PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF A ROMANIAN PERSON EMPLOYED

ABROAD.

COMPARATIVE STUDY

The research is realized on sample of 90 persons of Romanian nationality of which 45

are employed at a cleaning company abroad and 45 works in a tailoring factory from
Romania. The elements of the psychological profile that we had compared at the two
groups were: self-esteem, life satisfaction, emotional and social solitude, work satisfaction
and self-realization by profession. Although that in the analysis of these differences we took
in count the period passed in the foreign territory and the marital status, the results do not
indicate the existence of some significant statistic differences for none of these analyzed
elements.

Key words: Romanian employee abroad, self-esteem, social and emotional solitude, works

Global self-esteem appears as being the average of particular self-assessment on

personal relevance sizes. According to a definition, the self-esteem is the result of a fraction,
where the numerator is represented by the successes obtained and the denominator by the
initial aspirations or requests (James, 1950). The self-esteem is a variable which achieves,
in the psychical functioning, multiple and variated functions mediator or moderator (Baron
and Kenny, 1986). The research showed that the self-esteem is a psychological variable
involved in: substances abuse (Higgins, Clough and Wallerstedt, 1995; Turner, 1995);
delinquent behaviors (Anderson, 1994); depression (Brownet al., 1 986; Kernis, Granneman
and Mathis, 1991; Tennen and Herzberger, 1987); anger, hostility and aggressive behavior
(Baumeister, Smart and Boden, 1996; Kernis, Grannemann and Barclay, 1989); appraisal of
life satisfaction/ life quality (Diener and Diener, 1995); evaluation of intimacy and of
satisfaction in interpersonal relationships (Griffin and Bartolomew, 1994; Rusbult, Morrow
and Johnson, 1987); reactivity to evaluative events (Brown and Dutton, 1995; Cambell,Chew
and Scratchley, 1991; Kernis, Brockner and Frankel, 1989) etc.

The life satisfaction is defined as representing the subjective condition resulting from
the fruition of needs, the lack of tensions, anxiety (Zamfir, C. in Zamfir and Vlasceanu
coord., 1993). If we refer to the life satisfaction, we notice the multivocal feature of this
concept, meaning that on one hand, it is used as a general indicator of subjective welfare, on
the other hand, it is only a component (its cognitive part)(Bltescu, 2003). The satisfaction

measurement is also realized by using a broad palette of indicators regarding the actual life
aspects (job satisfaction, life and family satisfaction, satisfaction in respect to the material
level, satisfaction in respect to the spare time, etc., Veenhoven, 1989).

The social and emotional loneliness is an exhausting condition from the emotional
point of view, inhibiting within the interpersonal relationships and which makes you to fall
back from the psychological point of view. When we feel alone, our thoughts can be distorted
and thus we can have exaggerated reactions to certain events in life which, in other situations,
we would take more easier (Booth, 1996). Sociologists have always seen the personal
relationships as a binder of the society. When a society is made of isolated members, it is
meant to be broken. As the estrangement, the increased rate of divorces and the criminality,
the loneliness is seen by certain people as a cause or as a symptom of the social breakdown.
(Perlman & Peplau, 1982).

The self-realization is an educative process centered on the individual's participation

to supported actions in order to develop his own personality. Srean Elena (2008) defines
the work satisfaction as positive emotional condition resulting from the personal opinion of
an employee, on his work or on the work climate.C. Zamfir (1980) asserts that: the
satisfaction is a subjective condition, it results from the fruition of needs, the lack of tension
and anxiety. In an European case study realized by the European Foundation for the
improvement of work and life conditions, it was found that some of the most discontent
people of their work are Romanians, both in respect to the work conditions and in respect to
the promotion opportunities or material satisfactions. Many managers have a particular talent
in making their employees feel as simple means for meeting their financial objectives. No
one is irreplaceable, the slogan we hear too often, betrays the tendency to treat people as
objects. Herewith, the non-recognition of merits, the lack of promotion opportunities or the
bad relationship with the boss and the feeling that he assumes the successes of his employees,
represent causes of the dissatisfaction at the workplace. The doubling of the work volume,
without finding the value of the effort in material satisfactions is a method frequently used by
managers in order to reduce costs, but which generates a frustration for the employees. The
dissatisfaction generated by professional realizations is related mainly to the following
reasons: employees' perception on the work tasks, the non-existence of some clear promotion

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programs within the hierarchy of the companies, the existing deficiencies in respect to the
delegation of responsibilities from managers, the non-recognition, by employees, of the
purpose of their work (http://www.rasfoiesc.com/business/management/resurse-
umane/STUDIU-DE-CAZ-AIFER-ROMANIA-MO64.php).

For the measurement of variables realized in research, we have requested to the

participants to fill a demographic form regarding their category of gender, age, address, time
spent abroad (in case of Romanians residing abroad), the family statute abroad (in case of
Romanians residing abroad) and also if they have or not children.
Were also applied: The Self-Realization Survey Form and The Work Satisfaction
Evaluation Survey Form proposed by Adina Ghelcea (1995, respectively 1997), The Life
Satisfaction Survey Form proposed by Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen and
Sharon Griffin, Rosenberg Scale which measures the self-esteem (1965) and The Emotional
and Social Loneliness Inventory (Emotional and Social Loneliness Inventory- ESL) - Harry
Vicenzi and Fran Grabosky (1984).

The filling of the survey form by the participants was realized in their pauses from
work for a duration of 15 minutes. The survey forms were presented to the participants and
the way of answer for each scale was explained to them, and also the purpose of this survey.
Each participant was asked to be sincere in his answers, being ensured of its confidentiality.

The first objective of the study was that to intercept differences depending on the statute of
emigrant or non-emigrant in respect to the variations related to the professional field such as:
work satisfaction, self-realization through profession and the highlighting of some
correlations of these indicators only in case of Romanians from Diaspora.

In respect to the analysis of differences regarding the work satisfaction, F(91,77) = 4.53 has
an insignificant value from the statistical point of view, which means that there are no
significant differences regarding the work satisfaction between the Romanians from Diaspora
and those who are working in Romania on the samples included in the study.
In order to check if there are significant differences only between the Romanians from
Diaspora, depending on the years of service had in the foreign territory, in respect to the work
satisfaction, I have applied the test for independent samples. The higher value than the critical

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threshold of .05 allows us to say that there are no significant differences depending on the
years of service had in the foreign territory. The result is rendered in the Table 1.

Table 1.Test t for realizing the comparison in respect to the work satisfaction depending
on the years of service of Romanians from Diaspora.

Df F P
Work satisfaction 44 1.27 .29

We have checked if the period of time spent on foreign territory could influence the feeling of
self-realization through profession. The results are given below and they have no statistical
significance.

Table 2.Test t for realizing the comparison between the Romanians from Diaspora in
respect to the self-realization through profession, depending on the duration of the
emigrant statute

Df F P
Self-realization through 44 .11 .89
profession

In order to check if there is a significant correlation between age and self-realization through
profession, the value of the statistical test ( r = .286, p=.05; ) shows that more he grows in
years, more increases the degree of self-realization through profession of the emigrant
Romanians. In turn, for non-emigrant Romanians, we notice that between age and self-
realization through profession there is no significant correlation ( r =-07, p=60).

The second objective of the research wants to intercept the existence of some differences
determined by emigration in order to occupy a job in respect to the social and emotional
loneliness aspect of the self-esteem.

In the first series of statistical analyses, the two samples were represented by Romanians
from Diaspora and by those established in Romania. The results of the comparative analysis
are given in the Table 3 and their interpretation suggests that there are no differences for any
variable included in the study.

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Table 3 Values of the test t on independent samples in order to analyse the differences
between the Romanians from Diaspora and those established in Romania.

F df1 df2 P
Social loneliness .184 91 88.527 .669
Emotional loneliness .845 91 88.329 .360
Self-esteem 3.483 91 79.981 .065

In order to check if there are specific differences between the Romanians from Diaspora and
the Romanians from Romania in respect to the life satisfaction, we have realized the
comparison rendered in the table 4.

Table 4 Comparative analysis of the life satisfaction degree between the emigrant and non-
emigrant Romanians

F df1 df2 P
Life satisfaction 4.539 91 77.687 .036

The significance threshold p. = .036 corresponding to F(91,77) = 4.53 is significant from the
statistical point of view, the analysis of environments showing that migrant Romanians have
a higher life satisfaction degree than the non-migrant Romanians?????

In the second series of statistical analyses related to this objective, I have selected only the
scores to the surveys realized for the Romanians from Diaspora in respect to the social and
emotional loneliness and we have comparatively analyzed these scores depending on their
family statute (alone or with the family). The results are given below and they have no
relevance from the statistical point of view.

Table 5 Values of the test t for social and emotional loneliness of Romanians from
Diaspora depending on their family statute

Df F P
Social loneliness 44 .782 .464

Emotional loneliness 44 2.079 .138

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