The career calling construct, which was proposed by Dik and Duffy (2009) comprises three dimensions: transcendent summons, purposeful work, and prosocial motivation. Prior research has typically combined these dimensions to examine relationships with outcomes like job engagement, satisfaction, and life satisfaction (Duffy et al., 2018; Ehrhardt & Ensher, 2021). However, the three dimensions possess distinct characteristics and have demonstrated unique relationships with career development variables (Marsh & Dik, 2024). This suggests that adopting a multidimensional perspective on calling may provide deeper insights into the working context. We extend this multidimensional perspective to work passion. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP), work passion is distinguished into two types: 1) Harmonious Passion (HP), stemming from an autonomous internalization, typically associated with positive consequences. 2) Obsessive Passion (OP), stemming from a controlled internalization, which is typically linked to adverse outcomes (Vallerand, Houlfort, et al., 2003). Therefore, this study examines whether each dimension of calling can uniquely link to HP or OP. The data were collected from professional nurses in Thailand (n = 309) and were analyzed using path analysis. The findings show that not all forms of calling equally benefit workers: purposeful work fosters healthy passion through autonomous internalization, whereas transcendent summons may unintentionally promote controlled internalization, which leads to compulsive work patterns. Practically, this suggests that healthcare organizations should cultivate nurses’ sense of personal purpose and meaning at work, rather than emphasizing duty or sacrifice, to enhance harmonious passion while reducing the risks associated with obsessive passion in care-intensive professions.

Authors:
Ploynaphat Pannathornphorntechit, National Sun-Yat Sen University, Taiwan
Wen Cheng, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
I am currently studying Ph.D Program in Educational and Human Development at National Sun-Yat Sen University, Taiwan.

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