A Global-Watch scientific interpretation by
Gabrielle Beaupré, doctoral Candidate in education at Université du Québec à Montréal.
Emma's case
Emma accepted a promotion to a management position, even though she has always preferred hands-on work in the field. On paper, it made sense: career advancement, better pay, a prestigious title. But once she started the job, she felt unmotivated, sometimes even exhausted. This type of disconnect between our career choices and what really motivates us is detrimental to our commitment, satisfaction, and mental health.
Emma's case illustrates how certain pressures undermine the consistency between personal aspirations and career paths. In Canada, one in four people cite money as their main source of motivation at work1. Yet this subgroup scores lowest in terms of mental health. The rising cost of living makes it more difficult to choose a job that aligns with one's interests and values, while changes in the labour market (e.g., automation, artificial intelligence) increase the risk of forced career transitions. These changes are often accompanied by stress and self-doubt, exacerbating the current issue of psychological health in the workplace.
This interpretive study shows that mindfulness helps individuals get to know themselves better, thereby promoting authentic career goals, which are themselves associated with better psychological health. By integrating these key parameters into the workplace, organizations can support their employees' resilience during times of transition.
DETAILS OF A RIGOROUS METHOD
- Participants: 201 people (51% women, average age 29) in the process of career guidance, job search, or career assessment.
- Procedure: Three questionnaires to be completed at 8-week intervals, measuring motivation, mindfulness, self-awareness, and psychological health.
- Analysis: Mediation analyses to study the mediating role of self-awareness in the relationship between mindfulness and motivation over time.
- Originality: Unlike most research on motivation at work, this study focuses on motivation toward professional goals, a central aspect that has yet to be studied in depth in the context of transition.
What do we mean by...?
Motivation
Motivation represents the reasons that drive a person to pursue a professional goal. It is therefore not so much the intensity of motivation that matters, but its quality. According to self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000)2 , there are two main forms of motivation:
- Autonomous motivation: because the goal is meaningful to us, interests us, or reflects our values.
- Controlled motivation: because we feel compelled to pursue the goal, out of fear of disappointment, to feed our ego, to obtain a reward, or to avoid punishment.
At work, autonomous motivation is linked to greater employee satisfaction and engagement, while controlled motivation increases the risk of stress and burnout.
Emma's motivation
If Emma accepts a promotion because she sincerely wants to contribute to her team and take on a challenge that interests her, her motivation is autonomous. But if she does it to please those around her, avoid guilt, or get a better salary, her motivation is controlled.
Psychological health
Psychological health refers to a person's overall mental state, including both the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions.
- Psychological distress: symptoms related to anxiety and depression.
- Subjective well-being: overall feeling of satisfaction with one's life.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness3 refers to a person's willingness to pay attention to their experiences in the present moment, i.e., their thoughts, emotions, and sensations, with curiosity and without judgment. This disposition, which develops with practice, helps people better manage their emotions and reduce stress, two key assets in times of uncertainty and career transition.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness4 refers to the ability to recognize and understand one's own thoughts, emotions, and needs, to act in a manner consistent with one's personal values and motivations, and to give meaning to one's decisions and behaviours.
What the study reveals
- More aligned choices thanks to mindful presence
- People who are more attentive to their daily experiences are more likely to pursue professional goals that resonate with their values and interests.
- This mindful presence is also linked to greater self-awareness..
- People who are more attentive to their daily experiences are more likely to pursue professional goals that resonate with their values and interests.
- Knowing yourself better to escape pressure
- By promoting self-awareness, mindfulness plays a protective role: it helps us recognize when we are acting under pressure (internal or external) rather than out of genuine desire.
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