PhD Defence Rosine L.J. Rutten

Keywords: Anticipation, work stress, employee well-being, mental processes 
 

"Time will tell, but so can we: On the nature, drivers, and outcomes of work prospection"

This thesis investigated work prospection (thinking about near-future work), and its outcomes and drivers. A self-report instrument was developed that can be used to assess three different types of work prospection: cognitive (neutrally thinking about upcoming work), positive (thoughts accompanied by positive emotions, such as enthusiasm), and negative (thoughts accompanied by negative emotions, such as worry). In terms of outcomes, results generally showed that engaging in negative work prospection was related to lowered well-being while engaging in positive work prospection was supportive of both well-being and work performance. Little to no effects were found for cognitive work prospection. Furthermore, results showed that personality characteristics such as trait mindfulness, neuroticism, need for closure, and future temporal focus were related to engaging in one or more types of work prospection. People who experienced and/or expected high work demands were inclined to engage in more negative work prospects. 

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