Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Cheryl E. Gray

Committee Member

Valerie Sessa

Committee Member

Michael Bixter

Committee Member

Nick D. Ungson

Abstract

Organizational identification (OID) reflects an employee’s sense of belonging to their organization (Ashforth & Mael, 1989). While previous research on OID primarily highlights its positive organizational outcomes, its effects on employee well-being remain understudied. Existing studies often take a cross-sectional approach, focusing mainly on mental health and positive outcomes while overlooking organizational context and individual differences. This study addresses these gaps by examining the longitudinal relationship between OID and well-being variables (burnout, physical symptoms, job satisfaction, life satisfaction) among newly hired employees. Using a four-wave survey design with initially 585 participants (remaining N = 127) recruited through Prolific, this research explores how these relationships evolve over four months and whether they are moderated by health climate and workaholism. The results demonstrated that OID and healthy well-being outcomes were consistently related over time, but its predictive role was not stronger than well-being’s influence on OID, perhaps suggesting a reciprocal rather than unidirectional relationship. The findings also emphasize that a supportive health climate may enhance the benefits of OID in mitigating burnout over time, while cognitive workaholism may exacerbate strain. By adopting a longitudinal approach, this study provides a deeper understanding of how OID develops in early employment and its potential consequences for employee well-being, suggesting that organizations may benefit from developing targeted interventions to improve health climate and reduce cognitive workaholism.

File Format

PDF

Share

COinS