Vocational Anticipatory Socialization, Self-Determination Theory, and Meaningful Work: Parents’ and Children’s Recollection of Memorable Messages About Work

Abstract

This study explored memorable messages that parents recall communicating and young adults recall receiving about meaningfulness and work, using the lens of self-determination theory (SDT). Analysis of 377 memorable messages revealed that such messages relate to the basic psychological needs underlying SDT competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Autonomy messages were the most commonly recalled by fathers' whereas mothers' messages aligned more with competence. Our research suggests implications for the important link between SDT and meaningful work in the context of parent-child relationships. Our theoretical implications extend the connections between the components of SDT and meaningful work and explore how parents' and young adults' match and mismatch.

Toward a Model of the Influence of Motivation and Communication on Volunteering: Expanding Self-Determination Theory

“…Although succinct and valuable, scholarship suggests the three primary factors affecting motivation identified by SDT should be expanded. In particular, motivation increases when volunteers feel a sense of purpose and find their efforts meaningful (Pink, 2009;Scarduzio et al, 2018). Volunteers who believe their actions are purposeful and meaningful are more internally motivated and experience more positive affective and attitudinal outcomes (Farrell et al, 1998).…”

“…The coder then created a code book including labeling these categories (e.g., receiving appreciation, or transportation issues), defining them, and providing representative examples. Finally, emergent themes were compared to the primary motivators identified by SDT (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and others (Pink, 2009;Scarduzio et al, 2018). The process was iterative rather than linear as emerging labels and theoretically identified categories were regularly compared.…”

Examining the Experiences of Remaining Employees after a Coworker Dismissal: Initial Message Characteristics, Information Seeking, Uncertainty, and Perceived Social Costs

“…When individuals join, participate in, and leave organizations, they engage in socialization (Kramer & Miller, 2014). Socialization research mostly concentrates on young people’s anticipatory socialization (e.g., Omilion-Hodges et al, 2019; Scarduzio et al, 2018) and newcomers’ experiences during the entry process (e.g., Heiss & Carmack, 2012), with particular attention to uncertainty and information seeking practices. Uncertainty is classically defined as “the difference between information available and information needed” (Goldhaber, 1993, p. 24).…”

What Young Adults Want: A Multistudy Examination of Vocational Anticipatory Socialization Through the Lens of Students’ Desired Managerial Communication Behaviors

“…To extend the initial study, the current research delves into young adults’ perceptions regarding their future leader–member relationships. However, the lack of firsthand experience (Lair & Wieland, 2012; O’Connor & Raile, 2015), the inability to interpret VAS advice as it is intended (Jahn & Myers, 2015), individual, role, and peer tensions (Dailey, 2016; Woo et al, 2017), and the encounter of potentially negative or undesired accounts of leader–member interactions (Scarduzio et al, 2018) indicate that without full-time experience, young adults may focus more on individual desires, rather than thinking critically about scenarios they are more likely to experience. Put simply, young adults may focus on what they want in a future manager and organization, rather than consider that they may work for someone who is not invested in their personal growth, or who misses deadlines, or is a poor steward of resources.…”

“…Yet, prior to full-time employment, it may be challenging for young adults to sort out realistic assumptions for their future leader–member relationships, and even those with part-time work experience or internships grapple with identity, role, and organizational tensions (Dailey, 2016; Woo, Putnam, & Riforgiate, 2017). Moreover, targeted socialization messages often leave young adults and adolescents without a clear picture of what it means to enact or perform specific professions (Jahn & Myers, 2015), and messages from parents may emphasize the challenges associated with work rather than focusing on more positive organizational encounters (Levine & Hoffner, 2006; Scarduzio, Real, Slone, & Henning, 2018). Put simply, without experience or in the face of limited work experience (i.e., internships), refined expectations for what it means to work or what to expect in terms of communicative role behaviors from a manager may largely be composed of desires.…”