Will the Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs Induce the Presence of a Calling?

Career callings manifest when work is viewed as a vital part of one’s identity. Employees who experience a career calling tend to report beneficial outcomes (e.g., career self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and work engagement), but researchers know much less about the factors that shape the presence of a career calling. This study seeks to understand what induces women working in domestic violence services to experience the presence of a career calling. We draw upon basic psychological need theory to hypothesize that the satisfaction of the basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness will promote calling presence. Two-wave survey data were collected from 207 women working in domestic violence services. Cross-lagged panel modeling results showed that satisfaction of the basic needs for competence and relatedness (but not autonomy) were positively associated with calling presence. Our findings provide key insights into the utility of basic psychological need theory for understanding the antecedents to the presence of a career calling. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications are discussed.