Person‐environment fit, job satisfaction and mental health

Abstract

This study was concerned with the consequences of person‐environment (P‐E) congruence at work in terms of Holland's model of vocational preference. Whereas there has been some work on P‐E fit and job satisfaction, and P‐E fit and stress, few studies have looked at the relationship between P‐E fit, job satisfaction and mental health. It was predicted that those people with a poor P‐E fit would have higher levels of mental distress and lower levels of job satisfaction than those who experienced a good P‐E fit. The results substantiated the major hypotheses of this study and are discussed in terms of the measurement and causes of job satisfaction. Criticisms and limitations of this type of approach are also considered.