Network of Relationships among the Domain-Specific Self-perceptions of Competence/Adequacy, Self-esteem, Locus of Control, and Work Value Orientations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the network of relations among domain-specific self-perceptions of competence/adequacy, self-esteem, locus of control, and work value orientations through employing a structural equation modeling approach. The sample of the study consisted of 510 Greek tertiary education students who completed the Self-Perception Profile for College Students, the Work Values Scale and the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale. The results showed that intrinsic orientations appear to be more strongly rooted in the competence and the social domains of self-perception than extrinsic values. Specifically, the three competence (job competence, academic competence, and creativity) and the two social relationships with peers domains (close friendships and social acceptance) had a direct effect on intrinsic work values, with all effects being positive. In contrast, extrinsic values were directly affected by only two specific domains: job competence whose effect was negative and social acceptance which exerted a positive effect on extrinsic values, as it did on intrinsic values. Self-esteem exerted its influence on work value orientations only indirectly via its impact on locus of control, which in turn had an effect on extrinsic values indicating that individuals with a more extrinsic locus of control orientation endorse a more extrinsic work value orientation. The results of the present study can inform, through the proposed model, a better understanding of the differential importance of the domain-specific self-perceptions in shaping work value orientations.