Reciprocation: The relationship between man and organization.

Abstract

The concept of reciprocation, which focuses attention on the relationship between a man and the organization in which he works, offers the possibility of integrating a wide range of data and concepts front industrial psychology, sociology, and clinical psychology. It explains the psychological meaning of the organization to the man and vice versa, an area so far almost untouched by psychological investigation in industry. It therefore provides the basis for better psychological understanding of morale and motivation studies, of leadership and training problems, of job evaluation and personnel selection, and of research on role performance. It also offers the clinical psychologist the possibility of access to a wide range of data, which, heretofore without a dynamic base and unrelated to the psychology of the individual, had little relevance for him. Harry Levinson is director of the Division of Industrial mAental Health, The Menninger Foundation.