Theories provide meaning. They allow us to understand and interpret data. Theories specify which variables are important and for what reasons, describe and explain the relationships that link the variables, and identify the boundary conditions under which variables should or should not be related (Campbell, 1990). Theories help identify and define problems, prescribe a means for evaluating or solving the problems, and facilitate responses to new problems. They permit generalization beyond the immediate sample and provide a basis for making predictions. Theory tells us why something occurs, not simply what occurs. Research in the absence of theory is often trivial—a technical feat more likely to yield confusion and boredom than insight. In contrast, research that is guided by theory, or that develops theory, generates understanding and excitement. To signal the commitment of the Journal of Applied Psychology not only to the publication of theory-driven and theory-building research but also to the publication of theory per se, in September 2002 the journal issued a call for papers that present new theoretical models and conceptual analyses. We urged authors to submit conceptual manuscripts that extend beyond the current literature— that offer more than a review of the existing literature and more than a repackaging of established constructs and models. We emphasized that manuscripts should offer new theoretical insights and propose new explanations of constructs, relationships, and/or