This study focused on the experience of involuntary job loss for managers and professionals. Fifteen males and females provided details of their experience through in-depth interviews. The critical incident technique was used as the approach to identify the high points and low points during their term of unemployment. The most frequently reported positive incidents included interviews, positive feedback from others, support of friends, family and counselling, and lack of financial pressures. The negative incidents most frequently reported included leaving the previous employer, rejection, lost role, interviews and lost career opportunities. In addition, the research participants reported shock and relief as the two most frequent responses to the termination. When asked about whether a change in attitude to work had occurred 11 reported some change following termination. The most prominent result of this research points to the experience of unemployment as largely an individual experience, only four categories of critical incidents included incidents reported by more than 50% of the participants interviewed. Counsellors may benefit from this research which provides information particular to this group and which will assist them in determining appropriate counselling techniques and interventions. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Unemploynent is a problem that confronts many western countries. The aim of this dissertation is to understand, on the basis of a phenomenological investigation, what it means to be an unemployed, white, South African citizen. These meanings are then seen and discussed against the background of the problems associated with the ideological structure within the country. How the latter relates to white employment and psychological life is also explored. The results demonstrate the negative impact unemploynent has upon the psychological functioning of the individual. The results further show the despair such individuals face, having been 'denied' an accepted role within society.

Orientation: The high unemployment level in South Africa has caused even graduates to be unemployed and yet they hold university degrees. This has increased pressure on the job seeking students to develop factors that influence employability, hence the study seeks to identify whether personality and self-esteem act as predictors of employability among final year university students. Research purpose: The objectives of this investigation were to examine whether personality, as is typically found in personality type research tool such as the, (Myers Briggs personality indicator) and self-esteem positively predict employability among final year university students. Secondly, to determine the personality types that significantly predict employability among final year university students. The last objective was to determine whether self-esteem significantly predicts employability among final year university students. Motivation for the study: This investigation is particularly important because it looks at the non-academic attributes that make job-seeking students able to attain a job and also sustain that job. The 21st century workplace is ever changing, and students are required to build proactive personalities that help them increase their employability level and stand a higher chance of getting employed. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative survey research design was used and a questionnaire was self-administered to a stratified simple random sample consisting of 238 Management and Commerce final year students at the university of Fort Hare. The study used quantitative approach and a positivism paradigm. To measure personality, TIPI scale was used and had 10 items. Employability was measured using the student self-perceived employability scale and self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Main findings: The results of this study showed a similarity with others obtained in prior studies. The results drawn from the statistical analysis of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between personality types such as perceiving, extraversion and feeling with employability among final year management and commerce students at the university of Fort Hare. However, the results showed that there is no positive relationship that exists between self-esteem and employability among final year job-seeking students. Practical implications: The research findings provided evidence that personality had a positive relationship with employability in an academic context. This makes it clear that student career exploration process can only be successful when special attention is given to developing individual’s human capital skills and proactive personalities. Institutions of higher learning should take advantage of some career experts in their countries and in their universities to provide students with employability lessons and guidelines. Contribution: The most important contribution of this study is that it helps to extend knowledge and understanding on the issues concerning the relationship between personality, self-esteem and employability in an academic setting. The research magnified the frame of information in the area personality in relation to employability in academic contexts. It makes available more literature that looks into these two variables (personality and self-esteem) in an African context.

Pain has been described as the most complex human experience and most frequent reason patients seek medical treatment. Few people fail to experience the pain associated with disease, injury, or medical/surgical procedures. However, the impact of unemployment that results from chronic pain suffering has not been widely researched. To present a comprehensive view of the effect unemployment has upon the chronic pain experience, this study focused upon stress philosophy, chronic pain, employment, and coping effectiveness. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a Personal Data Questionnaire (PDQ) were administered to 96 persons (four groups of 24 subjects) representing either unemployed or employed and either chronic or non-chronic (acute) pain populations.

Cheng, Brian Hugh. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

This study investigated the effect of participation in a 14-day career redirection program on the reemployment, explanations for unemployment, and levels of depression and self-esteem of 44 unemployed adults who had recently become physically disabled. The career redirection program was delivered using an extended Solomon four-group design. The subjects’ explanations for their unemployment, and their levels of depression and self-esteem were measured on at least two of four possible occasions: (a) before participating in the program, (b) after completing the program, (c) after waiting to participate in the program, or (d) eight weeks after completing the program. The researcher contacted the subjects who completed the program after eight weeks to determine their employment status and to request the completion of the final questionnaire battery. A random sample of the subjects who finished the program were also interviewed in-depth to obtain detailed information about their experiences of: (a) becoming disabled, (b) being confronted with the need to change jobs as a result of their disabilities, and (c) participating in the career redirection program. All the incidents reported by the subjects that related to their emotional reactions to these three experiences were identified from transcripts of the interviews. Incidents describing similar reactions to components of these experiences were grouped into categories. Six stages were discerned from the analysis of the categories of emotional reactions. Taken together, these six stages described a career redirection process. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment program in assisting the subjects through the career redirection process. Eight weeks after finishing the program, 60.5% of the subjects were involved in reemployment activities (11.6% working; 28% independent in job search; 20.9% taking training). Contrary to the researcher’s expectations, the subjects did not exhibit the effects of long-term unemployment documented in the literature, possibly because they....

This grounded theory study investigated the experiences of 18 middle class, middle aged men who lost long term employment because of organizational restructuring. Limited research had previously been conducted in this area and this study extends our understanding about the impact of job loss on people who have lost long term employment. The purpose of the study was to explicate the lived experiences of these men and generate an explanation and model of how they reconstructed their understanding of career following job loss from long term employment. The men's experience of job loss and how they constructed career after the loss of long term employment were explained through a dynamic and interacting four stage process model of the dissolution of career. Stage 1, establishing career, explained how the men came to understand career as a relationship. For these men, career, as a relationship, was based on trust and was comprised of reciprocal terms believed to exist between the "good employee" and the "good employer." Over time, by fulfilling the terms of reciprocity, a psychological contract was established between the men and their employers. This contract contained mutual obligations, such as, employment security in exchange for employee commitment, loyalty, hard work, and sacrifice. Stage 2, the termination of employment, revealed how the experience of job loss signified a violation of the psychological contract. The men believed they had complied with the psychological contract; however, the employer's failure to provide employment security represented a violation of the psychological contract. This violation was a highly emotional experience, tantamount to a betrayal. Although compensation could represent the employer's effort to honour the employer/employee relationship, compensation in the form of severance pay was not adequate. Stage 3, disengaging from career, signified the period of time during which the men attempted to come to terms with the loss of career. The men attempted to secure new employment in a world of work different from the world in which they had begun their careers. Although the men sought employment that promoted the employer/employee relationship of career, seeking work revealed career as they had known it was unlikely in the new world of work. Past experience and educational upgrading had little effect on their ability to secure employment. Employers favoured inexpensive labour, immediate skills, and short term working relationships with employees. Generally, the men found themselves working in unstable jobs for less money. The men who secured stable work, gained job security through union membership or self employment instead of relying on the employer/employee relationship. The men's experiences during this stage underscored the experiences of the second stage. Stage 4, the dearth of career, represented the outcome of the men's experiences of the preceding stages. Although the men maintained previous definitions of career, they stated they had lost career and that career is no longer possible in the context of the new world of work. They were less trusting of employers. They favoured a transactional orientation towards work and stressed self interest in work relationships. Whereas, career provided a major source of purpose and meaning in the past, they constructed new purpose and meaning in life by reprioritizing other relationships in their lives, that is, with self, family, and friends. One wonders, however, whether life seemed less meaningful for the men who participated in this study because they maintained their definitions of career.

Abstract available in pdf file.

The aim of this study was to examine psychocultural factors that are related to unemployment amongst the black residents of Bethanie, which is a semi-rural village in the North West Province. The specific objectives were: <ul><li> to describe how values, belief systems and customs in the community where the study was done, are related to socio-economic development; this also involves changes in values, belief systems and customs due to the contact between the traditional African and Westem cultures; </li><li> to describe how socio-economic development is related to unemployment, and, accordingly, how values, belief systems and customs are related to unemployment; </li><li> to describe the role of the physical and. psychosocial environment with regard to socio¬economic development and unemployment.<br> </li></ul> A qualitative, ethnographic approach was used. This involved in-depth interviews with people with knowledge about the cultural, economic and social context in Bethanie, participant observation and psycholinguistic analyses. Bethanie is characterised by economic stagnation in spite of there being good potential for economic growth. Existing economic activities do not provide sufficient employment opportunities for the villagers, and they depend on the areas surrounding the village for employment. With regard to Hofstede's four value dimensions, it was found that individualism and collectivism are not opposite poles on a continuum, but are in a recursive relationship. Development that is exclusively based on either individualistic or collectivistic values is bound to fail. The value system in Bethanie is predominantly feminine by nature and this should form the basis for development; however, the actual implementation of development projects should be based on masculine values. Avoidance of uncertainty impedes new economic activities or expansion of current economic activities. In Bethanie there is a large power distance as well as inadequate linkages between the community and the power base that has decision-making power and control over resources that could be used for development. A non-linear experience of time, together with using time to maintain continuity rather than to create prosperity, inhibits social and economic development. Non-linear temporality restrains the implementation of developmental projects with a long-term future-orientation, an~ to be successful projects should render visible, short-term outcomes. Acculturation leads to diverse outcomes. Firstly, aspects of another culture can become assimilated with the indigenous culture, thereby creating new forms of cultural expression. Secondly, the new can be imposed on a community and replace existing customs. Thirdly, in parallelism both traditional and Western customs are followed. Socio-economic development can occur through all three these forms of change. However, irrespective of the way change occurs, during times of transition and uncertainty, and when the explanation for events is not evident, people may return to their culture. This could entail a positive redefinition of and identification with the values of the in-group, and efforts to regain control over one's own affairs. Some aspects of a culture are more susceptibje to change than others, and in addition sectors of the community are on different levels of development and acculturation. This must be accommodated in developmental initiatives. Value polymorphism can also lead to conflict and fragmentation of society. Structural unemployment, which results from a lack of job opportunities, must be distinguished from unemployment due to incomplete transition from an educational setting to an employment setting. Unemployment is also a social problem that requires immediate action to alleviate the poverty associated with unemployment. The type of unemployment determines the kinds of interventions that are necessary. Development can occur at either a sectional level (involving SUbgroups) or a communal level (involving the whole community). Development may be either evolutionary, or it could be revolutionary, or it could be based on direct interventions. systems and development must occur on a regional level and be linked with development in the larger context. If the larger context is accounted for, factors that influence and control local conditions, can be attended to. Developmental projects should have both an economic and social focus and be in synchrony with the community's level of development, local culture and leadership, facilitating and inhibiting factors in the physical environment, gender differentiation and the role of women in the community. Other factors that promote development include political stability and a sense of security; permeable boundaries between the setting and the external environment; adequate links between a setting and the power base; a focus on the functional development of people so that they can be employable and take charge of economic activities; exposure to middle-class values; dedifferentiation and greater involvement of the community in decision-making. / Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Psychology / unrestricted

Today organisations all over the world have to cope with the ever-increasing rate of local and global change. Those in developing countries have to cope with the inefficiencies engendered by state-led economic, developmental and political strategies, such as new government regulations. These have had an impact on the management of human resources and are exemplified by an increasing adoption of strategies meant to reduce pressure on costs and margins. An increasing popular management response to these challenges has been to engage in some form of organisational restructuring such as downsizing. Often employees who remain (survivors) after downsizing are not given much attention, yet the achievement of new strategic goals depends on the survivors having positive attitudes, relentless commitment and high motivation. Research indicates that employees who are motivated and committed contribute vastly to the financial-bottom-line of the organisation. Therefore, downsizing organisations should continuously search for ways to increase such qualities among their survivors. The objective of this study was to identify the factors that influence the attitudes, commitment and motivation of survivors in a developing economy with a volatile environment. To achieve this objective, a theoretical survivor quality model was presented. In order to present the model, firstly, a literature survey on the importance of survivor quality in terms of attitudes, commitment, and motivation among survivors was conducted. Secondly, literature survey pertaining to the drivers of survivor quality was done, and thirdly, literature dealing with strategies to deal with survivor quality was surveyed. The theoretical survivor quality model was used to compile the research instrument that determined the attitudinal, commitment and motivational levels of survivors, how the three constructs are related after downsizing, as well as the factors influencing the observed levels. The questionnaire was randomly distributed among survivors in the selected manufacturing organisations in Zimbabwe. The empirical results obtained from the study showed that survivors in a developing economy with a volatile environment had moderate levels of attitudes, commitment ad motivation. Two categories of factors were identified as important in influencing these levels. They were downsizing strategy and demographic factors. The downsizing strategy factors were communication and victim support, while education, age, and number of years employed emerged as the demographic factors. The study further highlighted that older survivors with less education contributed more to the moderate levels of attitude, commitment and motivation observed. The study highlights that these variables must be taken into consideration when implementing downsizing in an economically volatile environment in order to manage survivor quality. A further point emanating from the study is that prior to downsizing, organisations should adopt effective communication strategies throughout the process. The key factors identified as influencing survivor quality in this study were integrated into the survivor quality model which can be used by other organisations in a similar context to manage survivor quality in order to increase their efficiency, effectiveness, iv and competitive advantage after downsizing.