A Comparison of Self-Esteem and Job Satisfaction of Adults with Mild Mental Retardation in Sheltered Workshops and Supported Employment.

A sample of200 adults with mild mental retardation was assessed on overall job satisfaction and self-esteem using the Vocational Program Evaluation Profile and the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory. The subjects worked either in a sheltered workshop or in a supported employment setting. Results indicated that there was a significant relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction for both groups of subjects. In addition, subjects who worked in supported employment reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction. There was also an interaction between place of residence and place of employment when looking at self-esteem; those who lived in a semi-independent home and worked in supported employment reported the highest levels of self-esteem. These results were discussed in terms of the social validity of supported-employment for persons with mild mental retardation. Self-esteem is a construct which has received tempt to explain and predict behavior in var considerable attention in the literature. Cooious settings, including the workplace (Kor persmith (1967) indicated: man, 1976). This is especially important since . work occupies a central position in people's By self-esteem we refer to the evaluation ,. x. rr/lr.co, . , ' lives. Ned (1968) reported over 25 years ago which the individual makes and customar. , . , that the average individual spends two-thirds lly maintains with regard to himself: it exr, . ,, ,. r , . , ' . , r itof his/her lite engaged in work, presses an attitude of approval or disap„ . " , . uuu r rr . \ One important work related area which has proval, and indicates the extent to which , . t . , , . ,r , been investigated is whether various work en the individual believes himself to be capa. _ , • , „ , . , ,r r vironments and job tasks affect workers selt ble, significant, successful, and worthy. In „ uuu . u . u ° . ' esteem. Research has shown that there is a short, self-esteem is a personal ludgment of , uu ,, . , . r . , positive relationship between self-esteem and worthiness that is expressed in the attitudes . , ■ r . , „ _ , . , , ,. , ob satisfaction (bynder & rerguson, 1976). the individual holds toward himself (pp. ~u c ■ u . r . u u The area of job satisfaction has been mves '' tigated extensively over the past 50 years. As Coopersmith (1967) pointed out, high Purohit and Lambert (1983) report that since self-steem implies feelings of control, self-de1935, more than 2000 studies on job satisfac termination, and of autonomy. The individtion have been conducted. Carroll (1969) ual with high self-esteem feels important to feels that because researchers work on and valued by the other significant people in different aspects of job satisfaction, as well as his or her life. Those with low self-esteem ofuse diverse approaches, it is difficult to corn ten lack self-respect and feel they are unworpare the various results. She feels that one so thy, insignificant, and inadequate. lution to this would be to come up with a Many theories which pair self-esteem with definition of job satisfaction which would be performance have been proposed in an atcommonly accepted. This is a difficult task, however, partially due to the many defini tions already in use. One definition which has Correspondence concerning this article should influenced significant research on job satis be addressed to Howard Rosenberg, Department faction was proposed by Scott, Dawis, En of Educational Psychology and Special Education, g,and; and Lofquist (I960, p. 1): Florida International University, Miami, FL ' 33199. Satisfaction includes overall job satisfaction 142 / Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities-June 1996 This content downloaded from 207.46. 13.86 on Sun, 16 Oct 2016 04:46:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms and satisfaction with various aspects of the teractions of many variables; some combina individual's work environment (his supertions can result in job satisfaction, while visor, his co-workers, the company or instiothers can lead to dissatisfaction, tution for which he works, his hours of The study of job satisfaction is important in work, and the type of work in which he is that how satisfied a person is with his or her engaged). It includes the satisfaction of his job can have dramatic effects on their life. Job needs and the fulfillment of his aspirations. satisfaction has been found to be correlated It includes the realization of his vocational with attitudes toward one's life (Rice, Near, interests and the interests of most success& Hunt, 1980), and with general happiness ful people working in his occupation. (Benin & Nienstedt, 1985). Winefield, Tigge man, and Goldney (1988) reported unsatis There have been many theories developed fying WQrk was psychological, equivalent to which attempt to explain why people d.ffer. n unemployment. The same authors report respect to satisfaction with their jobs. Early that the unemployed have lower self-esteem theories looked at the nature of the job itself, than those who are j d and defined the satisfying work role as good It is crucial to determine the degree to pay, opportunities for advancement, allowing which the individual is satisfied or dissatisfied peer interactions, and control over one's wkh |ns or her job sjnce his Qr her fee|ings of personal worth and life satisfaction can be Herzberg (1968) proposed a two-factor influenced by his or her overall level of job theory of job satisfaction. Here, the primary satisfaction or dissatisfaction. As Kahn (1981) determinants of satisfaction of a job are the indicates, it is important to note that working intrinsic aspects of the job motivator; e.g. recin satisfying and fulfiliing jobs influences not ognition, promotions, etc.), and the primary on]y productivity and performance, but also determinants of job dissatisfaction are the exthe non work a of ,ife as we„ There_ trinsic factors (hygienes; e.g. salary, working fore an individuaps satisfaction with work conditions, etc.). Herzberg (1968, p. 56) precan influence his or her satisfaction with ,ife sented his motivator-hygiene theory as folin genera] lows: Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Self Esteem The factors involved in producing job sat isfaction are separate and distinct from the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction. Since separate factors need to be considered, deAn individual's self-esteem is not only shaped pending on whether job satisfaction or job during early development and various life ex dissatisfaction is being examined, it follows periences, but also by a collection of variables that these two feelings are not opposites of in the work setting. Super (1957, p. 292) sum each other. The opposite of job satisfaction marizes the relationship between work and is not job dissatisfaction, rather no job satself-concept nicely by stating: isfaction; and similarly, the oppositeof job dissatisfaction is not job satisfaction, but no Since work has a central role in human life, job dissatisfaction. it is not surprising that vocational develop ment is easily viewed as the implementation The discrepancy theory (Lawler, 1973) of a self-Concept. If a person cannot "be suggested that job satisfaction is determined himself' in such a major segment of his life, by the difference between the work outcome if the ro,e in which he is cast while on the the employee receives and the outcome level stage on which he spends so much of his the employee perceives is due him/her. time is not congenial, it seems unlikely that Thus, the discrepancy between received and his life satisfactions can be significant or expected levels of outcome can be used as tkat kis genera| adjustment can be good, measures of satisfaction. Even though there are several theories proLopez and Greenhaus (1978), found that posed to explain job satisfaction, most rethere is a positive relationship between self searchers agree that it is a result of the inesteem and job satsifaction, but were not able