Psychological Implications of Job Loss
May 21st, 2010 by admin
In previous blogs, the various consequences of the current economic recession were discussed: a few months ago I talked about how relationships are affected by this serious economic downturn, and how people are affected by losing their homes. Most recently I discussed the psychological impact of having to move back home and having to borrow money from friends and family.
Now I will address the loss of a job and the similarities and differences between job loss in the current recession versus job loss during other difficult economic times in recent history.
Possibly the most striking difference is that currently people are not only losing their specific job, but often they lose the opportunity to find a job again in their area of expertise. We have seen whole industries disappear, with no other prospects of employment for the people who used to work in them.
As I live in Arizona, which is one the areas most affected by this recession and one of the slowest to recover from it, I am quite familiar with the stresses people in real estate and related businesses are suffering. Real estate was an area that, in the past, had been growing at an incredible speed in this State. People had moved here from other states to seize the opportunities that seemed endless. Individuals and businesses were accumulating a lot of wealth and thought this trend would go on forever. Now a lot of these people are not only out of a job, but they have lost most if not all their investments and there are no jobs to be had in this field.
Understanding what is happening to them provides a unique perspective not only on what happens when a person loses his or her job, but also what follows the loss of the job: how people recover, or not, and how they are affected by these negative changes, as they continue to affect their lives.
An array of feelings is experienced following a job loss, at times in close succession, repeatedly, at times concurrently. This is not unlike the feelings created by a death or a chronic terminal illness. Feelings range from panic, deep sadness, confusion, guilt, wrath, anger, frustration, self doubt, and back to panic, rage, sadness, and on and on. This process can take months, even longer if the situation does not improve. With some individuals it may never end, particularly if they are forced to take jobs with much less prestige, recognition, pay and responsibilities, or jobs that are outside their areas of knowledge and experience.
Loss of Identity, Loss of Purpose, Loss of Self-Worth, Loss of Power and often Loss of Social Network and Community are all psychological losses that deeply affect people who lose their jobs.
If you have experienced a job loss, we invite you to tell us how it affected you and what did or did not help you to get through these difficult times. Click the comment button below.
