Chapter 5

Individual Differences

Self-Concept

• Your understanding of yourself• Cognitions – thoughts• Self esteem, self efficacy, & self monitoring

Esteem – Efficacy Distinction

• Self esteem – overall evaluation of self• Self efficacy – belief in your ability to do

something specific

Effects of High Self-Efficacy

Prior Experience

Sources of Self-Efficacy Beliefs Feedback Behavioral Patterns Results

High “I know I

can do this job”

Self-efficacybeliefs

Success

Be active—select best opportunities Manage the situation— avoid or neutralize obstacles Set goals—establish standards Plan, prepare, practice Try hard: persevere Creatively solve problems Learn from setbacks Visualize success Limit Stress

Behavior Models

Persuasion from Others

Assessment of physical/

emotional state 5-4

Effects of Low Self-EfficacySources of Self-Efficacy

Beliefs Feedback Behavioral PatternsResults

Self-efficacybeliefs

Be passive Avoid difficult tasks Develop weak aspirations and low commitment Focus on personal deficiencies Don’t even try—make a weak effort Quit or become discouraged because of setbacks Blame setbacks on lack of ability or bad luck Worry, experience stress, become depressed Think of excuses for failing

Low“I don’t think

I can get the job done”

Failure

Prior Experience

Behavior Models

Persuasion from Others

Assessment of physical/

emotional state

5-5

Self Monitoring

• Extent to which one is aware of their own self-expressive behavior & changes it for their audience

• Self monitoring related to career success, promotions, getting a mentor

• Too high or too low – both problematic

Personality

• Enduring characteristics that influence how you think, feel, and behave.– Unique nature of a person

• Personality impacts behavior– How resources are managed

Big Five Personality Traits

Extraversion

• Tendency to experience positive emotions, moods, and feelings

• Extraverts – outgoing, talkative, sociable• Introverts – less interested in social

interactions, shy

Emotional Stability

• Tendency to experience negative emotions, moods, and be critical of oneself.

• Unstable– Feel angry, dissatisfied, nervous, neurotic

• Stable– Less pessimistic and critical, stable, confident

Agreeableness

• Tendency to get along well with others• High agreeableness– Likable, caring, pleasant to be around, warm

• Low Agreeableness– Distrustful, uncooperative, antagonistic,

independent, cold, rude

Conscientiousness

• Tendency to be careful & scrupulous• High Conscientiousness– Organized, self-disciplined, on time

• Low Conscientiousness– Spontaneous, fun-loving, experimental

Openness to Experience

• Tendency to be original, have broad interests, take risks

• High Openness– Take risks, be innovative, curious

• Low Openness– Conservative, practical, unimaginative

More about personality

• Proactive personality– Unconstrained by the situation– Effects environmental change– Internal/external locus of control

• Personality testing in selection (2 main problems)– Adverse impact– Easy to fake

Contributors to Performance

Ability

Skill

PerformanceEffort

5-15

Abilities (Intelligence) and Performance

• Ability – broad and stable characteristic responsible for maximum performance on mental and physical tasks

• Skill – Specific capacity to manipulate physical objects

Sleep and Abilities

• Not enough sleep leads to:– Less effective decision making, more stress, not as

healthy, don’t learn as well• 24 hours awake is equal to blood alcohol level

of 0.1.• 20 minute nap between 1PM & 3PM

Intelligence

• Capacity for constructive thinking, reasoning, and problem solving– Genetically predetermined & environmentally influenced

• Spearman’s model– General mental ability (needed for all tasks)– Task specific ability

• Intelligence-related predictors of job performance:– Numerical ability– Spatial ability– Inductive reasoning

Positive and Negative Emotions

Happiness

/Joy

Pride

Love/ affection

Relief

AngerFright/anxiety

Guilt/shame

Sadness

Envy/jealousy

Disgust

Negative Emotions

(goal incongruent)

Positive Emotions

(goal congruent)

5-19

Emotional Intelligence

• Self-Awareness• Self-Management• Social Awareness• Relationship Management

More about emotions

• Emotions are contagious• Emotional Labor– Detrimental to employee’s physical and

psychological health• Gender differences– No difference in felt emotions– Females are more emotionally expressive

Paving the Road to Success• Striving for success by developing one’s self-efficacy,

optimism, hope, and resiliencyPsychological Capital

• A demanding, repetitive, and assisted program to improve one’s performance

Deliberate Practice

• Lucky people make their own good fortune

Luck

• A realistic assessment of one’s own contribution and the recognition of the contribution of others and luck to one’s successHumility

5-22