"What do I want to do today?" : state vocational interests, outcomes, and predictors of variation

Current theory and research in the organizational sciences considers vocational interests to be stable trait preferences, neglecting any short-term within-person variability that occurs. This research project posits that vocational interests display non-trivial state variability, that these state vocational interests differ theoretically from other extant interest constructs, and details a program of research in which the usefulness and nature of these state vocational interests are evaluated. Results suggest that state vocational interests display variability of different forms day-to-day, and this variability cannot be attributed to measurement error alone. Individuals were found to differ in the degree to which their interests vary, with several individual difference variables predicting greater variability. State vocational interest congruence was predictive of daily positive affect, intrinsic motivation, engagement, and perseverance. However, state vocational interest congruence did not generally predict daily negative affect. Tentative support was found for situational interests predicting next day state vocational interests and for state vocational interests predicting situational interests, suggesting a positive feedback loop between these constructs. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed.