Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Although the occupational callings literature has largely focused on positive outcomes of living a calling, there are some emerging findings that suggest that callings may have a “negative” side as well. Drawing upon past studies within the callings literature, as well as upon theoretical perspectives such as self-regulation theory, identity theory, and the Effort-Recovery model, I tested a theoretical model to examine psychological detachment as a mechanism that accounts for the relationship between living a calling (also referred to as one’s calling intensity) and two well-being outcomes: sleep quality and burnout. Further, I built on previous work in the callings literature by examining the moderating impact of two individual differences (trait mindfulness, perfectionism) on the relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment. Study hypotheses were tested using a two-wave study design with 358 emergency medical professionals. Results revealed that for called emergency medical professionals, trait mindfulness strengthened the negative relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment, which had downstream negative effects on sleep quality. In addition, one facet of perfectionism, namely perfectionistic strivings, exacerbated the negative indirect effect of calling intensity on sleep quality via psychological detachment. Ultimately, this study contributed to the occupational callings literature by examining the impact of differential levels of trait mindfulness and perfectionism on employee well-being. Implications for enhancing employee well-being are discussed.

There is a limited body of research that illuminates the various positive life-, health-, and work-related outcomes that an individual may experience through the pursuit of his or her occupational calling. An occupational calling is defined as an occupation that a person feels drawn to, finds intrinsically enjoyable and meaningful, and identifies as a central part of his or her identity. The extant literature on occupational callings, however, rarely considers the possible detrimental effects of having an occupational calling other than to explain unexpected study results. These unexpected study results hint at adverse psychological and job-related outcomes when an individual fails or does not have the ability to pursue an occupational calling, a concept this paper refers to as an "Unanswered Occupational Calling." An Unanswered Occupational Calling is specifically defined as an occupational calling that an individual perceives, but is not currently pursuing. Scholarly work is needed to explore the individual and organizational consequences of an individual's experience of an Unanswered Occupational Calling. Consequently, the purpose of this research was twofold: (1) to develop and generate preliminary construct validity evidence for a newly developed Unanswered Occupational Calling instrument; and (2) to explore the nomological network of the Unanswered Occupational Calling construct. To that end, I conducted two studies, the first of which was required for initial scale construction. The central purpose of the second was to explore the nomological network of Unanswered Occupational Callings. Overall, Study 1 and 2 supported the construct validity of the newly developed Unanswered Occupational Calling instrument. As expected, the Unanswered Occupational Calling instrument was shown to relate positively to intrinsic work motivation and negatively to work engagement, job involvement, career commitment, and answered occupational callings. Also as expected, those who more strongly endorsed an Unanswered Occupational Calling also tended to experience more physical symptoms, psychological distress, and withdrawal intentions and less job and life satisfaction. These results are consistent with previous research that suggested that there may be detrimental effects of perceiving, but not pursuing, an occupational calling.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The body of literature regarding occupational callings has well established the positive effects of living one’s calling. Emerging research, however, identifies the double-edged sword nature of callings or in other words, the potential negative effects living one’s calling can have in spite of the positive effects. Nevertheless, there is a lack of consensus regarding the mechanisms explaining the negative effects of callings as well as a lack of direction regarding how those living their calling may avoid or mitigate these negative effects. Drawing upon previous literature coupled with the Job Demands-Resources Model, I tested the degree to which called individuals are more susceptible to negative outcomes in the form of citizenship fatigue. I also tested a theoretical model to examine organizational citizenship behavior as the mechanism that accounts for the relationship between living a calling and citizenship fatigue. I additionally examined two moderators of this relationship: self-compassion and leader compassion. Hypotheses were tested using a two-wave survey design with 288 full-time employees. Results have implications for called individuals’ overall health and wellbeing, as well as for leaders and the company climate they foster.

<p> Although the occupational callings literature has largely focused on positive outcomes of living a calling, there are some emerging findings that suggest that callings may have a “negative” side as well. Drawing upon past studies within the callings literature, as well as upon theoretical perspectives such as self-regulation theory, identity theory, and the Effort-Recovery model, I tested a theoretical model to examine psychological detachment as a mechanism that accounts for the relationship between living a calling (also referred to as one’s calling intensity) and two well-being outcomes: sleep quality and burnout. Further, I built on previous work in the callings literature by examining the moderating impact of two individual differences (trait mindfulness, perfectionism) on the relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment. Study hypotheses were tested using a two-wave study design with 358 emergency medical professionals. Results revealed that for called emergency medical professionals, trait mindfulness strengthened the negative relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment, which had downstream negative effects on sleep quality. In addition, one facet of perfectionism, namely perfectionistic strivings, exacerbated the negative indirect effect of calling intensity on sleep quality via psychological detachment. Ultimately, this study contributed to the occupational callings literature by examining the impact of differential levels of trait mindfulness and perfectionism on employee well-being. Implications for enhancing employee well-being are discussed.</p>

As part of BYU's Distance Learning Project to teach English for gospel purposes, a committee created a survey to assess the English needs of LDS non-native English speakers in native-language units in the United States. This thesis uses several sections of the survey to correlate proficiency, callings in the Church, and demographic information. In addition to survey data, this thesis uses qualitative information from focus groups, and interviews to illustrate the statistical findings. The theory underlying this research is that learning precedes involvement in a community. Although learning in the LDS Church community is multi-faceted, this study examines the learning of English tasks and involvement in the Church community, defined as callings.The results indicate that male leader (high councilors) callings correlate with church tasks, and that female vice-leader callings correlate with survival English and church tasks. Demographic information, although relevant, does not alter the correlations. The qualitative findings supports these findings, whereas the trend indicates that bilingual leaders are preferred to monolingual non-English language leaders.

Universities have traditionally stood as bastions of academic freedom and forums for open discourse and free expression. In recent years, however, this role has been questioned in instances where university administrators have, either directly or complicity, denied students the opportunity to express certain viewpoints they deem “controversial”. This research paper explores whether a university, or its delegates, should be allowed to deny students access to campus facilities and resources solely on the basis of ideological viewpoint. The relevance of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, statutory human rights provisions, and common law doctrines to the student-university relationship are explored in turn. It is argued that, notwithstanding the fact that universities may be “private” actors to whom the Charter does not directly apply, they are institutions invested with a public interest, and as such ought to be subject to special duties of non-discrimination.

Universities have traditionally stood as bastions of academic freedom and forums for open discourse and free expression. In recent years, however, this role has been questioned in instances where university administrators have, either directly or complicity, denied students the opportunity to express certain viewpoints they deem “controversial”. This research paper explores whether a university, or its delegates, should be allowed to deny students access to campus facilities and resources solely on the basis of ideological viewpoint. The relevance of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, statutory human rights provisions, and common law doctrines to the student-university relationship are explored in turn. It is argued that, notwithstanding the fact that universities may be “private” actors to whom the Charter does not directly apply, they are institutions invested with a public interest, and as such ought to be subject to special duties of non-discrimination.

<p>U.S. rhetoric that embraces immigration is juxtaposed with the lived experiences of Latinx immigrants, the country’s largest immigrant group. Intergenerational research shows how immigrants’ social mobility depends on socioeconomic and environmental factors, impacting occupational attainment. Immigration policies portray immigrants negatively—contrasting deserving/good with undeserving/bad. This study uses d/Discourse (i.e., everyday talk/societal understandings) to investigate how immigrants from different generations make sense of policy, immigrant portrayals, and their lives through the lens of “calling.” Here, calling is used to understand differences across generations, rather than positioned as an individual pull toward an occupation. Specifically, this study answered three questions: (1) What occupational and intergenerational d/Discourses are perceived by immigrants?; (2) Whose interests are served by these d/Discourses and who is marginalized?; (3) How do immigrants experience “callings” across generations? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with different generations of immigrants (N=36). Generational and intergenerational sensemaking themes are identified using d/Discourse, while critical discourse analysis is used to explain inequalities and in whose interests d/Discourses are created. The main theoretical contribution of this study suggests that callings can be enacted and fulfilled intergenerationally. Within immigrant families, first-generation immigrants often hold visions of who their children (second-generation immigrants) will become. This vision often includes high educational attainment, a prestigious occupation, and documentation in the United States. Second-generation immigrants felt a pressure to perform well in school and validate the sacrifices made by their parents. They recognized that the visions for their future constructed by their first-generation parents were riddled with tensions. The occupational decisions of the second-generation immigrants often tried to find a middle ground between fulfilling their parents’ vision but also practicing in occupations that they were personally interested in. Several barriers made the path to fulfilling intergenerational callings more difficult. Second-generation immigrants recognized the privileges they held that their parents did not, including language barriers and acceptance into the country tied to documentation and acceptance based on racial models in the United States. While first-generation immigrants accepted these challenges as part of their intergenerational calling, the second-generation struggled to do the same. Finally, in fulfilling intergenerational callings many immigrants unintentionally reproduced deservingness narratives. In short, this study contributes theoretically and practically by challenging immigrant portrayals and viewing callings as intergenerational but filled with internal and external challenges.</p>