Psychological career resources and subjective work experiences of working adults: an exploratory study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship
between the psychological career resources (as measured by the
Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and the subjective work
experiences of a sample of working adults (as measured by a fouritem
global work experiences scale). The research also aimed to
explore broad trends regarding how the participants diff ered on
these variables in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics
(marital status, educational level, age, gender and race). A sample
of 2 997 working adults, registered as students at a South African
higher distance education institution, participated in this study.
Stepwise regression analyses indicated dimensions of psychological
career resources as signifi cant predictors of the four subjective work
experiences: life satisfaction, job/career satisfaction, happiness
and perceptions of work as a valuable activity. The results further
indicated signifi cant diff erences between participants with regard
to their socio-demographic characteristics and their psychological
career resources and subjective work experiences. Considering that
the employment equity context in South Africa contributes to a more
diversifi ed workforce, the fi ndings add valuable new knowledge that
can be used to inform organisational career development practices
concerned with promoting experiences of psychological career
success.