Motivational Profiles in Unemployment: A Self-Determination Perspective

Abstract

In general, being unemployed has negative implications for the individual and the mental health of the public as a collective. One way to escape this situation is to search for a job. However, following self-determination theory (SDT), unemployed people's different reasons (i.e., their motivation) for engaging in a job search influence their well-being, attitudes, and behaviors for better or worse. Some research has already supported the associations between different types of motivation and these outcomes, but less is known about how these types of motivation simultaneously associate with these outcomes. The current study addressed this issue by studying how different motivational profiles had different implications for the affective experiences, commitment to employment, and job search behavior of the unemployed. Latent profile analysis, among 865 unemployed individuals from previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa, highlighted four distinct motivational profiles: motivated, ambivalent, amotivated, and unmotivated. The motivated reported some good well-being (i.e., positive experiences) and economic outcomes (i.e., employment commitment and job search), but these came at a cost (i.e., more negative experiences). The same went for the ambivalent, but to a lesser extent. Being unmotivated seemed to have the opposite effect in that it came with psychological benefits, but with economic costs, as these individuals might withdraw from the labor market. This also applied to the amotivated, although they experienced less psychological benefit than their unmotivated counterparts. The findings made several contributions to SDT and unemployment research and could help tailor interventions and policies for particular types of unemployed people.

Introduction: Facts and fables in work psychology: a critical interrogation and future proofing of job insecurity, precarious employment and burnout

“…A. Van den Broeck and Vansteenkiste make a theory-based case to use motivational interviewing to bring the group of unemployed individuals back to the labor market (see also Van der Vaart et al, 2022). Motivational interviewing in itself may not be new, yet it is applied to an entirely different target groupthe unemployed and particularly those with a fairly large distance to the labor market -for whom it could have particular relevance.…”

Inculcating entrepreneurial values in creating business sustainability through business independence in batik craftsmen

“…The basis for realizing a small business is an entrepreneurial spirit. This is a personality internalized through entrepreneurial values for people conducting business activities (van der Vaart et al, 2019). The spirit includes a personality with creative action, a love for business, strength amid challenges, confidence, and selfdetermined or a locus of control.…”