A lifespan perspective on psychological contracts and their relations with organizational commitment

<p>The current study investigated the influence of age-related constructs on the psychological contract and its relationshipswith continuance and normative commitment. It was proposed that as people age, their future time perspective (FTP)decreases. Consequently, it was expected that contract fulfilment would be positively related to continuancecommitment for workers with short FTP, while it would be positively related to normative commitment for workerswith long FTP. Conversely, it was argued that, with age, workers’ perceived work-related expertise increases, resultingin stronger reactions to obligation fulfilment on normative commitment. A study among 334 employees showed thatFTP and work-related expertise indeed moderated the relationships between contract fulfilment and organizationalcommitment. The results showed that the influence of age on the relations between contract fulfilment with outcomes isdependent upon FTP and occupational expertise. The study shows the value of a lifespan perspective on psychologicalcontracts and their relations with organizational commitment.</p>