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By Brittany Shields

In the past delayed gratification, identified as the ability to postpone immediate gratification for long term rewards, was viewed as an ability with only positive correlates such as academic achievement, high SAT scores, few behaviour problems and higher rates of college completion and income (Mischel, Ebbesen, Zeiss, 1972; Mischel, Shoda & Peake, 1988). However, other researchers criticized this positive view of delay gratification and argued that individuals with a disposition toward overcontrol, who consistently delay gratification and tend to inhibit impulses, feeling and desires have both positive and negative correlates. Positively, those described as overcontrolled are generally smart, in some respects well-adjusted and tend to have positive outcomes in structured situation such as work and school where self-disciplined behaviour is beneficial (Block, Gjerde & Block, 1991). However, researchers also found negative outcomes associated with overcontrol, which are less well known. Specifically, they found that in unstructured situation such as social situations or leisure settings, overcontrol may be maladaptive and has been associated with negative outcomes such as a lack of spontaneity, a flatter emotional life, being viewed as unnecessarily inhibited, excessively constrained, and puts young women at risk for depression (Founder & Block 1989; Block, Gjerde & Block, 1991; Kohn 2008; Zabelina, Robinson, & Anicha, 2007). Additionally, Shapiro (1967) indicates that highly self-disciplined individuals “do not feel comfortable with any activity that lacks an aim or a purpose beyond its own pleasure, and usually they do not recognize the possibility of finding life satisfying without a continuous sense of purpose and effort”.

By Cassidy Wilson

LGBTQ individuals continue to be some of the most misrepresented and marginalized groups of people within society, and the workforce today (Köllen, 2015; Marrs & Staton, 2016; Myung & Park, 2016). My proposed area of research involves an investigation of the connections between self-efficacy and people’s sense of calling, with a focus on the potential moderating role of sexual orientation on this relationship. Previous research on the psychology of calling has revealed significant associations between people’s occupational self-efficacy and their sense of being called to that work (Domene, 2012; Park, Sohn, & Ha, 2016). The proposed research will build on their findings to test the hypothesis that, after controlling for background characteristics, sexual orientation significantly moderates the relationship between self-efficacy and calling, such that that the relationship is weaker for individuals who identify as LGBTQ.