Bauerfeld, Anna (2025) Career Inaction and Workplace Behavior: The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Career shocks, such as denied promotions, have become increasingly common and significantly impact individuals’ emotions and workplace behavior. Prior research suggests that such shocks may lead to career inaction and trigger emotion regulation, however, their combined impact on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) remains underexplored. The present study examined whether career inaction predicts a decline in OCB following a negative career shock (i.e. denied promotion) and whether this relationship is moderated by disengaging emotion regulation strategies, specifically suppression and avoidance. Using an experimental vignette design, 108 working adults were exposed to a hypothetical denied promotion scenario. Participants completed self-report measures assessing career inaction, emotion regulation, and OCB. While the hypotheses were not supported, career inaction did not significantly predict OCB, nor did disengagement moderate this relationship; exploratory analysis demonstrated a significant negative effect between suppression and career inaction. Additionally, a three-way interaction involving suppression, avoidance, and inaction emerged. Specifically, individuals high in suppression, avoidance, and career inaction reported the lowest levels of OCB. These findings indicate that disengaging emotion regulation strategies have distinct behavioral consequences, with suppression amplifying the negative effects of career inaction on OCB. The study highlights the importance of conceptually distinguishing between emotion regulation strategies when examining responses to career shocks and inaction and offers organizations insight into how to best support employees during such emotionally tense times.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Kitz, C.C. and Bucur, R.E. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jul 2025 07:40 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jul 2025 07:40 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5434 |
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