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The Associationalist Demand–Control (ADC) Theory

Toward a Sustainable Psychosocial Work Environment

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Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health

Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS))

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Abstract

The Associationalist Demand/Control (ADC) theory is a new version of the Demand/Control (D/C) model developed to address psychosocial work environment conditions in current complex global economy. It extends the Demand/Control and Support (DCS) narrative with multilevel versions of Demands, Control and (re-labeled) Stability-Support at the task, organization, and external-to-work levels.

Midlevel structures within complex organization are conceptually introduced - Platforms of Dynamic Stability - to support worker’s possibilities for “bottom-up” participation. Key issues of coordination and association of parts are used to extend the D/C model’s active work hypothesis (as growth) and to extend the job strain hypothesis (as decline or disease). The very general conception of “ordering capacity” is used to develop hypotheses across disciplines: to link three modern sociological organization theory literatures (Organization Systems Theory’s (OST) resource acquisition and limitation issues, the coordination and communication issues in the Communicative Construction of Organization (CCO) literature, and dynamic stability issues from Complex Adaptive System theory (CAS) to topics in stress physiology and economic theory. The ADC’s general principles are elaborated in four work environment research areas: multilevel work stress; stability based on long-term and short-term adaptation; person and organizational growth; and job security risks in the global economy. New multilevel hypotheses also include: macrodecision latitude, organizational homeostasis, high-level social causation of disease, conducive communication, and personal job security platforms.

The ADC theory’s nonmaterialist predictions describe a new form of economic development which is sustainable and climate friendly since it involves neither nonrenewable material resources nor energy transformations, and can also address several current work-related “value perspective” conflicts and outline a new social contract.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Robert Karasek

  2. Department of Work Environment, University of Mass Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA

    Robert Karasek

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  1. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Stockholms Län, Sweden

    Töres Theorell

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  1. Department of Psychology and Counselling, School of Psychology and Public Health, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Bradley J. Wright

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Karasek, R. (2020). The Associationalist Demand–Control (ADC) Theory. In: Theorell, T. (eds) Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05031-3_25-1

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