1. Theory of Work Adjustment: Person-Environment Correspondence Theory
PSY 714
Instructor: Emily E. Bullock
Lecture from:
Dawis, R. V. (2002). Person-environment-correspondence theory. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Summary of TWA theory in Brown 2007 text ch. 2 but not included in Niles and H-B text.

2. TWA Theory
Originally developed in the 1950’s at the Univ. of Minnesota to address the needs of a voc. rehab. population
Person-Environment Correspondence Theory is the generalized TWA theory when applied to populations other than voc. rehab
Considered a Person-Environment (P-E) “fit” theory
Theory often considered too complex for the typical practitioner
Focuses satisfaction and skills assessment
TWA theory does not integrate personality and interests as typically defined; although similar constructs exist
Typically best applied to work settings

3. Main Points of the Theory of Word Adjustment (TWA)
Work is conceptualized as an interaction between an individual and a work environment.
The work environment requires that certain tasks be performed, and the individual brings skills to perform the tasks.
In exchange, the individual requires compensation for work performance and certain preferred conditions, such as a safe and comfortable place to work.
The environment and the individual must continue to meet each other's requirements for the interaction to be maintained. The degree to which the requirements of both are met may be called correspondence.
Work adjustment is the process of achieving and maintaining correspondence. Work adjustment is indicated by the satisfaction of the individual with the work environment, and by the satisfaction of the work environment with the individual--by the individual's satisfactoriness.
Satisfaction and satisfactoriness result in tenure, the principal indicator of work adjustment. Tenure can be predicted from the correspondence of an individual's work personality with the work environment.
Work personalities and work environments can be described in terms of structure and style variables that are measured on the same dimensions.
This information presented in A Psychological Theory of Work Adjustment: An Individual-Differences Model and Its Applications, by René V. Dawis and Lloyd H. Lofquist and

4. TWA Theory: Definition of important terms
E and P
Needs and Skills
Satisfaction and Satisfactoriness
Correspondence
Adjustment

5. TWA theory Structure and Style Personality and Self Flexibility
Activeness
Reactiveness
Perseverance
Personality and Self

6. TWA Theory Assessment http://www.psych.umn.edu/psylabs/vpr/default.htm
Skills-GATB recommended
Needs-typically categorized according to values and scaled
Personality
Practice
Thoughts on TWA as a theory of Career Development…