A Discrepancy Model of Psychological Contract Violations

Abstract

While previous research suggests that employees rarely believe organizations keep all of the commitments made to them, only in some cases do employees perceive these unfulfilled commitments as psychological contract violations and make active attempts to "get even" with their employers for the betrayal. This article presents a discrepancy model for understanding when employees will perceive unfulfilled commitments as psychological contract violations and for understanding when employees will respond in a hostile manner to those violations. Among other factors, the sources of employees' expectations, the specific contract elements on which discrepancies occur, and the magnitude and timing of the unfulfilled commitments are all posited as important contributors to perceptions of psychological contract violations. Then, individual differences, organizational practices, and labor market factors are examined as important moderators of how strongly employees respond to perceived psychological contract violations. The article concludes with directions for future theoretical and empirical research on psychological contract violations and employees' reactions to them. © 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.