Entrepreneurial calling and psychological wellbeing: a qualitative study of a dynamic and regulated work experience

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction Calling is commonly associated with meaningful, identity-defining work and positive psychological outcomes. Although entrepreneurial work is often characterized by strong personal engagement and meaningful self-directed activity, less is known about how entrepreneurial calling is experienced in everyday work practice and how it relates to psychological wellbeing. Methods This study draws on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 31 Hungarian entrepreneurs who perceived their work as a calling. Thematic analysis explored how participants experienced, enacted, and sustained entrepreneurial calling in everyday work practice, including the meaning of their work, identity-relevant engagement, and the psychological consequences of living a calling within entrepreneurial contexts. Results Participants experienced calling through meaningful work activities, with entrepreneurship functioning as a flexible context enabling identity-relevant and self-directed work. Entrepreneurial calling emerged as a dynamic form of engagement characterized by: (1) identity-congruent meaning and intrinsic engagement; (2) autonomy-enabled self-direction; (3) uncertainty, emotional strain, and blurred boundaries; and (4) growth, self-reflection, adaptation, and boundary negotiation. Psychological wellbeing did not emerge automatically from calling, but depended on participants’ capacity to sustain engagement while managing its emotional and personal demands over time. Discussion Findings suggest that entrepreneurial calling represents a dynamically enacted form of meaningful work engagement shaped through the interplay between identity, autonomy, uncertainty, and psychological demand. While identity-congruent and autonomy-enabled work fostered meaning, purpose, and personal growth, it also intensified emotional strain and difficulties disengaging from work. Entrepreneurial calling therefore emerged as an evolving and psychologically complex process requiring continuous adaptation and negotiation to remain sustainable.