The Psychology of Working Theory.

2016/01/01 by Ryan D. Duffy, David L. Blustein, Matthew A. Diemer +1 · 985 citations
Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Applied psychology #Construct (python library) #Employment and Welfare Studies #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Gender studies #Industrial and organizational psychology #Intersectionality #Pedagogy #Political science #Poverty #Psychology #Social psychology #Sociology #Vocational education #Work (physics) #Work-Family Balance Challenges

paper · doi:10.1037/cou0000140

published in Journal of Counseling Psychology 63(2), 127-148 (American Psychological Association)

openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

In the current article, we build on research from vocational psychology, multicultural psychology, intersectionality, and the sociology of work to construct an empirically testable Psychology of Working Theory (PWT). Our central aim is to explain the work experiences of all individuals, but particularly people near or in poverty, people who face discrimination and marginalization in their lives, and people facing challenging work-based transitions for which contextual factors are often the primary drivers of the ability to secure decent work. The concept of decent work is defined and positioned as the central variable within the theory. A series of propositions is offered concerning (a) contextual predictors of securing decent work, (b) psychological and economic mediators and moderators of these relations, and (c) outcomes of securing decent work. Recommendations are suggested for researchers seeking to use the theory and practical implications are offered concerning counseling, advocacy, and public policy.

Citations

• The role of proactive personality in job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior: A relational perspective.
• Intersectionality and research in psychology.
• Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries
• Toward a Unifying Social Cognitive Theory of Career and Academic Interest, Choice, and Performance
• Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index.
• Dispositions Toward (Collective) Struggle and Educational Resilience in the Inner City: A Case Analysis of Six African-American High School Students
• Calling and life satisfaction: It's not about having it, it's about living it.
• Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.

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• Social Identification in Organizations: The Double‐Edged Nature of Identity Fusion and Workgroup Identification via Harmonious and Obsessive Passion at Work
• Vocational Psychology: Expanding the Vision and Enhancing the Impact
• An Examination of the Psychology of Working Theory With Employed Asian American Women
• Desired and obtained work values across 37 countries: a psychology of working theory perspective
• Confronting the ideal worker myth to better support efforts towards gender equity: recommendations for a post-pandemic workforce
• Career Development of Sexual and Gender Minority Persons Living With Disabilities
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• Positive Feedback and Self-Reflection: Features to Support Self-efficacy among Underrepresented Job Seekers
• Self-Determination and Meaningful Work: Exploring Socioeconomic Constraints. [europepmc]
• Decent Work: A Psychological Perspective. [europepmc]
• Using a Transdisciplinary Interpretive Lens to Broaden Reflections on Alleviating Poverty and Promoting Decent Work. [europepmc]
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• The psychological concept of social sustainability in the workplace from the perspective of sustainable goals: A systematic review. [europepmc]
• Satisfaction with life in workers: A chained mediation model investigating the roles of resilience, career adaptability, self-efficacy, and years of education. [europepmc]
• Meaningful Work, Well-Being, and Health: Enacting a Eudaimonic Vision. [europepmc]
• Decent work, work engagement, and turnover intention among registered nurses: a cross-sectional study. [europepmc]
• Factors influencing decent work among psychiatric nurses in China: a cross-sectional study. [europepmc]
• Decent and Precarious Work Among Nursing and Care Workers: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review. [europepmc]

Related

• Predictors of decent work within psychology of working theory: A meta-analysis.
• An Examination of the Psychology of Working Theory With Employed Asian American Women
• Desired and obtained work values across 37 countries: a psychology of working theory perspective
• Examining the psychology of working theory: Decent work among sexual minorities.
• Work as a calling: A theoretical model.