Professional-Nonprofessional Dimensions of Self-Expression in a Professional Organization

The purposes of this research were, first, to examine the relationship between self-expression in organizational participation and the professional and nonprofessional dimension; second, to replicate Bonjean and Markham's study on a professional organization; and third, to determine the utility of this questionnaire as an administrative tool. This paper is an extension of research, particularly in personality and organization theory, which examines the relationship between individual predispositions and organizational constraints. This empirical investigation is aimed at examining this '`fit" for professional and nonprofessional staff in a professional organization. The questionnaire utilized consists of 24 items which comprise the self-expression measure and 10 behavioral measures and a measure of job satisfaction. The first three hypotheses suggest that there will be significant differences between subgroups on the level of self-expression and the ranking of ideal job characteristics and satisfactions. The remaining 11 hypotheses predict relationships between the level of self-expression and the behaviors of the individual.