JOB-RELATED THREATS TO CONTROL AMONG OLDER EMPLOYEES

This study investigated those aspects of the work experience of middle‐aged and preretirement‐aged adults in which personal control is most likely to be threatened, and it identified related problems in performance, job satisfaction, and adjustment. Four dimensions of work experience emerged as sources of threat to personal control: Workload Demands, Limited Growth Opportunity, Personal/Family Crises, and Working Conditions. Diminished control in these areas was associated with increased job stress, generalized stress, depression, injuries on the job, and absenteeism, as well as with decreased job involvement, lower job satisfaction, and disrupted performance. In contrast to popular stereotypes, older workers actually exhibited fewer control concerns and less job stress, and greater job involvement and job satisfaction. Work‐specific control problems were related to generalized control beliefs only among the younger age group. 1991 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues