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Transforming Dissatisfaction With Services Into Self‐Determination: A Social Psychological Perspective on Community Program Effectiveness1 |
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| Authors: | Cathaleene Macias Elliot Aronson William Hargreaves Gifford Weary Paul J. Barreira John Harvey Charles F. Rodican Leonard Bickman William Fisher |
| Affiliation: | 1. McLean Hospital Belmont, MA;2. University of California, Santa Cruz;3. Department of Psychiatry University of California, San Francisco;4. Ohio State University;5. Harvard Medical School Harvard University;6. University of Iowa;7. Center for Mental Health Policy Vanderbilt University;8. Department of Psychiatry University of Massachusetts Medical School |
| Abstract: | A field study of supported employment for adults with mental illness provided an experimental test of cognitive dissonance theory. We predicted that most work‐interested individuals randomly assigned to a non‐preferred program would reject services and lower their work aspirations. However, individuals who chose to pursue employment through a non‐preferred program were expected to resolve this dissonance through favorable service evaluations and strong efforts to succeed at work. Significant Work Interest × Service Preference interactions supported these predictions. Over 2 years, participants interested in employment who obtained work through a non‐preferred program stayed employed a median of 362 days vs. 108 days for those assigned to a preferred program; participants who obtained work through a non‐preferred program also had higher service satisfaction. |
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