Optimism and the Nonlinear Citizenship Behavior—Job Satisfaction Relationship in Three Studies
研究通过三个独立样本发现，乐观主义调节了组织公民行为与工作满意度的关系：高乐观者呈线性正相关，低乐观者呈倒U形曲线关系。
Despite a voluminous body of work demonstrating the positive benefits of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), recent theory has highlighted the potential trade-offs individuals face when performing such activities. This evidence calls into consideration the “more is always better” philosophy, suggesting the existence of potentially more complex OCB—work outcome relationships. The present research investigates the interactive relationship between optimism and OCB on job satisfaction in a series of three independent samples, examining moderated polynomial relationships. Based on self-regulation and self-perception theories, the authors hypothesized that optimism would moderate the relationship between OCB and job satisfaction, demonstrating a linear relationship for those high in optimism and a nonlinear relationship (i.e., assuming an inverted U-shaped form) for those low in optimism. Consistent results were found across all three studies, providing support for the hypothesized moderated polynomial OCB-optimism relationship. Contributions of the research are discussed, as are strengths and limitations, directions for future research, and practical implications.