Abstract
To investigate whether job involvement is positively related to the degree to which their jobs influence the nonworking lives of employees, 51 clerks and 38 policemen were given a measure of involvement and three measures of occupational determinateness, each of which reflects the impact of an individual's work on a particular aspect of his life outside the work setting. In both groups the greater the involvement of employees with their jobs, the greater the impact of their work on these aspects of their nonworking lives. Comparing the two groups, the policemen's jobs were more significant for their self-images, the policemen's choice of friends was more strongly influenced by their work, and the policemen's leisure-time interests and activities reflected their work more closely. Despite being highly involved with their jobs the work roles of the clerks did not have a very strong impact over their nonworking lives. It is argued from this finding that a high degree of involvement is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for a high degree of occupational determinateness.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.