Transforming Dissatisfaction with Services into Self-Determination: A Social Psychological Perspective on Community Program Effectiveness
Authors
Macias, CathaleeneAronson, Elliot
Hargreaves, William A.
Weary, Gifford
Barreira, Paul J.
Harvey, John
Rodican, Charles F.
Bickman, Leonard
Fisher, William H.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of PsychiatryDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2009-08-29Keywords
Community Mental Health ServicesRehabilitation, Vocational
Employment, Supported
Health Services Research
Mental and Social Health
Psychiatric and Mental Health
Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Psychology
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
A field study of supported employment for adults with mental illness (N=174) provided an experimental test of cognitive dissonance theory. We predicted that most work-interested individuals randomly assigned to a non-preferred program would reject services and lower their work aspirations. However, individuals who chose to pursue employment through a non-preferred program were expected to resolve this dissonance through favorable service evaluations and strong efforts to succeed at work. Significant work interest-by-service preference interactions supported these predictions. Over two years, participants interested in employment who obtained work through a non-preferred program stayed employed a median of 362 days versus 108 days for those assigned to a preferred program, and participants who obtained work through a non-preferred program had higher service satisfaction.Source
J Appl Soc Psychol. 2009 Aug 1;39(8):1835-1859. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00506.xPermanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/45218PubMed ID
20037662Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00506.x