174 Chapter 7 between the two constructs on the person-level. Moreover, the use of proactive vitality management was associated with the use of job crafting, as indicated by moderately strong correlations with increasing social and structural job resources and challenging demands on the person-level, and a moderate correlation with increasing social job resources on the day-level. The common denominator of all proactive constructs lies in the ‘forward time perspective’, which is also inherent in proactive personality, job crafting, and proactive vitality management. Proactive personality refers to an individual characteristic that makes one predisposed to take control and engage in behavior that brings about change (Bateman & Crant, 1993), and it has been frequently associated with many forms of proactive behavior (Fuller & Marler, 2009; Parker & Collins, 2010). Accordingly, while proactive personality is a trait as opposed to a behavior, proactive individuals may be more likely to engage in various proactive behaviors, including proactive vitality management. Moreover, job crafting and proactive vitality management are conceptually related because they share the proactive strategy of optimizing employees’ experiences. However, job crafting refers to proactively changing aspects of one’s work environment, whereas proactive vitality management involves intentional behavior aimed at changing aspects of the self – or more specifically, one’s physical, affective, and cognitive state. Both behaviors may subsequently improve the fit of the person with their job or work environment fit (cf. Parker et al., 2010; Tims et al., 2014; Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001). Finally, in the context of divergent validity, proactive vitality management may be contrasted with behaviors that are more reactive and less goal-driven in nature. Indeed, findings from the nomological network in Chapter 2 showed that there were weak or non-existent relationships between proactive vitality management and decreasing hindering demands, as well as recovery-related constructs, such as taking microbreaks and psychological detachment fromwork, both on general and day-level. While decreasing one’s job demands and recovering after (periods of) work may potentially counter strain and protect well-being, it may sometimes be ‘too little too late’ in the long run. Trying to stay ahead of strain or empty energy reserves is key, and proactive vitality management involves preparing for what is to come rather than recovering from or reacting to what was. As shown in this dissertation, through proactive vitality management, individuals may thus act in a more timely and therefore effective manner to reduce the risk of potential physical and mental health issues.
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