The study investigated the relations between anxiety and job satisfaction from the outlooks of three different approaches to pleasure, i.e. bottom-up, top-down, and transactional. Generally Job Satisfaction (GJS), diversification in satisfaction according to job aspects (Work Description Inventory), situational (four items from the Job Affect Scale) and steady job-related anxiety (Mood at location of work Questionnaire), neurosis and Extroversion (NEO–FFI) were investigated among 480 employees (240 males). Analyses done from the outlook of ‘bottom-up’ theories showed that two forms of job-related anxiety were negatively correlated with the level of satisfaction but were not related with diversification in satisfaction. Data analyzed from the outlook of the ‘top-down’ model presented that neurosis affected job-related anxiety and job satisfaction; moreover, steady anxiety recon ciliated the relation between neurosis and GJS. Data analysis within the transactional model shows that GJS depended on mutual action between steady anxiety, neurosis and Extroversion. The study discloses the possible methodological problems and measurement artificial of the ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top down’ approaches. In addition, it provides evidence supporting the adaptive role of anxiety and individual properties as its moderators.
