171 Summary and General Discussion (social) work environment. In contrast, proactive vitality management distinguishes itself from other studied examples of proactive behavior because it involves proactive behavior aimed at changing aspects of the self – or more specifically, one’s physical, affective, and cognitive state – to achieve optimal functioning. Vitality has been defined and conceptualized as encompassing both a physical and mental – i.e., affective and cognitive – component (Lavrusheva, 2020; Ryan & Frederick, 1997). These explicit features of not only feeling physically fit, but also positive and mentally alert is what distinguishes vitality from the mere concept of physical energy. In line with this, proactive vitality management has been conceptualized in this dissertation as an overarching behavioral construct comprising the proactive management of the physical, affective, and cognitive components inherent in vitality. Finally, proactivity involves goal-driven processes, and this intentional, goal-directed aspect is inherent in the proactive vitality management construct as well. Individuals may strategically use proactive vitality management to satisfy their personal need for energy conservation in order to achieve optimal functioning at work (De Bloom et al., 2020). By doing so, they may achieve a better personal fit within one’s work environment (Parker et al., 2010). As such, proactive vitality management may be used by individuals to influence their own occupational health and performance. This ‘bottom-up’ approach may be contrasted with – but also complement – top-down approaches in which organizations aim to impact employee well-being and performance, for example through job redesign (cf. JD-R theory; Bakker & Demerouti, 2017; Holman et al., 2010; Holman & Axtell, 2016). Measurement Instrument To support the conceptualization of proactive vitality management and to explore it further, I developed a measurement instrument for it, as detailed in Chapter 2. The results from two survey studies (total N = 813) showed that proactive vitality management can be reliably measured with a scale consisting of eight items. Moreover, a state version of the scale that captures within-person fluctuations in proactive vitality management was tested. Results from a five-day diary study (N = 133) and a cross-sectional study on the day-level (N = 246) showed that daily proactive vitality management can be reliably measured with the same eight items when adapted to the day-level. Throughout the studies presented in this dissertation, the reliability 7
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