Abstract
The world of work has changed and continues to change and this, in turn, has changed the values, skills, and expectations of individuals. In order for individuals to survive and keep up with constantly changing trends, individuals may find themselves in jobs that are not in line with their vocational interests. Vocational interests have been investigated in the field of psychology and been used to predict various work related outcomes. One potential outcome of working in a job that does not match one’s interests is stress. The aim of this quantitative crosssectional design study was to investigate the relationship between person-environment fit from the perspective of vocational interests and work stress. More specifically, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between (a) person-environment fit and general work stress and (b) person-environment fit and eight different sources of work stress (role ambiguity, relationships, work-load, autonomy, tools and equipment, physical environment, career advancement, job security and work/home interface). The study also investigated the structural validity of Holland’s model in Botswana as a precursor to investigating the aforementioned relationships. This study used the South African Career Interest Inventory and the Sources of Work Stress Inventory. These questionnaires were administered to 210 employees from various sectors in Botswana. Person-environment fit was measured using three different congruence measures, namely (a) the Brown-Gore index, (b) Euclidean distances, and (c) profile similarity correlations. The correlation coefficients indicated that person-environment fit had a small albeit statistically significant negative relationship with general work stress. Lack of autonomy also showed a small statistically significant negative relationship with person-environment fit. The structure of Holland’s vocational/personality model was inspected using multidimensional scaling and the randomisation test of hypothesised order relations. The correct Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional ordering was identified within the obtained data, and satisfactory fit to a circumplex model was found. However, the location of the aforementioned interest types in this model was not in the shape of a perfect hexagon. These results hold implications for the use of Holland’s model in the work context and in Botswana.
M.Phil. (Industrial Psychology)