Definition
This entry summarizes the present understanding of the relationships between work motivation and worker age. The central propositions are that work motivation does not linearly decline with age and that a look at the interplay of global and specific levels of motivation is required to understand the particular situation of workers over 50 years old. The entry concludes with an outlook to emerging research.
Work motivation translates a worker’s knowledge, skills, and abilities into actual work behavior and job performance. The former enable workers to carry out their jobs as required, while the level of motivation determines the amount of effort workers actually put into their jobs, i.e., it regulates the intensity, duration, and persistence of work behaviors (Pinder 1998).
In light of the impact of demographic change on the contemporary workplace, understanding the motivation of older workers – who are...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. In P. B. Baltes & M. M. Baltes (Eds.), Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1–34). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Baltes, P. B., Lindenberger, U., & Staudinger, U. M. (2006). Lifespan theory in developmental psychology. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 569–664). New York: Wiley.
Carstensen, L. L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science, 312, 1912–1915.
Kanfer, R., & Ackerman, P. L. (2004). Aging, adult development and work motivation. Academy of Management Review, 29, 440–458.
Kanfer, R., Beier, M. E., & Ackerman, P. L. (2013). Goals and motivation related to work in later adulthood: An organizing framework. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22, 253–264.
Pinder, C. C. (1998). Work motivation in organizational behavior. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall.
Posthuma, R. A., & Campion, M. A. (2009). Age stereotypes in the workplace: Common stereotypes, moderators, and future research directions. Journal of Management, 35, 158–188.
Kanfer, R., Beier, M. E., & Ackerman, P. L. (2013). Goals and motivation related to work in later adulthood: An organizing framework. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22, 253–264.
Warr, P. (2001). Age and work behaviour: Physical attributes, cognitive abilities, knowledge, personality traits and motives. In C. L. Cooper & I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizational psychology. London: Wiley.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this entry
Cite this entry
Stamov-Roßnagel, C. (2015). Work Motivation and Aging. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_31-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_31-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Online ISBN: 978-981-287-080-3
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences