Date of Award
12-2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Committee Member
Dr. Patrick Rosopa, Committee Chair
Committee Member
Dr. Christopher Rotolo
Committee Member
Dr. Fred Switzer
Committee Member
Dr. Mary Anne Taylor
Abstract
The present study sought to examine the processes through which variables in childhood affect financial and career success in adulthood. Though the effects of individual differences (e.g., cognitive ability and core self-evaluations [CSE]) on financial and career success outcomes have been frequently studied in industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, situational factors are often treated as non-focal or control variables. We aim to augment the nomological network to include variables that have been identified in the fields of sociology and economics as significant predictors of financial and career success. The effects of religious tradition, poverty, and cognitive ability on outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, and net worth) were examined. The mediating effects of CSE and risk aversion on the relation between childhood poverty and cognitive ability with job complexity, job satisfaction, and net worth were analyzed. Using a nationally representative longitudinal survey, the hypothesized relationships were tested using two separate analyses. First, one-way ANOVAs were utilized to assess between group differences on CSE, risk aversion, job complexity, net worth, and job satisfaction by religious tradition. Next, the hypothesized model was tested using path analysis in EQS. CSE was found to mediate the relationships between cognitive ability and income-to-poverty ratio with success outcomes. Between group differences and interaction effects were also found, suggesting the need for further research. The present study further elucidated the mediating processes through which childhood situational and individual difference factors affect financial and career success in adulthood.
Recommended Citation
McIntyre, Ashley, "Situational and Psychological Predictors of Career and Financial Success" (2017). All Dissertations. 2053.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2053