Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of Ghiselli’S Hobo Syndrome, Sang Eun Woo

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

This study attempts to clarify conceptual and operational inconsistencies in the literature around “Ghiselli’s hobo syndrome.” I propose that defining characteristics of hobo syndrome should include both the exhibition of frequent job movement behavior and positive attitudes about such behavior. This definition effectively differentiates the construct from other similar phenomena associated with frequent job movement (e.g., job/career mobility, protean careers). Using latent class cluster analysis of a diverse sample of 944 U.S. workers, it was empirically validated that a small number of individuals resembling the proposed characteristics of hobos did emerge as a distinct group (N = 42), providing person-centered …