Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Aug 1;39(8):1835-1859.
doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00506.x.

Transforming Dissatisfaction with Services into Self-Determination: A Social Psychological Perspective on Community Program Effectiveness

Cathaleene Macias  1 , Elliot Aronson, William Hargreaves, Gifford Weary, Paul J Barreira, John Harvey, Charles F Rodican, Leonard Bickman, William Fisher
Affiliations

Transforming Dissatisfaction with Services into Self-Determination: A Social Psychological Perspective on Community Program Effectiveness

Cathaleene Macias et al. J Appl Soc Psychol. .

Abstract

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean days of employment after start of first job (N=79) Random assignment to non-preferred program ________ Random assignment to preferred program or no program preference __ __ __
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean service satisfaction scores (N=157)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Aiken LS, West SG. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage; 1991.
    1. Ajzen I. The directive influence of attitudes on behavior. In: Gollwitzer PM, Bargh JA, editors. The psychology of action. New York: The Guilford Press; 1996.
    1. Allness D, Knoedler W. The PACT model: A Manual for PACT Start-Up. Arlington, VA: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill; 1998.
    1. Anderson SB. We Are Not Alone: Fountain House and the development of clubhouse culture. New York, NY: Fountain House, Inc; 1998.
    1. APA Taskforce, S. I. Statistical methods in psychology journals. American Psychologist. 1999;54(8):594–604.

LinkOut - more resources