Abstract

The current study sought to explain a largely overlooked theme in psychological contract literature, that is, how individual factors are related to formation of psychological contract. It investigated the relationship between people’s work centrality, psychological contracts, and job attitudes. It was expected that people with higher work centrality would be less likely to have a transactional contract and more likely to have a relational contract with the employer. Furthermore, it was expected that psychological contract (transactional and relational) would mediate the relations between work centrality and job attitudes. Finally, we expected age to moderate the relations between work centrality and the psychological contract. The study was conducted among 465 employees in a Dutch health care organization. Structural equation models supported the mediating effect of psychological contract types in the relations between work centrality and three job attitudes (work engagement, job satisfaction, and turnover intention). Moreover, it was found that the relations between work centrality and psychological contract were stronger for older workers than for younger workers.