Linking Irrational Beliefs with Well-Being at Work: The Role of Fulfilling Performance Expectations

This study explored the association between irrational beliefs — i.e., rigid, unrealistic, and illogical convictions that people hold — and well-being at work. In detail, we tested whether secondary irrational beliefs (i.e., self-depreciation, low frustration tolerance, and awfulizing) displayed both common and unique associations with well-being. Furthermore, we investigated whether the perceived degree of performance expectations’ fulfillment mediate such associations. Data were collected on a sample of 3576 employees from companies providing business and consulting services. Results showed that the general irrationality factor and awfulizing were negatively associated with well-being, both directly and indirectly (via a lower degree of performance expectations’ fulfillment). Low frustration tolerance was positively related with the performance expectations’ fulfillment, which, in turn, fully mediated its association with well-being. Self-depreciation did not relate to our outcomes. The study contributes to the advancement of irrational beliefs literature as it is the first to disentangle the common and unique associations they have with well-being at work and identified the perceived fulfillment of performance expectations as a relevant mediating mechanism in the workplace. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.