Unfulfilled Career Aspirations and Psychological Well-Being

This research examines whether men and women who fail to achieve their career goals consequently experience poor psychological well-being. Because aspirations may be adjusted in response to personal and macrosocial circumstances, work lives are examined in two stages: early adulthood and mid-adulthood. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the analysis shows that men who surpassed their youthful career goal have higher psychological well-being at midlife. For a subgroup of men, however, surpassing one's adult occupational goal takes a psychological toll. Women's youthful aspirations are unrelated to midlife mental health, while the attainment of adult career aspirations enhances their well-being, reflecting recent shifts in women's career opportunities.

Dataset(s): Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, USA, 1957, 1975, 1993.