Moderators of the Prediction of Job Satisfaction from Congruence: A Test of Holland's Theory

Abstract

An outgrowth of the search for individual differences serving to enhance the predictability of behavior has led to speculations on the nature of personality characteristics which might moderate the extent to which work outcomes depend on degree of person- environment fit or congruence. This study investigated the extent to which three constructs proposed by Holland (1985; differentiation, consistency, and vocational identity) indeed moderate the strength of the congruence-satisfaction relationship. A sample of 139 employed adults who had completed Strong Interest Inventories between 1 and 6 years earlier completed measures of job satisfaction and vocational identity. The results indicated that none of Holland's proposed constructs moderated the strength of the congruence-satisfaction relationship, although congruence did emerge as a stronger predictor of job satisfaction for older males than for younger males. Implications for vocational assessment and career counseling are discussed.

Vocational Preference and P–O Fit: Reflections on Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice

“…The enormously rich literature that owes its stimulation to John Holland's theory of vocational choice remains equivocal about the theory and measures (Gustafson & Mumford, 1995). It has provoked longitudinal studies (Smart, 1985), and cross-sectional studies (Furnham & Walsh, 1991) as well as numerous psychometric studies have provided partial, weak support for some of the central features of the theory particularly the job satisfaction± congruence hypothesis (Carson & Mowsesian, 1993;Furnham et al, 1995). Schwartz (1992) wrote a paper entitled``Is Holland's theory worthy of so much attention or should vocational psychology move on?''…”

“…One study looked at the degree of congruence and students' least characteristic type, which provided reasonable verification for the theory. Carson and Mowsesian (1993), on the other hand, found little support for the congruence±satisfaction relationships.…”

The Gender-Mediated Impact of a Career Development Intervention

“…Jepsen and Prediger (1981) combined measures of career choice certainty with four other measures: career exploration, career decisiveness, career 'planfulness' and involvement in career-planning activities. Others have measured an individual's selfefficacy for career decision-making (Betz & Hackett, 1981;Luzzo & Hackett, 1987;Taylor & Betz, 1983;Taylor & Popma, 1990), congruence between espoused and tested career interests (Carson & Mowsesian, 1993;Healy & Mourton, 1985;Spokane, 1985) or extent of engagement in career exploratory behaviour (Blustein, 1989;Gianakos, 1995;Stumpf, Colarelli & Hartman, 1983). Clearly, none of these measures alone captures the entire meaning of career maturity and, as stated earlier, such variability across studies may contribute to inconsistent findings about the career maturation and career development processes.…”

Exploration of Factors Related to Development of Vocational Identity in Collegiate Student Athletes

“…Research on this concept has suggested that vocational identity is linked to clear and stable career goals, interests, personality and talents (Holland, Daiger, & Power, 1980), job satisfaction (Carson & Mowsesian, 1993;Holland & Gottfredson, 1994), career exploratory behaviors (Gushue et al, 2006), and college major choice (Leung, 1998). Although participants in this study may have not fully reached a sense of complete vocational identity, the purpose of the study was to examine its development.…”