176 Chapter 7 Proactive Vitality Management Processes Proactive vitality management has been conceptualized as a proactive behavior that involves changing aspects of the self to achieve a different future (cf. Parker et al., 2010). In the proactive vitality management process, individuals may alter their physical, affective, and cognitive states to promote optimal functioning at work. So, while the ‘different future’ may mostly be represented by work-related outcomes, the ‘changed self’ may be manifested in process variables that reflect the physical, affective, and cognitive components of vitality (Lavrusheva, 2020; Ryan & Frederick, 1997). These process variables may theoretically answer the question how proactive vitality management relates to work-related outcomes. As discussed earlier, the findings in this dissertation show that proactive vitality management is associated with, for example, lower levels of exhaustion and fatigue (i.e., physical), and higher levels of work engagement (i.e., affective) and cognitive liveliness (i.e., cognitive). These findings are corroborated by recently published studies similarly showing that proactive vitality management is associated with lower fatigue and exhaustion, as well as higher work engagement and mental health (Bălăceanu et al., 2021; Tisu et al., 2021; Ye et al., 2020, 2021). In correspondence with JD-R theory, proactive vitality management may relate to more favorable work-related outcomes via such increases in well-being (Bakker &Demerouti, 2017). More specifically, the physical, affective, and cognitive components inherent in proactive vitality management may trigger multiple, intertwined processes that may subsequently promote optimal functioning (cf. Lavrusheva, 2020; Ryan & Deci, 2008; Ryan & Frederick, 1997). I have maintained this integrative perspective throughout the various chapters in this dissertation. However, each of the vitality components has also been the subject of a more focused view while I explored the various underlying mechanisms through which proactive vitality management may promote favorable outcomes. Physical Mechanism In Chapter 6, I focused on a mechanism that corresponds to the physical aspect of proactive vitality management by exploring the mediating role of exhaustion in the link with work outcomes. More specifically, findings from the longitudinal study described in Chapter 6 show that employees who used proactive vitality management experienced less exhaustion three months later, which subsequently related to reduced absenteeism
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