Intrinsic Work Value-Reward Dissonance and Work Satisfaction during Young Adulthood.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Discrepancies between work values and rewards cause dissonance, prompting changes to reduce it.
• This dissonance parallels the extension- and-strain curve, where larger discrepancies yield exponentially increasing strain.
• Work satisfaction is a key outcome of dissonance, predicted to decrease exponentially with value-reward discrepancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elaborate the dissonance model by examining parallels with the extension- and-strain curve.
• To investigate the moderating roles of gender and family on the curvilinear association between work value-reward discrepancies and satisfaction.
• To analyze longitudinal data from the third decade of life to understand these dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study design.
• Analysis of work value-reward discrepancies and their association with work satisfaction.
• Examination of moderation effects by gender and family roles.

Main Results:

• Intrinsic work value-reward discrepancies were negatively and curvilinearly associated with work satisfaction.
• This pattern was moderated by gender and family roles.
• Females with established family roles showed the predicted pattern; unmarried, childless women exhibited the strongest association between occupational rewards and satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Gender and family roles significantly moderate the relationship between intrinsic work value-reward dissonance and job satisfaction.
• The findings highlight the complex interplay between work, family, and individual well-being.
• Specific demographic groups, like unmarried, childless women, experience distinct patterns in the reward-satisfaction linkage.