Answered Callings, Unanswered Callings, or No Calling: Examining a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

Research suggests that workers with unanswered callings have poorer outcomes than those without callings; however, these studies have used small or homogeneous samples (Berg et al., 2010; Gazica & Spector, 2015). We aimed to replicate this finding using a nationally representative sample of 445 full‐time workers. We compared key work and life criterion variables across three groups: individuals with answered callings, unanswered callings, and no calling at all. Results linked answered callings to benefits but, unlike earlier studies, suggested that unanswered callings were no worse than lacking a calling. These findings call into question the narrative that unanswered callings are associated with adverse effects, suggesting that career counselors may be able to facilitate discernment of a calling without having a negative impact on those for whom that calling goes unanswered. Research designed to test causal influences of these dynamics is an important next step for understanding the experiences of individuals with answered callings, unanswered callings, or no calling at all.

Work as calling theory.

“…Park et al, 2019). Although living out a calling can be beneficial for some individuals, it can also be a double-edged sword at times, causing burnout and workaholism (Duffy et al, 2018;Marsh et al, 2020). Since WCT was proposed, significant research has been done to support many of its propositions (e.g., Connell & Yates, 2021;Duffy et al, 2018).…”

“…The theory suggests that the more an individual perceives a calling, the more likely they will be to live it out (Duffy et al, 2018). However, those who perceive a calling but do not live it out-which can be due to a variety of reasons-may be vulnerable to experiencing worse health-, job-, and life-related outcomes than those who do not perceive a calling at all (Gazica & Spector, 2015; but see Marsh et al, 2020).…”

“…Regarding the possible negative effects of living a calling, workaholism is when an employee becomes obsessed with work and is willing to sacrifice other important aspects of life to dedicate more time and energy to their work. Indeed, full-time workers in the United States with answered callings have been shown to report working, on average, about 4 more hours per week than their counterparts with unanswered callings (Marsh et al, 2020). Workaholic tendencies can occur in people who live out their calling because of its strong relation to meaning in life.…”

“…, such as those applied by Shimizu et al (2019), can also help better elucidate the underlying nature of the calling construct. For example, latent profile analysis could be used to discern if three groups of those with (a) answered callings (i.e., high perceiving a calling and high living a calling), (b) unanswered callings (i.e., high perceiving a calling and low living a calling), and (c) no callings (i.e., low perceiving a calling and low living a calling) emerge through empirical means, given that previous studies (Gazica & Spector, 2015;Marsh et al, 2020) have trifurcated their samples into these three groups based solely on conceptual grounds.…”

Prevalence and Demographic Differences in Work as a Calling in the United States: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample

“…Indeed, evidence suggests that working adults who perceive a calling do not seem to garner benefits in terms of career commitment or work meaningfulness unless they have a high degree of living a calling . Those with "unanswered" callings may even face negative outcomes, such as stress, frustration, and worse health (Berg et al, 2010;Gazica & Spector, 2015; but see Marsh et al, 2020). These patterns of relationships between calling and other constructs display calling's role in accounting for variance in well-being at work and beyond.…”