Is the Past Prologue?: A Test of Ghiselli’s Hobo Syndrome

Abstract

Ghiselli (1974) observed that some workers possess internal impulses to migrate from one job to another irrespective of better alternatives or other apparently rational motives. Ghiselli labeled this tendency the “hobo syndrome.” The present study tested the validity of the hobo syndrome using a national longitudinal sample of young workers. Results of event history analyses indicated support for the hypothesis that turnover depends on the number of times an individual has left his or her job in the past. The meaning and implications of the results in light of recent dispositional research are discussed.