SHERA C. PATE

CAREER OBJECTIVE: Entry-level public relations position utilizing my knowledge and experience in the fields in the liberal arts, particularly psychology and linguistics.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Psychology, English MinorMagna cum laude, University of Houston, Houston, TX – 2011

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Office Assistant, Receptionist, Promptsource,Incorporated Sugar Land, TX – 2008 Ensured quality customer support to current and prospective commercial oil and gas industry clients. Procured parts and services for international corporate clientele. Maintained records and processed invoices for incoming and outgoing client transactions.

Office Assistant , Receptionist, Coldwell Banker United Bellaire, TX – 2006 – 2008 Collaborated in creation of portfolio presentations for prospective residential real estate clients. Designed various electronic and print-based marketing materials including flyers, postcards, and brochures. Renovated and maintained real estate agent website, increasing the utility overall efficacy of the site, resulting

in a net increase in new website visitors per month over a two-year period. Facilitated the sales of Texas Medical Center residential properties, ensuring quality customer service to clients

throughout each stage of the home-buying process.

Office Assistant, Receptionist, Farmer's Insurance Company Sugar Land, TX – 2002 Ensured quality customer support to current as well as prospective policy holders. Scheduled and confirmed client and agent appointments. Processed monthly premiums for individual and corporate policy holders.

Office Assistant, Houston's First Baptist Church Houston, TX – 1999 Assisted in the administrative processes of the Missions office's various outreach programs. Scheduled and confirmed appointments and facilitated transportation for church staff members. Managed and coordinated volunteers for various outreach ministry programs.

VOLUNTEER WORK

Editor/ Contributor, Fort Bend Baptist Academy Sugar Land, TX – 2001 Contributed and edited articles, poetry, and short stories for student-published literary magazine.

Praise Team Member, River Pointe Church Sugar Land, TX – 2001

Lead praise and worship music for Sunday morning High School service.

Volunteer Builder, World Changers Savannah, GA – 1999 Repaired, and restored homes for individuals and churches in need.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

Pre-Calculus, Probability and Statistics, Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition, Biology, Chem-istry, Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Personality Psychology, Child Psychology, Clinical

Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Linguistics

The Positive Personality: Theory and Application

In the past, most of the research in the field of Psychology has focused on models of

psychopathology concerned primarily with the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of the

mentally ill, however, in recent years, research in the branch of Positive Psychology has widened

its focus in a way so as to include models that might lead to a greater understanding of the

qualities and characteristics that result in mental and physical well-being. Much of the research

that has emerged from the branch of Positive Psychology has centered on efforts to identify

personality characteristics and personality traits that have been associated with positive mental

and physical health outcomes. Positive Psychology research suggests that systematically building

character traits and virtues within people can lead to greater overall mental and physical health.

Though the branch of Positive Psychology is relatively new, it shares some of the same

fundamental principles introduced in the theories of Erich Fromm, Alfred Adler, Carl Rogers,

and others that have followed in their footsteps.

Much like humanistic psychologists like Erich Fromm, Alfred Adler, and Carl Rogers

broke from traditional Freudian psychoanalytic views that focused on resolving early life

conflicts, instead placing their focus upon openness in the present and development in the future,

Positive Psychology diverges from Psychology’s model of pathology and its traditional task that

seeks to identify and understand the causes of various disorders and disease to a model that

instead seeks to identify personality variables such as personality traits, characteristics,

personality types, and general patterns of behavior that have been shown to prevent the

occurrence of those disorders and that have been associated with mental and physical well-

being.One particular personality variable that has gathered a great deal of attention from the

branch of positive psychology is the trait of optimism. Shelley Taylor and J.D. Brown suggest

that optimism, self-enhancement, and a perception of self-control characterize normal human

thought (Taylor & Brown, 1988). Taylor and her colleagues posit that these beliefs are valuable

psychological resources that serve adaptive functions in maintaining mental and physical health

(Taylor, Kemeny, Reed, Bower, & Gruenewald, 2000). Martin Selgiman and Myhali

Csikszentmehali, define optimism as a dispositional trait that mediates between the events that

occur in a person’s life and his or her subsequent expectations for the future (2000). Seligman

and Csikszentmehali describe optimism as a characteristic explanatory style whereby one

attributes meaning to events. Carver and Scheir propose that these explanations are influenced by

cognitive, emotional, and motivational factors (1990).

Research in the branch of Positive Psychology has demonstrated a strong relationship

between a number of personality traits and mental and physical well-being. Studies have shown

that building positive traits such as optimism may lead to more effective therapeutic treatment

outcomes and may play a role in the prevention of a wide range of mental as well as physical

health problems (Seligman, Schulman, DeRubeis, & Hollon, 1999; Seligman & Csikszentmehali,

2000; Taylor et al., 2000). For example, Martin Seligman and his colleagues have found that

building optimism protects people from depression (Seligman, Schulman, DeRubeis, & Hollon,

1999). Shelley Taylor and her colleagues have shown that building optimism has a buffering

effect against the effects of life-threatening physical disorders, such as AIDS and Cancer (2000).

While the exact mechanisms responsible for this effect are unknown, research suggests that the

psychological and emotional states that characterize the personality trait of optimism could be

responsible for physiological changes observed in these studies.

The effects of optimism have been explored in great depth and are far reaching. Shelley

Taylor and her colleagues have shown that even unreasonably optimistic beliefs can protect

people from illness (2000). The results of many studies of terminally ill patients with diseases

such as cancer and AIDS suggest that patients who remain optimistic about their condition

exhibit fewer symptoms and survive longer than patients who take a more realistic perspective to

their condition (House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988). House, Landis, and Umberson explain that

this may be due to the fact that optimistic patients are more likely to engage in activities that

promote health and to enlist social support.

The theories of Erich Fromm, Alfred Adler, and Carl Rogers share many of the

fundamental principles upon which the research of Shelley Taylor and Martin Seligman and

Positive Psychology as a whole are built. Sharing in a humanistic existential orientation, each of

these theories are based upon the essential principle of fostering personal growth and

development and emphasize the importance of helping each individual to realize his or her own

innate potential (Allen, 2006). Though they may have operationalized the concept under different

names, Erich Fromm, Alfred Adler, and Carl Roger’s theories each identified personality

variables that they proposed mediated this process.

Like the research of Martin Seligman and Shelley Taylor, Fromm’s theory emphasizes

the importance of subjective experience and personality variables similar to optimism in

establishing personal well-being. Despite the widespread popularity of nihilististic philosophy

following World War II, Fromm was one of the first psychologists to promote optimism

(Weiner, 2003). Fromm’s theory suggests that optimism can be achieved only by taking control

of his or her own destiny and assuming an active role in one’s life and in one’s relationships

(Fromm, 1955). Like the research of Shelley Taylor and her colleagues, Fromm’s theory

emphasizes the importance of the social context in which positive psychology necessarily occurs.

Coming from a Sociopsychological humanistic perspective Fromm proposed that individuals

have an innate need for love and unity with others. Taking a perspective similar to that taken by

Shelley Taylor and Martin Seligman and colleagues in their research, Fromm proposed that

mental health was more than the mere absence of sickness, but rather, the presence of well-being

(Fromm, 1959). While Fromm never explicitly defined well-being or the construct of optimism

in his theory, he defined happiness, a construct similar optimism, as “a state of intense inner

activity and the experience of the increasing vital energy” that occurs as a result of the

expression of personal creativity and “productive relatedness to the world” and to others

(Fromm, 1955, p. 202).

Also like the research of Shelley Taylor and Martin Seligman, Fromm proposed that

differences in temperament affect the way in which we relate to others and experience the world.

Recognizing that individual differences occur among people, Fromm proposed character types

that correspond to the individual differences that he observed. Fromm’s theory proposed six

basic character types that differed mainly in terms of their ability to relate with others. Of the six

character types proposed in his theory, Fromm’s productively orientated biophilus character,

most closely resembles what researchers such as Seligman and Shelley have conceptualized as

the “optimistic personality.” The biophilus character is one “based on love, the mutual intimacy

that preserves individual integrity” (Allen, 2006, p. 184). According to Fromm, the happiness of

this character type is a result of productive living, which utilizes the powers of love and reason.

While Fromm’s remaining five character types represent the abnormal types that exist in persons,

his productively oriented character type, the biophilus character most closely represents the self-

actualizing existential person that possesses optimism.

Unlike Martin Seligman and Shelley Taylor, however, Erich Fromm took a more

macroscopic view of psychological well-being, While the research of Seligman and Taylor

explores the effect of personality variables and their effect upon an individual, Fromm’s theory

explores the effect of personality variables effect upon a culture. In his second book, The Sane

Society, Fromm proposed that entire cultures can suffer from pathology (1955). In this work,

Fromm suggested that Western culture as a whole had become pathological, and suffered from a

lack of the creativity and purpose that characterized life. Fromm proposed that a political

solution of humanistic communitarian socialism, in which citizens would become actively

engaged in the processes of the government, was the only answer. While Fromm’s theory

proposes that purpose and activity are necessary to the solution, his theory involves a much

larger population than those involved Seligman and Taylor’s research.

Like Seligman and Taylor, Alfred Adler also emphasized the importance of personality

variables like optimism in establishing and maintaining psychological well-being. Similar to

Martin Seligman’s view of optimism as an explanatory style that a person assigns to life’s

events, Adler believed that all behavior is influenced by subjective interpretation. Adler also saw

human behavior as invested with social meaning, purposeful, and goal-directed. Viewing of the

person as self-directed and self actualizing, Adler believed that the person derives meaning

through the establishment of his style of life, which is the unique way in which he accomplishes

what Adler identified as the three main tasks of life: society, work, and love.

Like House and colleagues and Shelley Taylor and her colleagues proposed, Adler

recognized the importance of the social context in which behavior occurs. Adler’s theory

proposed that each person is born with an innate need for interpersonal connectedness, which he

termed as social feeling. Like Fromm, Adler recognized the importance of activity and creativity

on the part of the individual, and emphasized the importance of the role of the individual’s

participation as an active agent. Adler proposed that an individual must make efforts actualize

social feeling, which is a potential within each person, by contributing to society, thus generating

the product of social interest. True to his humanistic foundation, Adler also emphasized the

creative power of the individual, which is the process by which one, exercising free choice and

assuming his or her own unique style of life establishes his or her own unique identity, creating

himself or herself in his or her own social context.

While Alfred Adler’s theory shares many of the same fundamental principles of those

explored in the research of Martin Seligman and Shelley Taylor, Adler’s theory does not explore

to possibility for well-being and positive growth outside of the context of his relationships with

others. According to Adler’s theory, personal growth is defined primarily in terms of a person’s

efforts to actualize social feeling through social interest and by serving society within the context

of social relationships. While Adler’s Early Recollections account for one means by which one

can establish well-being outside of the social context, his theory does not provide for other

means of achieving well-being outside of his interpersonal relationships.

Also like Martin Seligman and Shelley Taylor, Carl Rogers emphasized the importance

of subjective experience and personality variables in establishing well-being. Carl Rogers greatly

influenced the field of Psychology as a whole and laid much of the foundation for the branch of

Positive Psychology. A fellow humanist and student of Alfred Adler, Rogers shared much

Adler’s view of the person as self-directed and progressing. Rogers believed that humans are

born with a certain self-actualizing tendency to discern that which is beneficial from that which

is not. Rogers believed that the process of self actualization is one that unfolds over the course of

a lifetime of being open to and realizing one’s potentialities.

Like Fromm and Adler, Carl Rogers also emphasized the importance of the social context

in which existential living occurs. Rogers believed that the need for positive regard is a

fundamental need built into all human beings at birth. Similar to the personality trait of

optimism, positive regard is the “experiencing of oneself as making a positive difference in the

lives of other people and as receiving warmth, liking, respect, sympathy acceptance, caring, and

trust from others” (Rogers, 1959, p. 208). Rogers believed that positive regard is a characteristic

necessary for and resulting from existential living. Positive regard shares much in common with

his concept of unconditional positive regard (that is, a therapists unconditional regard for the

patient), which Rogers believed was a necessary condition required for successful

psychotherapy. Taking the view that human beings unfold over the course of a lifetime, Rogers

predicted that successful psychotherapy would result in the emergence of a healthy persons,

whom Rogers called emerging persons, who are able to realize their potentials and truly

experience life. The emerging person is fully able to experience positive self-regard for his or her

own self, which Rogers believed is the key to unlocking the actualizing tendency, which, in turn,

allows the emerging person to become fully functioning individuals.

While Carl Rogers theory is similar to the research of Martin Seligman and Shelley

Taylor in its view of personal growth, as a whole, Rogers theory diverges in the context in which

that growth occurs. While Seligman and Taylor’s research give provision for growth both in the

outside of the context of treatment, Roger’s theory is specifically constrained to the

psychotherapeutic setting. While his theory may well apply to situations outside of the

therapeutic setting, his theory is specifically intended to describe the growth that occurs within

psychotherapy.

Though Positive Psychology is a relatively new branch in the field of Psychology, the

influence of pioneer psychologists such as Erich Fromm, Alfred Adler, and Carl Rogers is

evident. Rooted in a humanistic foundation laid by the theories of the psychotherapeutic

influences such as these, Positive Psychology is built upon the idea that people are innately born

with tendencies toward growth, and are driven by the purpose of realizing their true potential.

Viewing self-actualization as a process that unfolds over a lifetime, many Positive Psychologists

recognize the possibility that optimism can be seen as trait-like or state-like. Whether these

characteristics are persisting traits or temporary states, Positive Psychology research and research

in Personality Psychology allow us to identify the types of characteristics that have been

associated with beneficial outcomes in the treatment of a number of disorders, as well those that

have been associated with negative outcomes in the treatment of such disorders. Informed by the

results of numerous studies, Personality and Positive Psychology provide a wealth of information

to the field of Psychology as a whole regarding the nature of traits that that have been shown to

be effective in promoting physical and mental well-being, and, as such, should be maximized, as

well as those that have been shown to be ineffective in promoting well-being, and should,

therefore, be minimized. Offering preventative solutions to mental and physical ailments, the

implications of the efficacy of the branch of Positive Psychology are far reaching.

References

Allen, B. P. (2006). Personality theories: Development, growth, and diversity (5th ed.). Needham

Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Adler, A. (1964). Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind. New York: McGraw Hill.

Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1990). Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A

control-process view. Psychological Review, 97, 19 -35.

Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Fromm, E. (1955). The Sane Society. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science,

241, 540-545.

Peterson, C. (2000). The future of optimism. American Psychologist, 55, 44 -55.

Rogers, C. (1959). A theory of therapy, personality, and interpersonal relationships, as developed

in the client-centered framework. In S. Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A Study of a Science.

New York: McGraw-Hill, 208.

Seligman, M., Schulman, P., DeRubeis, R., & Hollon, S. (1999). The prevention of depression

and anxiety. Prevention and Treatment, 2, Article 8. Available on the World Wide Web:

http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume2/pre0020008a.html

Seligman, M.E. & Csikszentmehali, M. (2000). Positive Psychology: An introduction.

American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.

Seligman, M.E., Steen, T.A., Park, N. & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress:

Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410-421.

Scheier, M., Carver, C., & Bridges, M. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and psychological well-

being. Optimism & pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (pp. 189-

216). Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/10385-

009.

Taylor. S. E., Kemeny, M. E., Reed, G. M., Bower, J. E., & Gruenewald,T. L. (2000).

Psychological resources, positive illusions, and health.American Psychologist, 55, 99-

109.

Weiner, E. J. (2003). Paths from Erich Fromm: Thinking authority and pedagogically. Journal of

Educational Thought, 37, 59-75.f

Literally Speaking: Figuring It Out

I was reading an article in the business section of the Houston Chronicle last week that

discussed a relatively new molecular imaging technology that may make it possible to detect

cancer in its earliest stages. While the procedure has been used in clinical trials across the United

States, its efficacy and accuracy is still being evaluated. Purva Patel, the author of the article,

recognized Dr. David Yang, the creator of the procedure for discovering what she calls “the holy

grail” of medicine. Praising the doctor for his contribution to the medical field, Patel commended

Yang for "figur[ing] it out" (D2). While many people use the word figure in this way in everyday

conversation, there are a growing number of linguists who would assert that the use of figure in

this way is non-standard English, and as such, should be avoided, especially in formal writing.

While there is no controversy over the usage of the word figure when it is used as a noun

to refer to a symbol or representation such as a number or a letter, there is a great deal of

disagreement over the question of the correct usage of figure when it is used as a verb. When

used as a verb, figure can mean to “calculate or compute” using mathematical procedures, or it

can mean to “plan, judge, or deduce” or to “take into consideration.” The latter meaning is the

one that Patel used in the article in question when she credited Dr. Yang for his part in the

development of the procedure. This particular use of figure is a topic of controversy as it is used

frequently (and without question) in this manner in popular culture, (take for instance, the late

1990’s television show, Figure It Out) and in informal speech. There is, however, division

among scholars about this particular use of figure in formal writing. In general, linguists agree

that figure, when it is used to mean “plan or judge” is looked down upon in formal writing, and

that figure should be reserved for description of mathematical decisions (Copperud 148;

Loberger, and Shoup 332; Merriam-Webster, Inc. 443). Literary scholars supporting this position

propose that appropriate synonyms such as think, plan, or deduce be used in place of figure.

American Usage and Style, The Consensus supports the position that the use of figure

should be reserved for mathematical calculation alone. In American Usage and Style, The

Consensus, Copperud recognizes the dual meaning supplied by the verb form of figure, which he

defines as either “to calculate or compute” or “to suppose or think” (Copperud 148). While there

is generally no disagreement over figure’s usage in the former case, Copperud confirms that

authorities are divided over its use in the latter sense. Copperud explains that, while some usage

dictionaries such as The Random House Dictionary of the English Language consider this use

informal and non-standard, other sources such as Merriam-Webster consider this use informal,

yet standard nonetheless. Copperud supports the position taken by Random House, and describes

this particular use of figure as informal and non-standard (Copperud 148). Maintaining the

position that figure’s only standard usage is a mathematical one, one might expect that Copperud

would object to Patel’s use of figure in her article.

There are, on the other hand, some who would not be so quick to correct Patel’s use of

figure. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage considers both meanings of the verb

form of figure to fit the definition of American Standard English. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

of English Usage discusses the use of figure as it is used in a general sense to mean to “conclude,

decide, [or] think” (Merriam-Webster, Inc. 443). According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of

English Usage, this particular usage has gathered the concern of enough usage commentators to

warrant its investigation (443). Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage suggests that

the use of figure in this sense is considered to be an idiomatic and an informal usage of the verb.

Initially declared a provincialism in 1927 by Emily Post, there are some still who consider figure

to fit Post’s definition and who would regard this particular use of figure as an Americanism

(Merriam-Webster, Inc. 443). Those who would hold this position would not object to Patel’s

use of figure as they consider this use of figure to be American Standard English.

Taking a similar position to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, The

Ameican Heritage College Dictionary recognizes both uses of figure, and defines the verb form

of figure in a mathematical sense, meaning, “to calculate with numbers” as well as a general

sense, meaning,” to take into consideration" (508). Though The American Heritage College

Dictionary recognizes the latter meaning as an informal use of figure, it still considers this use to

be an acceptable standard use of the verb. For this reason, one might expect that Patel’s use of

figure would be supported by the definition of figure provided by The American Heritage

College Dictionary.

As aforementioned, there is a considerable deal of controversy over the question of the

appropriate use of figure. While the idiomatic use of figure is used commonly enough in

informal situations, the literature suggests that writers regard this use of figure as a non-standard

use that should be avoided. If the colloquial meaning of figure is intended, scholars such as

Loberger and Shoup and Copperud would suggest that writers make use of more precise

synonyms such as realize or accomplish in its place, strictly reserving the word to refer to

mathematical procedures.

Works Cited

Copperud, Roy H. American Usage and Style, the Consensus. New York: Van Nostrand

Reinhold, 1980. Print.

The American Heritage College Dictionary. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.

Loberger, Gordon, and Shoup, Kate. Webster's New World Spanish Grammar Handbook.

Hoboken, N.J: Wiley Pub, 2009. Print.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Springfield, Mass: Merriam-Webster, Inc,

1994. Print.

Patel, Purva.. Shining a light on cells. Houston Chronicle, 5 November 2010: pp. D1, D2. Print.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology in The Devil Wears Prada

In New York, the fashion capital of the United States, Andrea Sachs (played by Anne

Hathaway) is hired to work as the assistant to the editor-in-chief of Runway Magazine, Miranda

Priestly (played by Meryl Streep). Assuming the position of second assistant, Andrea works

under Emily, the first assistant, who trains Andrea, teaching her of the many particular

preferences of “the dragon lady”. The young journalist faces the challenge of working for the

cruel and driven executive with a sense of optimism and determination. With the help of Nigel,

another hand at the Magazine, Andrea undergoes a transformation, abandoning her simple,

homely appearance for a new, chic and glamorous appearance, opening up a world of

opportunity before her. Andrea finds herself increasingly overwhelmed as the incessant

demands of the world of fashion and luxury begin to take a toll upon her private life. Though she

is met with success after success in the world of fashion, Andrea finds that her success has come

at a particularly high cost. Leaving her friends and David behind to attend a high profile fashion

trip to Paris, Andrea discovers the real cost of her success and she is forced make a choice

between her personal life and her career.

The Devil Wears Prada portrays a number of topics relevant to Industrial/Organizational

Psychology. The film is rich in examples of some of the real-life problems that people face as

they try to balance the demands of their own work and personal lives. From motivation theories

to equity theory, job attitudes, and stress, the film covers a number of concepts directly relevant

to the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. I will explore each of these topics in depth.

Reinforcement Theory of Motivation

The first concept that is exemplified in the film is the concept of motivation. Employee

motivation is an area of great interest to many Industrial/Organizational Psychologists. Work

motivation theories are “most interested with the reasons, other than ability that some people

perform their jobs better than others” (Spector 200). Looking to explanations that rely on

personal characteristics, motivation theories attribute the success of certain individuals to the

mental states of these individuals. Hoping to find new ways to increase employee engagement

and to improve performance Industrial/ Organizational Psychologists are interested in identifying

the factors that may contribute to the success of these particular kinds of workers.

A topic directly relevant to setting in which people are working towards any kind of goal,

motivation is a major concept that is exemplified in any place of work. However, the concept is

demonstrated exceptionally well in the film, The Devil Wears Prada. Andrea’s motivation is

what sets her apart from the other “Emilys” that held her position before. Perhaps, Andrea’s

motivation is why she moved up the ladder so quickly while so many Emilys before her failed.

Andrea works harder and longer than any reasonable normal career person would dream to work.

She answers her phone whether she is at a party or with her boyfriend or out to dinner with her

father. When the phone rings, she drops whatever she has going on, and takes the call. What

drives her to work this hard? Looking to theories of motivation, perhaps, we will find an

explanation.

There are a number of theories that attempt to explain what kinds of factors might

motivate employees. Reinforcement theory and goal-setting theory are the two of the major

theories of motivation that we will look to try to answer this question. Relying on the idea of

incentive systems in which rewards are divvied out based on performance, reinforcement theory

has proven to be a successful method for increasing the motivation of employees in a number of

settings. While much research has been conducted supporting reinforcement theory, in the film

The Devil Wears Prada, the evidence is stacked against the theory. With access to top fashion

designers and designer clothing, and a spot reserved for her on a greatly rivaled fashion trip to

Paris, a major incentive system was certainly in place at Runway. This incentive system was

rendered useless, however, as the incentives that were being offered were not appealing to

Andrea. For other “Emilys” who had spent their lives dreaming of one day working for Miranda,

these incentives might have been motivating, however, for Andrea, an ordinary girl with no real

prior interest in fashion, these incentives had no persuasion. Apparently indifferent to particular

preferences of the world of fashion, Andrea remained unimpressed with any incentives that

Runway had to offer. As reinforcement theory fails to offer sufficient explanations for Andrea’s

success, we will have to look to other theories of motivation to understand what it is that set

Andrea apart.

Goal-Setting Theory of Motivation

Where reinforcement theory fails to offer sufficient explanations for Andrea’s

extraordinary success, goal-setting theory offers additional insight. Goal-setting theory is based

on the idea that people’s behaviors are motivated by their internal intentions, objectives, or

goals” (Spector 213). According to this theory, people can be motivated by intangible constructs

and ideas, as opposed to the more tangible rewards frequently proposed in incentive theory.

Research has demonstrated that goal-setting can be an effective means for maintaining and

increasing performance in many organizations, so long as employees are committed to the goals

that are set forth for them. Researchers in the field have demonstrated that specific goals are

more effective than vague goals. Furthermore, they have found that more the difficult the goal is,

the more effective that goal will tend to be. The film supports the findings of goal-setting theory

studies such as these. In the film, there is no shortage of objectives laid forth for Andrea. Each

day, she is met with an impossibly challenging list of items to be accomplished. With items

ranging from obtaining boogie boards for Miranda’s twins, or having a steak delivered to

Miranda’s desk within fifteen minutes to obtaining three copies of the unpublished manuscript of

the latest Harry Potter novel, Andrea’s objectives were undoubtedly challenging. With very little

ambiguity before, her, Miranda’s demands propelled Andrea’s actions at all times. Motivated by

her desire to please her boss and do well at her job, Andrea performs each task that is laid out

before her, no matter how challenging that task might be. Rising to each challenge that is set

before her, Andrea excels under the pressure that is placed on her. Supporting the idea that

employees are motivated by clear and challenging goals, The Devil Wears Prada offers evidence

for goal-setting theory.

Justice

While monetary needs and a desire to succeed drive employees to perform, social needs

act as a mediating force that keep these needs in check. Social needs for acceptance and respect

help to establish the norms that define the types of behaviors that will be considered acceptable

in a given workplace. Adams (1965) posits that employees are motivated to achieve a condition

of fairness or equity in their dealings with other people or organizations. Employees that find

themselves in inequitable positions of relative overpay or underpayment will experience

dissatisfaction or emotional tension that they will be motivated to reduce. Research has

demonstrated that employees that experience underpayment inequity will experience anger,

while employees that experience overpayment inequity will experience guilt. In either case, the

employee will be motivated to reduce the inequity by either changing inputs, changing outputs,

or withdrawing from the situation (Spector 211). The concept of justice is demonstrated in film,

The Devil Wears Prada as the office of Runway undergoes a restructuring of power when

Andrea is hired. As Andrea, an uncanny fit for the position of assistant to Miranda Priestly is

met with success at every corner, her success creates an situation of injustice within the office.

While Emily and Nigel and many former Emilys dedicated their entire lives to fashion, the

fashionably unaware Andrea seemingly just stumbled into the position. Despite her lack of

knowledge or experience in fashion, however, she is showered with designer clothes, and she is

given the opportunity to attend a high-profile fashion trip to Paris. Furthermore, after only a brief

period following her taking the position, Miranda informs Andrea that she will be replacing

Emily as her first assistant. To make matters worse, Andrea is given the burden of firing Emily

from her position. Receiving more outcomes for her inputs than her senior colleague, Emily,

Andrea experienced overpayment inequity while Emily experienced underpayment inequity.

Based on what we know of equity to research equity theory, one would expect that either

Andrea, feeling guilt due to her relative overpayment, or Emily, feeling anger due to

underpayment, would do something to reduce this inequity. Supporting what we know about

overpayment inequity, Andrea did in fact attempt to reduce this inequity. After leaving Runway,

Andrea gave Emily the clothes that she received while she worked for the company. Likely

attempting to reduce her unpleasant feelings of guilt about her relative overpayment, Andrea

restored justice between herself and Emily by giving Emily the clothing that she received at

Runway.

Job Attitudes: Job and Life Satisfaction

Job Satisfaction is a major topic of research in the field of Industrial/ Organizational

psychology. The second most popularly studied variable in the field, Job satisfaction is “an

attitudinal variable that reflects how people feel about their jobs” (Spector 223). Though Job

Satisfaction is most often studied in relationship with job performance, it has also been studied as

it relates to overall life satisfaction. Three hypotheses have been proposed about how job and life

satisfaction might affect one another. These three hypotheses are the spillover hypothesis, the

compensation hypothesis, and the segmentation hypothesis. The spillover hypothesis suggests

that satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) in one area of life spills over into other areas of life. So,

satisfaction at work can affect satisfaction with home. The compensation hypothesis, suggests

that dissatisfaction in one area of life will be compensated for in another. In this case, a person

with a dissatisfying home life might seek satisfaction in work. Finally, the segmentation

hypothesis states that people compartmentalize their lives such that satisfaction in one area of life

has no affect on their satisfaction in another.

Andrea’s experience in The Devil Wears Prada offers evidence for the compensation

hypothesis. Trying to keep up with the excessive demands of her boss, Angela’s personal

relationships begin to suffer. Though Andrea meets more and more success in her job, she was

left with no time or energy for her friends. Feeling that her personal life was “hanging on by a

thread,” Nigel offers Andrea a little piece of wisdom, telling the telling the young protégé, “Let

me know when your whole life goes up in smoke, that means it’s time for a promotion.” Nigel’s

advice agrees with what the compensation hypothesis proposes: that success in one domain

comes at the expense of another. Though Andrea’s success and performance at her job were

high, her satisfaction outside of her job was suffering.

Stress

Occupational stress is an area of major interest to Industrial/ Organizational psychologists

and has been researched in depth. There are a number of things in the work environment that

have been shown to cause stress in employees. Job stressors such as role ambiguity, role conflict,

workload, social stressors, organizational politics and lack of control within one’s job have been

associated with job strain. Job strain is any negative reaction to a stressor. These reactions can be

behavioral or emotional reactions like anger or anxiety, or they may be physical symptoms such

as a headache. Researchers have studied the effects of workload in the workplace and its

association with job strain. Spector (1988) found correlations between workload and the

psychological strains of job dissatisfaction, intention of quitting, and health symptoms.

Andrea’s experience in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, demonstrated a first-hand

example of the correlation indicated in Spector’s research. As Miranda’s assistant, Andrea was

placed in under an extraordinary workload. Andrea was constantly being asked to perform tasks

that were obviously outside of her job description. Besides bringing Starbucks coffee for the

whole office on a daily basis, other tasks that were required of Andrea included things such as

walking Miranda’s dogs, delivering Miranda’s dry cleaning to her home, completing Miranda’s

twin daughters’ science projects, and booking a same-day flight from Miami to New York during

a hurricane. Andrea was often asked to juggle multiple difficult if not impossible tasks such as

these at once, often operating under various time constraints while also being expected to

perform the other duties of her job. Both quantitatively and qualitatively excessive, the workload

placed upon Andrea was extraordinarily heavy. The excessive workload that Andrea’s job

demanded of her caused her a great amount of conflict in her interpersonal relationships.

Expected to answer the phone whenever Miranda might chose to call her, and to deliver

whatever impossible task Miranda might require, Andrea operated under a great amount of

stress. Andrea exhibited this stress in the form of anxiety and anger. Whenever Miranda might

call, Andrea would anxiously drop whatever she might have going on a given moment (like

dinner with her friends or boyfriend) to answer. After receiving Miranda’s impossible mission,

Andrea would take out her frustration and anger on her friends and boyfriend, yelling at them or

insulting them as she departed to accomplish her task for Miranda. Letting the negative feelings

that her job caused her to experience spill over into her personal life, Andrea’s personal

relationships suffered greatly for as long she worked for Runway.

Watching the movie, The Devil Wears Prada has helped me gain a greater understanding

of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. The movie is rich in examples of the ways in which the

Industrial/Organizational concepts of motivation, equity, job attitudes, and stress, operate in the

world. Though the experiences of the characters of The Devil Wears Prada are obviously

dramatized and are naturally somewhat more glamorous the examples that we may find laid out

in the pages of text books or research articles, they offer unique insight where other sources may

fall short, presenting a useful point of reference to which we may compare our knowledge and

experience.

References

Spector, Paul E. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Psychology (5th ed.). Wiley & Sons.