Date of Award

Summer 2024

Degree Type

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation

Degree Name

Psychology, PhD

Program

School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Meg Warren

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Stewart Donaldson

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Michelle Bligh

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Jason Siegel

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2024 Joo Young Lee

Keywords

Career crafting, Decent work, Marginalized workers, PERMA+4, Well-being

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

Well-being is the most widely studied topic in the field of organizational positive psychology, yet economic context is often overlooked despite approximately one-third of the U.S. working population being economically marginalized workers. Moreover, it is unknown whether different economic contexts produce gaps in necessary resources for career, employment, and consequently, well-being. To address this, the present study investigated career crafting, decent work, PERMA+4 and work volition and their relationship to well-being in two distinct economic groups: economically marginalized (EM) workers and non-EM workers. A total of 629 full-time and part-time working adults aged 18 to 64, collected from an online survey, were included in the data analysis. First, to operationalize economically marginalized workers, theoretical aspects of economic resources were investigated and labeled as economic capital. Then the structure of economic capital and its relationship to well-being was examined. Confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance tests, and hierarchical regression analyses provided initial support for utilizing economic capital as a more comprehensive way to identify EM workers, above and beyond income. In the subsequent t-tests, it was found that EM workers (n= 176) reported significantly lower levels of well-being, decent work, PERMA+4, career crafting, and work volition than non-EM workers (n= 453). When the mediating role of decent work and PERMA+4 in the relationship between career crafting and well-being were examined, it was found that while decent work partially linked the relationship among EM workers and non-EM workers, the mediating role of PERMA+4 on the relationship between career crafting and well-being was full and significant for both EM workers and non-EM workers. Moreover, among the nine building blocks of PERMA+4, only positive emotions, positive meaning, and growth mindset were significant variables that explained the relationship between career crafting and well-being in EM workers whereas all nine building blocks of PERMA+4 were significant mediators in the relationship between career crafting and PERMA+4 in non-EM workers. The moderating effect of age was not significant in the relationship between career crafting and decent work. Finally, a multi-group path analysis was performed to explore a more complex dynamic among the study variables. The improved model demonstrated structural invariance tests, and it was found that career crafting and work volition were significant predictors for decent work and PERMA+4, and decent work was also a significant predictor for PERMA+4, which in turn, predicted well-being. Unlike originally speculated, the mediating role of decent work disappeared, and PERMA+4 fully mediated the relationship between decent work and well-being in both EM and non-EM workers. Study findings indicate that 1) economic capital can be better understood by overarching economic resources across past to future economic security than by income alone, and 2) EM workers possess significantly fewer career and life resources considered critical for a thriving life, implying inferior work and life conditions compared to those of non-EM workers, yet 3) the foundational roles of career crafting and work volition on both PERMA+4 and decent work is crucial across EM and non-EM workers, and finally 4) PERMA+4 is an encompassing and robust framework that enhances the predictive power for well-being consistent with prior research. Overall, this study contributes to the theory development of career crafting, PERMA+4, and the psychology of working theory by further revealing more complex relationships between them. Additionally, this study contributes to practice by revealing the importance of tailored interventions and support systems for economically marginalized workers in promoting holistic well-being and positive functioning in the workplace.

ISBN

9798383699768

Download

Share

COinS