Contribution
Person-environment congruence in work, school, and health care settings

https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(87)90041-8Get rights and content

Abstract

After providing a conceptual framework that focuses on the interplay of persons and environments, I describe three broad domains of social climate dimensions that characterize work, school, and health care settings. Next, I draw some general conclusions about the influence of these social climate factors on morale and performance and about how their impact may vary depending on personal factors. Some research on cross-situational linkages also is covered, especially the interplay between educators' work climates and students' learning environments and that between students' school and family contexts. Finally, some important conceptual issues are reviewed, such as the need to examine the influence of personal resources and coping strategies, the varying impact of powerful environments, and the harmful as well as growth-producing outcomes of person-environment congruence.

References (49)

  • J Collins et al.

    Treatment characteristics of psychiatric programs that correlate with patient community adjustment

    Journal of Clinical Psychology

    (1985)
  • Coulton, C. J., Holland, T. P., & Fitch, V. (184). Person-environment congruence and psychiatric patient outcome in...
  • L Cronbach et al.
  • J.L Epstein

    Longitudinal effects of family/school/person interactions on student outcomes

    Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization

    (1983)
  • J Finney et al.

    Matching patients with treatments: Conceptual and methodological issues

    Journal of Studies on Alcohol

    (1986)
  • D.L Fisher et al.

    Assessment of teachers' perceptions of school level environment

  • D Fisher et al.

    Validity and use of the Classroom Environment Scale

    Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

    (1983)
  • B.J Fraser
  • B Fraser et al.

    Use of actual and preferred classroom environment scales in person-environment fit research

    Journal of Educational Psychology

    (1983)
  • J.R Hackman et al.
  • P Harpin et al.

    Interaction of sex, locus of control, and teacher control: Toward a student-classroom match

    American Journal of Community Psychology

    (1979)
  • P Harpin et al.

    Relevance of social climate: An improved approach to assessing persons by environment interactions in the classroom

    American Journal of Community Psychology

    (1985)
  • C.J Holahan et al.

    Life stress and health: Personality, coping, and family support in stress resistance

    Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

    (1985)
  • Cited by (97)

    • Outcomes of creativity in organizations: From organization to human-centered benefits

      2023, Handbook of Organizational Creativity: Individual and Group Level Influences, Second Edition
    • Cycling as a Mode Choice: Motivational Psychology

      2021, International Encyclopedia of Transportation: Volume 1-7
    • The influence of juvenile and educator humor on the social climate of young offenders’ institutions

      2020, Children and Youth Services Review
      Citation Excerpt :

      Social climate is thus a unique social atmosphere of an educational setting which gives this setting unity and coherence, despite the varying life experiences of its participants. Climate is complex, structurally diversified and comprised of the following dimensions (Moos 1974/1987, 1975, 1979, 1987, 1994/2003; Menard & LeBlanc, 1978; Salter, Junco, & Irvin, 2004): The Relationships Dimension involves experiencing emotions engendered in interactions with the immediate environment and engagement associated with expectations of communality and participation; it helps assess juveniles’ and educators’ commitment to daily duties, expressiveness, and support.

    • Bullying among immigrant and non-immigrant early adolescents: School- and student-level effects

      2017, Journal of Adolescence
      Citation Excerpt :

      ‘Person-context fit’ theoretical models provide a meaningful framework for examining the interaction between a student's own background, the concentration of other immigrant students in a school and the incidence of bullying. According to Moos (1987), ‘person-environment fit’ is achieved through the interaction between individual (e.g., socio-demographic) and contextual (e.g., family, school) factors. Applying this framework suggests that peer relationships can be influenced in part by the ‘goodness of fit’ between a student's characteristics and those of the student body.

    View all citing articles on Scopus

    This manuscript is an expanded version of a paper presented at a symposium on person-environment matching sponsored by Division 34 at the American Psychological Association Convention, Los Angeles, August 1985. Preparation of the manuscript was supported by NIAAA Grants AA02863 and AA06699, NIMH Grant MH28177, and Veterans Administration Medical and Health Services Research and Development Service research funds. John Finney made helpful comments on an earlier draft.

    View full text