mobility that emerged were as follows: sustained privilege (low levels of marginalization and economic constraints during childhood and adulthood), downward mobility (low levels of marginalization and economic constraints in childhood, high levels in adulthood), upward mobility (high levels of marginalization and economic constraints in childhood, low levels in adulthood), highly marginalized (high levels of marginalization at both points), and sustained barriers (high levels of marginalization and economic constraints in childhood and adulthood). Participants who belonged to the sustained privilege and upward mobility groups experienced greater work volition and decent work compared to those in groups who experienced higher levels of economic constraints and marginalization throughout their lives. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Emerging from distinct perspectives, decent work and meaningful work are fundamental aspects of contemporary work with profound implications for individuals, organizations, and society. Decent work reflects basic workplace conditions to which all employees are entitled, whereas meaningful work is aspirational, reflecting significance at work. Following a conceptual and empirical review of scholarship on decent work and meaningful work, we draw from psychology of working theory to connect the two constructs. We argue that need satisfaction serves as the primary connector, and societal context, organizational conditions, and individual practices (in order of effectiveness) promote access to each type of work. We suggest future research directions broadening the available scholarship and methods used, promoting a focus on the complex intersection of macrolevel and psychological factors as well as interdisciplinary approaches in determining the quality of work, and engaging in intervention research to improve the way in which people live and work together.

Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) is a relatively new vocational theory applicable to various cultural contexts around the world. However, proper examination of the theory within a Turkish context has been limited due to measurement concerns. Thus, in the present studies, we aimed to first translate the most frequently used PWT measures into Turkish by following best practices for scale translation and proceeded to then examine the full PWT model among Turkish working adults. We conducted two separate studies to address our primary aims. In Study 1, we translated the scales and conducted initial validity, and data was collected from 390 Turkish working adults to test the dimensionality and reliability of the scales. Results indicated that both the Economic Constraints Scale and Lifetime Experiences of Marginalization Scale were unidimensional models and the Work Needs Satisfaction Scale had a higher-order model consistent with the original development studies. In Study 2, using these newly translated scales, we examined the full PWT model among a new group of 564 Turkish working adults. Results showed that overall, PWT propositions were largely supported by the sample except for the role of work volition. Limitations and implications of the studies are discussed.