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Title: The Consequences of Unrealized Occupational Goals in the Transition to Adulthood
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Hardie, Jessica H.
The Consequences of Unrealized Occupational Goals in the Transition to Adulthood
Social Science Research 48 (November 2014): 196-211.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X14001306
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Depression (see also CESD); Gender Differences; Job Satisfaction; National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS); Occupational Aspirations; Transition, Adulthood; Well-Being

Do unmet occupational goals have negative consequences for well-being? Several social-psychological theories posit that aspirations become standards against which individuals judge themselves, thereby decreasing well-being when unmet. Yet other evidence points to young adults’ goal flexibility and resilience, suggesting unmet aspirations may not affect well-being. This paper tests these alternatives using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 (N=9,016) and the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (N=10,547) to examine whether the degree of match between adolescent occupational aspirations (NLSY) and expectations (NELS) and later attainment affect job satisfaction and depression. This paper also examines gender differences in the cost to unmet goals. Findings reveal a cost to falling short of one’s occupational goals, manifested in more depressive symptoms for men in the older cohort, and lower job satisfaction for both men and women across two cohorts born approximately 14 years apart.
Bibliography Citation
Hardie, Jessica H. "The Consequences of Unrealized Occupational Goals in the Transition to Adulthood." Social Science Research 48 (November 2014): 196-211.