Final answer:
Albert's behavior in joining a work softball team due to lacking career advancement opportunities is an illustration of the frustration-regression principle, where he seeks alternative means of satisfaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The given example provides an illustration of the frustration-regression principle. Albert is experiencing frustration due to a lack of career advancement opportunities within his company. As a result, he regresses to a different means of satisfaction by joining a work softball team to socialize and perhaps feel a sense of accomplishment and belonging outside of his career trajectory. This behavior aligns with the frustration-regression principle, as he is seeking to fulfill his needs through an alternative outlet when faced with obstacles to his initial goals.
The mentioned principle is part of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, which posits that when an individual's higher-level needs are frustrated, they may regress to fulfill lower-level needs, such as social needs, in this case. This principle is distinct from the other options provided: the expected utility hypothesis, which relates to making decisions based on the expected outcomes; the correspondence principle, which involves behaviors matching with attitudes; and the self-fulfilling prophecy, where an initial expectation causes itself to become true.