Title: Jobs and work.

POPLINE Document Number: 201487

Author(s):

Miller J

Source citation:

In: Handbook of sociology, [edited by] Neil J. Smelser. Newbury Park, California, Sage Publications, 1988. :327-59.

Abstract:

This chapter reviews contemporary research to show how social knowledge of structured relationships is implemented in the work place. What factors predominate conceptual maps of work? How are these templates reflexively interpreted and operationalized? The author discusses gender and the perception of work, interpretation of educational qualifications, occupational structuring of work, technological determinism of work, job molding, the conceptualization of task activity and its effects, learning theory, expectancy theory, stress and coping theories, the effects of job on person, the buffering hypothesis, and the mediation of job effects. Accumulating evidence indicates that work experience has diverse psychological consequences, including effects on intellectual flexibility, self-concept, world view, and affective states. However, the knowledge acquired in work experience its origin remain ill-specified. At the heart of the issue are the dynamics of social perception. Theories of socialization emphasize the structure of role relationships. This cultural view of role behavior contrasts with ecological views of perception that place role socialization in the context of specific constraints and opportunities for action in an environment. Attention is focused on the competitive exchange relationships learned in the course of interaction with stimuli and agency in role performance.

Keywords:

Global
Employment Status
Sociology
Psychology, Social
Psychosocial Factors
Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomic Factors
Economic Factors
Social Sciences
Psychology
Behavior