O presente estudo teve por objetivo identificar a felicidade e o significado atribuídos pelos profissionais da Educação do estado de São Paulo a diferentes domínios da vida. Para isso, esclarecemos através de uma revisão bibliográfica como a felicidade tem sido algo do interesse humano ao longo do tempo. Ressaltamos que o conceito de felicidade difere de acordo com o idioma, cultura e possui uma pluralidade de termos associados em pesquisas. Em um resgate histórico demonstramos que a felicidade consta como um ideal desde as primeiras civilizações ocidentais, recebeu ênfase entre os filósofos gregos, percorreu os séculos, impactou a economia e a criação dos seus índices nas últimas décadas e enseja atualmente o debate no campo da psicologia. A partir disso, abordamos o movimento da Psicologia Positiva, suas origens, propostas, evolução no cenário nacional, equívocos iniciais e desdobramentos do construto de bem-estar. No avanço desses estudos, duas concepções se destacaram: o Bem-Estar Subjetivo e o Bem-Estar Psicológico, alicerçadas nos conceitos filosóficos de hedonia e eudaimonia. Nesse sentido, expomos as propostas emergentes que propõem uma aproximação entre essas linhas filosóficos e uma articulação teórico-metodológica que ofereça uma perspectiva complexa sobre a felicidade. Este estudo se propõe, através de uma revisão temática sobre felicidade e uma compreensão de sua articulação com as concepções de hedonia e eudaimonia, avaliar os níveis de felicidade e significado em diferentes domínios da vida atribuídos pelos profissionais da Educação do estado de São Paulo. Nesse intuito utilizamos uma amostra de 2021 sujeitos, na faixa etária entre 20 e 70 anos, que participaram do processo seletivo para o curso de Especialização em Ética, Valores e Cidadania na Escola realizado pela Universidade de São Paulo. O instrumento utilizado foi o Eudaimonic Hedonic Happiness Inventory (EHHI), formado por perguntas abertas e escalas para a avaliação do nível de felicidade e significado em onze diferentes domínios da vida. Os dados foram coletados presencialmente nas cidades de São Paulo, São Carlos, Ribeirão Preto e Campinas em agosto de 2013. Os resultados mostraram que a família, a saúde e o crescimento pessoal são os domínios da vida com mais evidência em felicidade e significado. Foi possível também perceber que professores próximos ao final da carreira são mais felizes e que os mais jovens possuem menos significado na vida. Por fim, os resultados de significado apresentaram um poder de explicação de 20% do nível de felicidade. Consideramos que a compreensão de como esses profissionais atribuem felicidade e significado aos diversos domínios da vida traz a possibilidade do direcionamento de propostas que visem à promoção de felicidade e bem-estar docente. / The current study aimed at identifying the happiness and meaningfulness attributed to different life domains by professionals of Education of the State of São Paulo. In order to do that, we clarified, through a bibliographical review, how happiness has been something of human interest over time. We emphasized that the concept of happiness differs according to language, culture and it has a plurality of associated terms in research. In a historical review, we have shown that happiness has been an ideal pursued since the earliest Western civilizations, received emphasis by the Greek philosophers, it has gone through the centuries, impacted the economy and the creation of its indexes in the last decades and it currently led to debate in the field of psychology. From this point, we approached the Positive Psychology movement, its origins, proposals, evolution in the national scenario, initial misconceptions and the unfolding of the well-being construct. As these studies advanced, two conceptions stand out: Subjective Well-Being and Psychological Well-Being, based on the philosophical concepts of hedonia and eudaimonia. In this sense, we presented the emerging proposals that set out an approximation between these philosophical lines and a theoretical-methodological articulation that offers a complex perspective on happiness. By means of a theme review on happiness and an understanding of its articulation with the conceptions of hedonia and eudaimonia, this study proposes evaluating the levels of happiness and meaningfulness in different life domains, which were ranked by professionals of the State of São Paulo. To this end, we used a sample of 2.021 individuals between the ages of twenty and seventy, who participated in the selection process for the Specialization Course in Ethics, Values and Citizenship in School conducted by the University of São Paulo. The instrument used was the Eudaimonic Hedonic Happiness Inventory (EHHI), devised by open questions and scales for assessing the level of happiness and meaning in eleven different life domains. The data were collected in person in the cities of São Paulo, São Carlos, Ribeirão Preto and Campinas in August 2013. The results showed that family, health and personal growth are the life domains with more evidence of happiness and meaningfulness. It was also possible to perceive that teachers who were at the end of their careers are happier and younger ones have less meaning in life. Finally, the results of meaningfulness presented a power of explanation of 20% of the level of happiness. We believe that the understanding of how these professionals attribute happiness and meaning to the various life domains brings the possibility of directing proposals that aim to promote happiness and teachers\' well-being.

Heavy Work Investment (HWI), the extent to which individuals invest energy and effort into doing their work, has recently been studied in regards to job-related outcomes and work-life conflict. However, research is negligible on the influence HWI (i.e., workaholism and work engagement) may have on psychological well-being when an individual performs “meaningful” work. Specifically, the present study investigated the role of HWI in the relationships between work meaningfulness and the psychological well-being outcomes of perceived stress, life satisfaction, and the emotional exhaustion sub-dimension of burnout. The existing literature on work meaningfulness, the extent to which an individual considers their work to be valuable and worthwhile, provides positive implications for an individual’s well-being. Additionally, given that workaholism is considered “bad” and that work engagement is considered “good”, the aim of this study was to shed light on whether the presence of HWI moderated the relationship between work meaningfulness and psychological well-being. The sample contained 219 individuals who were either full time working professionals or part time working college students. Hayes’ PROCESS Command was used to test the moderation and mediation effects. Results indicated that workaholism and work engagement did not moderate the relationships of interest. However, work engagement did mediate these relationships. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This paper introduces a dynamic model to illustrate how the self, the work, and the environment interactively influence the experience of work meaningfulness during the employment period. While individuals might enter an organization with intent to improve or protect others¡¦ well-being, their perceived degree of work meaningfulness might be strengthened or weakened within jobs. Other factors from their work and the environment could come into play. Specifically, the proposed model presents how the interplay between prosocial motivation, perceived task significance, and perceived external prestige of an organization affect the experienced meaningfulness of work jointly. This paper tests the model by surveying employees from the high-tech sector and the police sector using the questionnaire method. The results show that individuals who have prosocial motivation indeed experience a sense of work meaningfulness initially. Even when individuals are prosocially motivated, the perceived external prestige of their organizations positively affects their experience in meaningfulness of work. Furthermore, the perceived level of task significance of one¡¦s work overpowers the existing prosocial motivation when it comes to altering the perception of work meaningfulness. The findings indicate that factors from different dimensions could alter the experienced meaningfulness of work together, and the relation between prosocial motivation and work meaningfulness is dynamic.

We aim in this study, which is based on a special educational perspective, to examin how ninth grade students perceive their own developmental learning, i.e learning that leads forward. In the process, we want to give the students a voice and we have therefore chosen a phenomenographical approach. The study is based on eight interviews, which are analyzed by means of our own tool for analysis based on, among others Vygotsky (1980, 1999), Cole (1986) and Flavell (2002).   The survey shows that students perceive that clear aims, a good relationship with and support from the teacher helps to improve their developmental learning, motivating them and making learning meaningful. The students also recognize that the socio-cultural environment contribute to their development, but find it difficult to influence how their own learning will take place. The eight students exhibit a vague connection between their developmental learning and their individual grade.

South African education is faced with a wide array of problems, ranging from a shortage of educators (Xaba, 2011), to poor governance, poor performance, educators experiencing a negative organisational climate, and low morale (Jackson & Rothmann, 2006; Mentz, 2007). Modisaotsile (2012) further found that these educators experience a lack of overall commitment and focus. As it is known that experiencing more meaning in ones’ personal life and working environment leads to both positive health and work outcomes (Day & Rottinghaus, 2003; Harris & Thoresen, 2003; Lent, 2004; Steger, Frazer, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006), this study aims to make a contribution to the South African education sector by addressing means to improving meaning. This research could potentially help the South African education system by identifying factors that increase meaning in work; thus, helping to attract and retain good educators. In addition, the study aims to contribute to the literature by distinguishing meaning from other positive psychology concepts and to provide a clearer overall understanding thereof. Meaning in work in this study refers to the meaning, significance and/or purpose individuals derive from their work. Meaningful work should be seen as the umbrella term which covers a whole range of constructs including, meaningfulness, and the meaning of work (Steger, Pickering, Shin, & Dik, 2009). A qualitative design with a phenomenological strategy was used to uncover perceptions from the convenience sample (n=20) of secondary school educators. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews with open-ended questions were used to collect the data from participants. Participants were also asked to diarise experiences relating to meaning for the following five working days after the interview, in order to support, strengthen, and validate the interviews’ results. The research findings were that meaning is seen by participants in this study as purpose and significance. Main antecedents were related to the transfer of knowledge and making a positive difference; whereas having positive, trusting relationships with learners, colleagues and parents, as well as feedback which was also important. Mechanisms to create meaning included effort and conscientiousness, as well as preparation as the most prominent mechanisms. Outcomes included happiness and meaningfulness and work engagement. This research study contributes to existing literature on meaning by giving a clear conceptualisation of the concept. Other contributions include a clear differentiation between meaning and meaningfulness, and that the meaning educators experience in their work might be linked to their specific context and key roles as educators. / MA (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

The face of the workplace has changed dramatically over the past decade and most organisations have to survive in a fiercely competitive global economy. The impact of the changing world of work is most evident in changes in the psychological contract (agreement) between employees and organisations. Employees are expected to give more in terms of time, effort, skills and flexibility, whereas they receive less in terms of career opportunities, lifetime employment and job security. It is in view of the above work complexities that employee engagement has become a focus area. in particular, to understand the mediating effects of certain psychological conditions in relation to work engagement. "Why do some employees stay engaged at work, even whilst being challenged with consistent change and greater job insecurity and why do others' disengage at work?" The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of three psychological conditions, namely psychological meaningfulness, psychological safety, and psychological availability on employees' work engagement. A survey research design was used with a questionnaire as data-gathering instrument. Stratified random samples (N=171) were taken from employees of a multinational oil company. The Work Engagement Scale and the Work Experiences Scale were administered. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the effects of the variables in this study. The results confirmed that psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability were significant predictors of work engagement. Meaningfulness displayed the strongest positive relation with engagement. The relation of work role fit with engagement was fully mediated by the psychological condition of meaningfulness. Cognitive, emotional and physical resources had the strongest effect on psychological availability. Feelings of self- consciousness impacted on psychological availability, implying that someone who is less self-conscious is psychologically more available to engage at work. It was therefore confirmed that psychological meaningfulness fully mediated the effects of work role fit on engagement and psychological availability fully mediated the effects of resources and self-consciousness on engagement. Limitations in the research are identified and recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

The industrialised world of today is characterised by transformation and concepts such as downsising, rightsising and restructuring have become a reality. South Africa is not excluded from this worldwide phenomenon. Economic and political changes as well as the shrinking labour market are also aggravating circumstances, which lead to increased job insecurity. This phenomenon might have a negative impact on employees' work engagement Due to all these changes, most organisations have to survive in a competitive global economy. Their survival depends on their ability to satisfy customer needs, while achieving quality, flexibility, innovation and organisational responsibility by the engagement and commitment of employees. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between antecedents (work role fit, co-worker relations, supervisor relations, co-worker norms, self-consciousness, resources and growth), psychological conditions (i.e. psychological meaningfuhaess, psychological availability, and psychological safety) and work engagement in a financial institution. A cross-sectional survey design was utilised. Employees (N= 132) in a financial institution, more specifically the branch-banking unit of FirstRand Group in the Free State Province, were included in the study. The Work Experience Scale and the Work Engagement Scale were administered together with a biographical questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The results showed that psychological meaningfuhaess and psychological availability were significant predictors of work engagement. Cognitive, emotional and physical resources had the strongest effect on work engagement. Multiple regression analyses showed that psychological meaningfuhaess partially mediated the relationship between work role fit, co-worker relations, growth and work engagement. A total of 5% of the variance in psychological meaningfulness and a total of 2% of the variance in psychological availability were predicted by work role fit. Psychological availability partially mediated the relationship between resources, self-consciousness and work engagement. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The industrialised world of today is characterised by transformation and concepts such as downsising, rightsising and restructuring have become a reality. South Africa is not excluded from this worldwide phenomenon. Economic and political changes as well as the shrinking labour market are also aggravating circumstances, which lead to increased job insecurity. This phenomenon might have a negative impact on employees' work engagement Due to all these changes, most organisations have to survive in a competitive global economy. Their survival depends on their ability to satisfy customer needs, while achieving quality, flexibility, innovation and organisational responsibility by the engagement and commitment of employees. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between antecedents (work role fit, co-worker relations, supervisor relations, co-worker norms, self-consciousness, resources and growth), psychological conditions (i.e. psychological meaningfuhaess, psychological availability, and psychological safety) and work engagement in a financial institution. A cross-sectional survey design was utilised. Employees (N= 132) in a financial institution, more specifically the branch-banking unit of FirstRand Group in the Free State Province, were included in the study. The Work Experience Scale and the Work Engagement Scale were administered together with a biographical questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The results showed that psychological meaningfuhaess and psychological availability were significant predictors of work engagement. Cognitive, emotional and physical resources had the strongest effect on work engagement. Multiple regression analyses showed that psychological meaningfuhaess partially mediated the relationship between work role fit, co-worker relations, growth and work engagement. A total of 5% of the variance in psychological meaningfulness and a total of 2% of the variance in psychological availability were predicted by work role fit. Psychological availability partially mediated the relationship between resources, self-consciousness and work engagement. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Socialt stöd, och då särskilt från den närmaste chefen kan påverka en individs välbefinnande i arbetet positivt. I denna studie intervjuades sex första linjens teknikchefer om vilka förväntningar de hade på socialt stöd från sina egna närmaste chefer samt vilket socialt stöd de upplevde, här indelat i fyra kategorier: instrumentellt, informativt, värderande samt emotionellt stöd. Vidare undersöktes hur det upplevda sociala stödet påverkade chefernas välbefinnande i arbetet, då främst genom upplevelsen av meningsfullhet och engagemang. Vid analysen hittades de fyra typerna av socialt stöd i både förväntningar och upplevt stöd. Förväntningar på socialt stöd tenderade att anpassas till befintligt stöd. Dessutom framkom att tillit upplevdes vara stödjande, vilket liksom övriga stödtyper ökade välbefinnandet i form av känslor av meningsfullhet och engagemang. Avsaknad av socialt stöd minskade dessa, men kunde ge känslor av frihet. Meningsfullhet skapades även av att arbeta med människors utveckling. Tillit som stödkategori behöver utforskas mer i framtiden.