How Does Negative Career Feedback Affect Career Goal Disengagement? The Mediating Roles of Career Planning and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

The social cognitive model of career self-management postulates that negative career feedback will prompt individuals to reconsider career goals, and a study by Hu, Hood, and Creed reported a positive relationship between negative career feedback and goal disengagement. Drawing on this model, we theorized that negative career feedback will trigger cognition in the form of career planning and affect in the form of well-being and that career planning and well-being in turn will inform the decision to reengage or disengage from career goals. Using data collected through surveys from faculty members (Study 1) and managers (Study 2) from Pakistan, we found strong support for the mediating influence of career planning and psychological well-being. Interestingly, and contrary to expectation, negative career feedback negatively related to career goal disengagement. Using a two-study constructive replication format enhances confidence that our results are repeatable and not artifactual to particular samples and/or settings. We discuss implications of results for theory and offer suggestions for future research.