Two paradigmatic approaches to theorizing about the self exist: the self as agent and the self as a series of processes emerging out of the self-concept. Within each paradigm a number of theories about the self imply consequences for employee motivation. The paradigms can be viewed as operational within different organizational contexts. A metatheoretical model is proposed, relating organizational and task conditions, the activation level of the employee's self, and the employee motivation theories likely to be explanatory and predictive.
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