2007/10/01 by Melissa G. Mayhew, Neal M. Ashkanasy, Tom Bramble +1 · 3 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior #Workaholism, burnout, and well-being #Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
paper · doi:10.3200/socp.147.5.477-500
openalex publication_date 2007/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Psychological ownership is a feeling of possession in the absence of any formal or legal claims of ownership. In this study, the authors aimed to extend previous empirical testing of psychological ownership in work settings to encompass both job-based and organization-based psychological ownership as well as related work attitudes and behavioral outcomes. Questionnaire data from 68 employees and their managers revealed that job-based psychological ownership and organization-based psychological ownership are distinct work attitudes that are distinguishable from job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Psychological ownership predicted job satisfaction and organizational commitment and mediated the relationship between autonomy and these work attitudes. There was no support for a relationship between psychological ownership and behavioral outcomes. The authors discuss the limitations of the study and the implications of psychological ownership.