Objective and Subjective Work Characteristics and Their Relation to the Successful Development of Adults in a Society after a Macrosocial Transition

Anotace: The aim of this study was to explore how the objective and subjective characteristics of the work domain relate to generativity and stagnation as indicators of successful psychosocial development. We focused on an age cohort whose work trajectory started during the important macrosocial changes that Czech society underwent in the 1980s and 1990s. One hundred and fifty people, of which 87 were women, participated in two ongoing longitudinal studies which commenced in 1956 (Prague) and 1961 (Brno). Work characteristics (job satisfaction, occupational status, and career stability) were surveyed in 2011 (mean age 50.24, SD = 2.96) while generativity (generative concern, generative action) and stagnation were measured in 2016 (mean age 54.82, SD = 2.88). Participants' job satisfaction and the occupational status of their current work functions proved to be the best predictors of generative concern and stagnation. In contrast, long-term career stability did not prove to be a significant predictor of generativity or stagnation. Our findings are discussed in the context of the macrosocial changes that have occurred in Czech society as well as the context of successful development.