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Motive Congruency and Person–Environment Fit of Aging Workers

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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

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Synonyms

Equilibrium; Motivational balance; Need–supply fit; Self-knowledge

Definitions

According to the theory of dual motive systems (e.g., McClelland et al. 1989), two independent motive systems exist within humans: Implicit motives which are usually unconscious and directed toward intrinsic incentives of activities (e.g., task enjoyment, being together with others) and self-attributed explicit motives directed toward extrinsic incentives of activities (e.g., monetary benefits, acknowledgment from others). Motive congruency is considered in this entry as positive correlation between implicit and explicit motives within a person. Whereas high motive congruency is assumed to be connected with positive experiences, low motive congruency should be connected with negative experiences due to motive conflicts (e.g., Kehr 2004).

Person–environment fit at work is defined as compatibility between characteristics of an individual worker and the work environment (Kristof-Brown et al. 2005)....

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany

    Guido Hertel

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  1. Guido Hertel
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Correspondence to Guido Hertel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Nancy A. Pachana

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Hertel, G. (2016). Motive Congruency and Person–Environment Fit of Aging Workers. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_235-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_235-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-287-080-3

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