TIME SAMPLING DAILY EXPERIENCES OF NEWCOM ERS TO A WORK PLACE - AN INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE PERSPECTIVE

The paper reports on personality and sex differences in the process of emotional adjustment to a new work place. 30 subjects recorded their mood, attributions of mood, place, activity, persons present, and perc eived freedom of choice several times a day during consecutive 10 days each in the first, second, third, and sixth month of their office wor k at: a new workplace. In addition, they answered, inter alia, a perso nality questionnaire (16PF). Contrary to the prediction, mood during w ork of emotionally stable extroverts was not in the first: month, but only beginning with the second month better than the mood of unstable introverts. The remaining findings were in agreement with the predicti ons: Motivational person-environment proved to foster well-being which in the early periods, compared to the later periods, was more often a ttributed to one's abilities and to the colleagues' behavior. Compared to men, women attributed failure in particular during the early perio ds more often and success less often internally, and throughout the ob servation time they referred more often to the affiliation motive. The results of the study suggest to introduce newcomers in a way which is more supportive to self-confidence and social integration.