NEGATIVE AFFECTIVELY AND JOB-SATISFACTION - COGNITIVE-PROCESSES UNDERLYING THE RELATIONSHIP AND EFFECTS ON EMPLOYEE BEHAVIORS

Two studies were conducted to examine some issues regarding the influence of dispositional negative affectivity (Watson & Clark, 1984; Clark & Watson, 1991) on task/job satisfaction and self-reported employee behaviors, as well as the cognitive processes underlying these relationships. In Study 1, data were collected from 165 individuals representing a variety of jobs in four organizations. Data from a second study were obtained in a laboratory setting from 150 subjects who performed either an ''enriched'' or an ''unenriched'' task. Results indicate that: (1) negative affectivity is a significant predictor of satisfaction unless task conditions are quite aversive, (2) individuals with higher negative affectivity report performing a greater frequency of withdrawal behaviors than individuals with lower negative affectivity when both dissatisfied and satisfied with their jobs, and (3) individuals higher in negative affectivity recall the negative features of tasks while individuals lower in negative affectivity recall more descriptive aspects of tasks. We suggest that future research focus on the nature of the dispositional affectivity construct and on the cognitive processes underlying the linkages among dispositions, attitudes, and behaviors. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.