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A Phenomenological Study of Flourishing in Mid-Career Professionals

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A Phenomenological Study of Flourishing in Mid-Career Professionals Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2020 A phenomenological study of flourishing in mid-career professionals Sohyun Lee [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Part of the Business Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, and the Organization Development Commons Recommended Citation Lee, Sohyun, "A phenomenological study of flourishing in mid-career professionals" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 1161. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1161 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. FLOURISHING IN MID-CAREER PROFESSIONALS Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF FLOURISHING IN MID-CAREER PROFESSIONALS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership by Sohyun Lee July, 2020 Paula Thompson, Ed.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Sohyun Lee Under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: Paula Thompson, Ed.D., Chairperson Kay Davis, Ed.D Maria Brahme, Ed.D Copyright by Sohyun Lee (2020) All Rights Reserved Table of Contents Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... ix VITA ............................................................................................................................................... x ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Background of the Research ....................................................................................................... 3 Statement of Problem .................................................................................................................. 8 Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................................. 9 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 9 Significance of The Topic ......................................................................................................... 10 Key Definitions ......................................................................................................................... 11 Key Assumptions ...................................................................................................................... 13 Limitations of the Study............................................................................................................ 13 Delimitations of the Study ........................................................................................................ 14 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 16 Historical Background .............................................................................................................. 17 Flourishing: Well-Being Theory (PERMA-H Model) .............................................................. 26 Flourishing in Mid-Career Professionals .................................................................................. 61 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 67 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 67 Restatement of Problem ............................................................................................................ 67 Restatement of Research Questions .......................................................................................... 68 Description of the Research Methodology ............................................................................... 69 Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Human Protections ...................................................... 70 Process for Selection of Participants ......................................................................................... 71 Data Collection Procedures ....................................................................................................... 72 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................................... 74 FLOURISHING IN MID-CAREER PROFESSIONALS v Data Analysis Processes ........................................................................................................... 76 Internal Study Validity .............................................................................................................. 78 Positionality .............................................................................................................................. 79 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 80 Chapter 4: Results ......................................................................................................................... 81 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 81 Re-Statement of Purpose ........................................................................................................... 81 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 81 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 82 Participants’ Demographic Information ................................................................................... 83 Thematic Analysis and Findings ............................................................................................... 83 Themes .................................................................................................................................... 109 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 116 Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................... 118 Statement of Purpose .............................................................................................................. 118 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 118 Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 119 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 120 Limitations of the Findings ..................................................................................................... 128 Recommendations for Mid-career Professionals .................................................................... 129 Implications for Policy and Practice ....................................................................................... 132 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 133 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 135 APPENDIX A: Interview Questions .......................................................................................... 157 APPENDIX B: LinkedIn Recruitment Post ................................................................................ 158 APPENDIX C: Informed Consent Form .................................................................................... 159 APPENDIX D: Handout to the Participants
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