Social Indicators Research

, Volume 14, Issue 2, pp 141–163 | Cite as

Multiplicative and additive models of job and life satisfaction

  • Arne Mastekaasa
Article

Abstract

Overall job satisfaction has often been specified as a multiplicative function of the satisfaction with and the perceived importance of more specific job facets. Correspondingly, overall life satisfaction may be conceptualized as a multiplicative function of satisfaction with and importance of various life domains. So far empirical research has tended to reject the multiplicative model. Correcting for the effects of acquiescence bias and using more appropriate statistical methods than in most previous studies, the multiplicative model is here shown to fit the job satisfaction data significantly better than alternative additive models. For the relationships between life domains and overall life satisfaction, however, the multiplicative model is again rejected. Possible reasons for these diverging results are discussed.

Keywords

Statistical Method Life Satisfaction Empirical Research Additive Model Life Domain 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  1. Allison, P.: 1977, ‘Testing for interaction in multiple regression’, American Journal of Sociology 83, pp. 144–153.Google Scholar
  2. Andrews, F. M. and Withey, S.: 1976, Social Indicators of Well-Being (Plenum, New York).Google Scholar
  3. Atkinson, T. and Murray, M. A.: 1979, ‘Values, domains and the preceived quality of life: Canada and the United States’, unpublished paper (Institute for Behavioral Research, York University, Toronto).Google Scholar
  4. Bielby, W. T., and Kluegel, J. R.: 1977, ‘Simultaneous statistical inference and statistical power in survey research applications of the general linear model’, in Heise, D. R. (ed.): Sociological Methodology 1977 (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco).Google Scholar
  5. Campbell, A., Converse, P. H., and Rodgers, W.: 1975, The Quality of American Life (ISR Social Science Archive, Ann Arbor).Google Scholar
  6. Campbell, A., Converse, P. H., and Rodgers, W.: 1976, The Quality of American Life. (Russell Sage Foundation, New York).Google Scholar
  7. Cunningham, W. H., Cunningham, I. C. M., and Green, R. T.: 1977, ‘The ipsative process to reduce response set bias’, Public Opinion Quarterly 41, pp. 379–384.Google Scholar
  8. Evans, M. G.: 1969, ‘Conceptual and operational problems in the measurement of various aspects of job satisfaction’, Journal of Applied Psychology 53, pp. 93–101.Google Scholar
  9. Gorsuch, R. L.: 1970, ‘Rokeach's approach to value systems and social compassion’, Review of Religious Research 11, p. 139–143.Google Scholar
  10. Hofstede, G.: 1980, Culture's Consequences. International Differences in Work-Related Values (Sage, Beverly Hills).Google Scholar
  11. Jackman, M.: 1973, ‘Education and prejudice or education and response set’, American Sociological Review 38, pp. 327–339.Google Scholar
  12. Jackson, D. J. and Alwin, D. F.: 1980, ‘The factor analysis of ipsative measures’, Sociological Methods and Research 9, pp. 218–238.Google Scholar
  13. Kalleberg, A. L.: 1977, ‘Work values and job rewards: a theory of job satisfaction’, American Sociological Review 42, pp. 124–143.Google Scholar
  14. Locke, E. A.: 1969, ‘What is job satisfaction?’, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 4, pp. 309–336.Google Scholar
  15. Locke, E. A.: 1976, ‘The nature and causes of job satisfaction’, in M. R. Dunnette (ed.): handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Rand McNally, Chicago).Google Scholar
  16. Mastekaasa, A.: 1983, ‘Comment on Janson's and Martins's “Job satisfaction and age: a test of two views”’, Social Forces 62 (1), pp. 252–254.Google Scholar
  17. Nisbett, R., and Wilson, T.: 1977, ‘Telling more than we can know: verbal reports on mental processes’, Psychological review 84, pp. 231–259.Google Scholar
  18. Quinn, R. P. and Cobb, E. Jr.: 1971, ‘What workers want: factor analysis of importance ratings of job facets’, working paper (Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor).Google Scholar
  19. Quinn, R. P. and Mangione, T. W.: 1973, ‘Evaluating weighted models of measuring job satisfaction: a Cinderella story’, Organizational behavior and Human Performance 10, 1–23.Google Scholar
  20. Quinn, R. P., Seashore, S. E., and Mangione, T. W.: 1975, Survey of Working Conditions (ISR Social Science Archive, Ann Arbor).Google Scholar
  21. Slovic, P. J. and Lichtenstein, S.: 1971, ‘Comparison of Bayesian and regression approaches to the study of information processing in judgement’, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 6, pp. 649–744.Google Scholar
  22. Smith, K. W., and Sasaki, M. S.: 1979, ‘Decreasing multicollinearity. A method for models with multiplicative functions’, Sociological Methods and Research 8, pp. 35–56.Google Scholar
  23. Turner, C. F.: 1981, ‘Surveys of subjective phenomena: a working paper’, in D. F. Johnston (ed.): Measurement of Subjective Phenomena (Bureau of the Census, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Washington, D.C.).Google Scholar
  24. Vroom, V. H.: 1964, Work and Motivation (Wiley, New York).Google Scholar
  25. Wilson, T. D., and Nisbett, R. E.: 1978, ‘The accuracy of verbal reports about the effects of stimuli on evaluations and behavior’, Social Psychology 41, pp. 118–131.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© D. Reidel Publishing Company 1984

Authors and Affiliations

  • Arne Mastekaasa
    • 1
  1. 1.Institute for Social ResearchOsloNorway

Personalised recommendations