Job Mobility and Developmental Outcomes

Based on sociological, psychological and neurological methods the project addresses the question whether voluntary job mobility enhances developmental outcomes in adulthood and old age. The goal of this research project is to investigate whether there are cumulative effects of job mobility on individuals’ adaptive competencies in old age. Job mobility is defined to encompass changes of the employer as well as job/positional changes within a company. Adaptability as defined in this study comprises 1) cognitive, 2) personality, and 3) social facets of adaptive competence. We assume a strong relationship between job mobility on the one hand and aspects of adaptive competencies on the other hand. The study is designed such that causal effects of job mobility on the plasticity of individuals’ adaptive competencies can be investigated.

Funded by the Volkswagen Foundation in its initiative “Perspektiven des Alterns” (perspectives on aging).