Job satisfaction, in vocational psychology dictionary

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Dictionary of Vocational Psychology

Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction is one of the most important constructs in vocational psychology, and refers to the degree to which a worker feels satisfied by his or her job. A number of theorists in vocational psychology have sought to conceptualize and measure job satisfaction. Hoppock (1935) proposed an early and widely used brief measure of job satisfaction, and he essentially defined job satisfaction as "any combination of psychological, physiological, or environmental circumstances that causes a person truthfully to say, 'I am satisfied with my job.'" (p. 47). Strong (1955) considered dissatisfaction to be a key variable in job or occupation change, but minimized the impact of satisfaction; "Satisfaction is similar to absence of toothache. No thought is given to the condition" (p. 113). Dawis (1996) emphasizes the role of satisfaction in the theory of work adjustment, in which need-based correspondence predicts satisfaction. Dawis and others involved with the theory have developed both short and long forms of measure of job satisfaction that divide aspects of satisfaction into intrinsic and extrinsic categories.

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