In this study, we integrated research on the Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) and Attachment Theory to test a model predicting turnover intentions among 131 working adults in a variety of industries. Consistent with TWA, the results revealed that needs–supplies (N-S) fit was positively related to job satisfaction and that job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between N-S fit and turnover intentions from the current job. Anxious and avoidant attachment did not have direct effects on TWA constructs, but the relationship between fit perceptions and job satisfaction was moderated by avoidant attachment such that the relationship was weaker for highly avoidant employees. We discuss the implications of these results for future vocational research on work adjustment and the effects of attachment dynamics in the workplace.
BowlbyJ. (1988). A secure base. New York, NY: Basic Books.
5.
BozemanD. P.PerrewéP. L. (2001). The effect of item content overlap on organizational commitment questionnaire-turnover cognitions relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 161–173.
6.
BuelowS. A.LyddonW. J.JohnsonJ. T. (2002). Client attachment and coping resources. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 15, 145–152.
7.
BuhrmesterM.KwangT.GoslingS. D. (2011). Amazon's mechanical Turk: A new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality, data?Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3–5.
8.
CableD. M.DeRueD. (2002). The convergent and discriminant validity of subjective fit perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 875–884.
9.
ChanD. (2009). So why ask me? Are self-report data really that bad? In LanceC. E.VandenbergR. J. (Eds.), Statistical and methodological myths and urban legends (pp. 309–336). New York, NY: Routledge.
10.
CohenJ.CohenP.WestS. G.AikenL. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. 3rd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: LEA.
11.
DahlingJ. J.MelloyR.ThompsonM. N. (2013). Financial strain and regional unemployment as barriers to job search self-efficacy: A test of social cognitive career theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 210–218.
12.
DahlingJ. J.ThompsonM. N. (2013). Detrimental relations of maximization with academic and career outcomes. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 278–294.
13.
DawisR. V. (2002). Person-environment correspondence theory. In BrownD. (Ed.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 427–464). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
14.
DawisR. V. (2005). The Minnesota theory of work adjustment. In BrownS. D.LentR. W. (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work. (pp. 3–23). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
15.
DawisR. V.EnglandG. W.LofquistL. H. (1964). A theory of work adjustment. Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation (No. XV), pp. 1–27. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Industrial Relations Center.
16.
EggerthD. E.FlynnM. A. (2012). Applying the theory of work adjustment to Latino immigrant workers: An exploratory study. Journal of Career Development, 39, 76–98.
17.
FacteauJ. D.DobbinsG. H.RussellJ. E. A.LaddR. T.KudischJ. D. (1995). The influence of general perceptions of the training environment on pretraining motivation and perceived training transfer. Journal of Management, 21, 1–25.
18.
FeijJ. A.van der VeldeM. G.TarisR.TarisT. W. (1999). The development of person-vocation fit: A longitudinal study among young employees. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 7, 12–25.
19.
FraleyR. C.RoismanG. I.Booth-LaForceC.OwenM. T.HollandA. S. (2013). Interpersonal and genetic origins of adult attachment styles: A longitudinal study from infancy to early adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 817–838.
20.
FraleyR. C.WallerN. G.BrennanK. A. (2000). An item-response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 350–365.
21.
GianakosI. (2013). Counterdependence at work: Relationships with social support, control beliefs, and self-monitoring. Journal of Career Development, 40, 23–39.
22.
HallR. J.SnellA. F.FoustM. S. (1999). Item parceling strategies in SEM: Investigating the subtle effects of unmodeled secondary constructs. Organizational Research Methods, 2, 233–256.
23.
HarmsP. D. (2011). Adult attachment styles in the workplace. Human Resource Management Review, 21, 285–296.
24.
HarperM. C.ShoffnerM. F. (2004). Counseling for continued career development after retirement: An application of the theory of work adjustment. The Career Development Quarterly, 52, 272–284.
25.
HazanC.ShaverP. R. (1990). Love and work: An attachment-theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 270–280.
26.
HinkleR. K.ChoiN. (2009). Measuring person-environment fit: A further validation of the perceived fit scale. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 17, 324–328.
27.
HomP. W.MitchellT. R.LeeT. W.GriffethR. W. (2012). Reviewing employee turnover: Focusing on proximal withdrawal states and an expanded criterion. Psychological Bulletin, 138, 831–858.
28.
KlineR. B. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
29.
KrauszM.BizmanA.BraslavskyD. (2001). Effects of attachment style on preferences for and satisfaction with different employment contracts: An exploratory study. Journal of Business and Psychology, 16, 299–316.
30.
Kristof-BrownA. L.ZimmermanR. D.JohnsonE. C. (2005). Consequences of individual's fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person-group, and person-supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58, 281–342.
31.
LittleL. M.NelsonD. L.WallaceJ. C.JohnsonP. D. (2011). Integrating attachment style, vigor at work, and extra-role performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32, 464–484.
32.
LyonsH. Z.BrennerB. R.FassingerR. E. (2005). A multicultural test of the theory of work adjustment: Investigating the role of heterosexism and fit perceptions in the job satisfaction of lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 537–548.
33.
MasonW.SuriS. (2012). Conducting behavioral research on Amazon’s mechanical Turk. Behavior Research Methods, 44, 1–23.
34.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
35.
MuthénL. K.MuthénB. O. (1998-2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
36.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.LeeJ. Y.PodsakoffN. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903.
37.
Renfro-MichelE. L.BurlewL. D.RobertT. (2009). The interaction of work adjustment and attachment theory: Employment counseling implications. Journal of Employment Counseling, 46, 18–26.
38.
RichardsD. A.SchatA. C. H. (2011). Attachment at (not to) work: Applying attachment theory to explain individual behavior in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96, 169–182.
39.
ShaverP. R.MikulincerM. (2012). Attachment theory. In Van LangeP. A. M.KruglanskiA. W.HigginsE. T. (Eds), Handbook of theories of social psychology (vol. 2, pp. 160–179). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
40.
ShroutP. E.BolgerN. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7, 422–445.
41.
SibleyC. G.FischerR.LiuJ. H. (2005). Reliability and validity of the revised experiences in close relationships (ECR-R) self-report measure of adult romantic attachment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1524–1536.
42.
SibleyC. G.LiuJ. H. (2004). Short-term temporal stability and factor structure of the revised experiences in close relationships (ECR-R) measure of adult attachment. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 969–975.
43.
SpectorP. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the job satisfaction survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13, 693–713.
44.
SpectorP. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes, and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
45.
SwansonJ. L.SchneiderM. (2013). Minnesota theory of work adjustment. In BrownS. D.LentR. W. (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (2nd ed., pp. 29–54). New York, NY: John Wiley.
46.
ThompsonM. N.DahlingJ. J. (2012). Perceived social status and learning experiences in social cognitive career theory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80, 351–361.
47.
Van VianenA. E. M.FeijJ. A.KrauszM.TarisR. (2003). Personality factors and adult attachment affecting job mobility. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 11, 253–264.
48.
VelezB. L.MoradiB. (2012). Workplace support, discrimination, and person organization fit: Tests of the theory of work adjustment with LGB individuals. Journal of Counseling Psychology59, 399–407.
49.
WangM.ZhanY.McCuneE.TruxilloD. (2011). Understanding newcomers’ adaptability and work-related outcomes: Testing the mediating roles of perceived P-E fit variables. Personnel Psychology, 64, 163–189.
50.
WilliamsL. J.O’BoyleE. H.Jr (2008). Measurement models for linking latent variables and indicators: A review of human resource management research using parcels. Human Resource Management Review, 18, 233–242.
51.
WrightS. L.PerroneK. M. (2008). The impact of attachment on career-related variables: A review of the literature and proposed theoretical framework to guide future research. Journal of Career Development, 35, 87–106.
