Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Age and the Psychological Contract

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

Synonyms

Aging workers; Employee motivation; Employment relationship; Older workers

Definition

Psychological contracts describe the exchange relationships between employees and organizations. It consists of the unwritten mutual obligations between the two parties. In the current chapter, three ways through which age has an impact on the psychological contract are described. First, age can have an impact on the type of obligations employees exchange with their employers. Secondly, age can have an effect through influencing the type of psychological contract (i.e., transactional or relational) employees have with their organization. Finally, age influences the responses employees show towards breach and violation of the psychological contract.

Introduction

The aging population has important implications for workforces, organizations, and employees (Bal et al. 2015; United Nations 2009). Throughout the Western world, the average age of the populations is increasing due to decreased...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 1,699.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 1,799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abraham, J. D., & Hansson, R. O. (1995). Successful aging at work: An applied study of selection, optimization, and compensation through impression management. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 50(2), P94–P103.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Argyris, C. (1960). Understanding organizational behavior. London: Tavistock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, B. J., Waldman, D. A., & McDaniel, M. A. (1990). Age and work performance in nonmanagerial jobs: The effects of experience and occupational type. Academy of Management Journal, 33(2), 407–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M. (2009). Age and psychological contract breach in relation to work outcomes. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M., & Jansen, P. G. W. (2015). Idiosyncratic deals for older workers: Increased heterogeneity among older workers enhances the need for I-deals. In P. M. Bal, D. T. A. M. Kooij, & D. M. Rousseau (Eds.), Aging workers and the employee-employer relationship (pp. 129–144). Amsterdam: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M., & Kooij, D. (2011). The relations between work centrality, psychological contracts, and job attitudes: The influence of age. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20(4), 497–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M., & Smit, P. (2012). The older the better! Age-related differences in emotion regulation after psychological contract breach. Career Development International, 17(1), 6–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M., De Lange, A. H., Jansen, P. G., & Van Der Velde, M. E. (2008). Psychological contract breach and job attitudes: A meta-analysis of age as a moderator. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72(1), 143–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M., de Lange, A. H., Zacher, H., & Van der Heijden, B. I. (2013). A lifespan perspective on psychological contracts and their relations with organizational commitment. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(3), 279–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bal, P. M., Kooij, D. T., & Rousseau, D. M. (2015). Aging workers and the employee-employer relationship. Amsterdam: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. Successful Aging: Perspectives from the Behavioral Sciences, 1, 1–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carstensen, L. L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science, 312(5782), 1913–1915.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Carstensen, L. L., & Mikels, J. A. (2005). At the intersection of emotion and cognition aging and the positivity effect. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(3), 117–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conway, N., & Briner, R. B. (2005). Understanding psychological contracts at work: A critical evaluation of theory and research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • De Lange, A. H., Bal, P. M., Van der Heijden, B. I., Jong, N. D., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2011). When I’m 64: Psychological contract breach, work motivation and the moderating roles of future time perspective and regulatory focus. Work & Stress, 25(4), 338–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vos, A., Buyens, D., & Schalk, R. (2003). Psychological contract development during organizational socialization: Adaptation to reality and the role of reciprocity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(5), 537–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kooij, D., De Lange, A., Jansen, P., & Dikkers, J. (2008). Older workers’ motivation to continue to work: Five meanings of age: A conceptual review. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(4), 364–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lub, X. D., Blomme, R. J., & Bal, P. M. (2011). Psychological contract and organizational citizenship behavior: A new deal for new generations? Advances in Hospitality and Leisure, 7, 109–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maehr, M. L., & Kleiber, D. A. (1981). The graying of achievement motivation. American Psychologist, 36(7), 787–793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, E. W., & Robinson, S. L. (1997). When employees feel betrayed: A model of how psychological contract violation develops. Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 226–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, E. A., & Dannefer, D. (1992). Aged heterogeneity: Fact or fiction? The fate of diversity in gerontological research. The Gerontologist, 32(1), 17–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, S. R. (1983). Age-related differences in work attitudes and behavior: A review and conceptual analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 93(2), 328–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, D. M. (1989). Psychological and implied contracts in organizations. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2(2), 121–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, D. M., & McLean Parks, J. (1993). The contracts of individuals and organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 15, 1–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schalk, R. (2004). Changes in the employment relationship across time. In J. A. M. Coyle-Shapiro, L. Shore, M. S. Taylor, & L. Tetrick (Eds.), The employment relationship. Examining psychological and contextual perspectives (pp. 284–311). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Truxillo, D. M., & Fraccaroli, F. (2013). Research themes on age and work: Introduction to the Special Issue. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(3), 249–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (2009). Population ageing and development 2009. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vantilborgh, T., Bidee, J., Pepermans, R., Willems, J., Huybrechts, G., & Jegers, M. (2013). From “getting” to “giving”: Exploring age-related differences in perceptions of and reactions to psychological contract balance. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(3), 293–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vantilborgh, T., Dries, N., de Vos, A., & Bal, P. M. (2015). The psychological contracts of older employees. In P. M. Bal, D. T. A. M. Kooij, & D. M. Rousseau (Eds.), Aging workers and the employee-employer relationship (pp. 107–127). Amsterdam: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, H., Wayne, S. J., Glibkowski, B. C., & Bravo, J. (2007). The impact of psychological contract breach on work-related outcomes: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 60(3), 647–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    P. Matthijs Bal

Authors
  1. P. Matthijs Bal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Matthijs Bal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

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

    Nancy A. Pachana

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

About this entry

Cite this entry

Bal, P.M. (2017). Age and the Psychological Contract. In: Pachana, N.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-082-7_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation