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Entrepreneurship and well-being: The role of psychological autonomy, competence, and relatedness

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  • Shir, Nadav
  • Nikolaev, Boris N.
  • Wincent, Joakim

Abstract

Drawing upon the self-determination theory, we develop a two-stage multi-path mediation model in which psychological autonomy mediates the relationship between active engagement in entrepreneurship and well-being partially through its effect on psychological competence and relatedness. We test this model on a representative sample of 1837 working individuals (251 early-stage entrepreneurs) from Sweden. We find active engagement in entrepreneurial work tasks to be strongly associated with well-being relative to non-entrepreneurial work. Thus, we highlight the importance of individual self-organization—with autonomy at its core—which makes entrepreneurial work more beneficial in terms of basic psychological needs compared to other work alternatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Shir, Nadav & Nikolaev, Boris N. & Wincent, Joakim, 2019. "Entrepreneurship and well-being: The role of psychological autonomy, competence, and relatedness," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:34:y:2019:i:5:3
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.05.002
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