SSSP

Springer
Series in
Social
Psychology
SSSP
Norman T. Feather
The Psychological
IIllpact of
Unemploytnent
Springer-Verlag New York Berlin Heidelberg
London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong
Norman T. Feather
Discipline of Psychology
School of Social Sciences
The Flinders University of South Australia
Bedford Park, South Australia 5042
Australia
With 10 Illustrations.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Feather, Norman T.
The psychological impact of unemployment / Norman T. Feather.
p. cm.-(Springer series in social psychology)
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Unemployment-Psychological aspects. I. Title. II. Series
HD5708.F43 1989
331.13'7'019-dc20 89-19687
Printed on acid-free paper.
1990 by Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990
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Typeset by Asco Trade Typesetting Ltd., Hong Kong.
987654321
ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-7933-4 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-3250-6
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4612-3250-6
For Daryl and Mark
Preface
This book is concerned with the psychological effects of unemployment. In
writing it I had two main aims: (1) to describe theoretical approaches that are
relevant to understanding unemployment effects; and (2) to present the re-
sults of studies from a program of research with which I have been closely
involved over recent years.
In order to meet these aims I have organized the book into two main parts.
I discuss background research and theoretical approaches in the first half of
the book, beginning with research concerned with the psychological effects of
unemployment during the Great Depression and continuing through to a dis-
cussion of more recent contributions. I have not attempted to review the liter-
ature in fine detail. Instead, I refer to some of the landmark studies and to the
main theoretical ideas that have been developed. This discussion takes us
through theoretical approaches that have emerged from the study of work,
employment, and unemployment to a consideration of wider frameworks that
can also be applied to further our understanding of unemployment effects.
A consistent theme throughout the book is that research into the psycho-
logical impact of unemployment can draw upon a range of theoretical ideas
from psychology, depending upon the type of question that is asked. We are
not limited to theories that specifically derive from the study of work, employ-
ment, and unemployment. The net can be spread more widely so as to gather
in ideas from psychological research concerned with the self, stress and
coping, expectancy-value theories of motivation, causal attributions, learned
helplessness, self-efficacy, and life-span development, to cite some of the
approaches that I discuss in the first half of the book.
The second half of the book describes a set of studies with which I have
been associated over the past few years. Most of this research has been con-
cerned with youth unemployment but more recently I have initiated studies of
the psychological impact of unemployment in older age groups. In presenting
these studies I have drawn freely from my previous publications, often verba-
tim. This book provides me with the opportunity to bring these studies
viii Preface
together for the first time, showing how they interrelate and how there has
been a development from relatively simple cross-sectional investigations to
more complex longitudinal studies. The reader is thereby presented with a
bird's-eye view of an extensive, evolving research program concerned with
unemployment effects, a view that is not possible when studies are considered
in isolation.
The studies cover a wide range of variables. The results inform us about
affective reactions to unemployment; changes in causal attributions, values,
and aspects of the self-concept; perceptions of time use; and the effects of
financial stress, among other variables. In order to account for some of these
effects one is inevitably drawn to the theories discussed in the first half of the
book. Hence the two parts of the book are not separate halves; they stand
together. Where possible, I have tried to relate findings from the research
program to the theoretical ideas discussed in previous chapters and to recent
findings from the literature.
I am grateful to the Australian Research Grants Scheme, the British Coun-
cil Academic Links and Interchange Scheme, and to Flinders University for
providing funds that enabled me to develop and complete the various studies
described in this book.
I also wish to acknowledge the help of my colleagues and students at Flin-
ders University who, over the years, have worked with me in the research
program. I also wish to thank Carol McNally, Kay Guest, and Rosemary
Kamenjarin who assisted in typing the manuscript-especially Carol McNally
who took the major role with patience, thoughtfulness, good humor, and
skill.
Adelaide, September 1989 Norman T. Feather
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
1. Introduction and Overview ..................................... 1
2. Background Research .......................................... 9
Studies of the Great Depression ................................ 10
More Recent Studies ........................................... 19
3. Theoretical Approaches from the Study of Work, Employment,
and Unemployment ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Stage Theories ................................................. 26
lahoda's Functional Approach........... ... .. .. . ..... . ..... . ... 32
lob Content and Locus of Control .............................. 36
Agency Theory ................................................ 37
Warr's Vitamin Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4. Theoretical Approaches: Some Wider Frameworks............... 47
Self-Concept Theory........................................... 47
Stress and Coping Models ...................................... 55
Expectancy-Value Theory...................................... 62
Attribution Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Helplessness Theory ........................................... 71
Self-Efficacy Theory......................... .......... ......... 73
Life-Span Developmental Psychology ........................... 77
Concluding Comments ......................................... 81
5. Scales and Measures.................... ......... ....... ...... .. 83
Self-Concept Measures......................... ................ 83
Value Measures................................................ 86
x
Contents
Affect and Psychological Well-Being............................ 89
Causal Attributions ............................................ 91
External Locus of Control ...................................... 98
Expectation and Valence Measures............................. 98
Time Structure ................................................. 100
Action Measures ............................................... 101
Financial Stress and Strain ...................................... 104
Unemployment History ........................................ 105
Social Support ................................................. 105
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6. Youth Unemployment: Single-Group Studies..................... 107
Research with Unemployed Groups............................. 107
Research with Student Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Concluding Comments ......................................... 137
7. Youth Unemployment: Comparison-Group Studies............... 141
Employed Versus Unemployed Groups: General Population..... 141
Employed Versus Unemployed Groups: University Graduates... 148
Further Research on Time Structure ............................ 158
Potential Social Action ......................................... 162
8. Youth Unemployment: Longitudinal Studies..................... 173
Longitudinal Study of School-Leavers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Transitions Between Employment and Unemployment.......... 187
Moderating Effects............................................. 193
Job-Seeking Behavior.......................................... 199
Quality of Employment ........................................ 210
9. Studies with Older-Age Groups ................................. 215
Young Versus Middle-Aged Groups............................ 216
Reported Behavior Change in Older Men ....................... 224
Job-Seeking Behavior: Further Findings ........................ 234
Concluding Comments ......................................... 237
10. Epilogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
General Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Some General Conclusions..................................... 241
Theoretical Issues .............................................. 244
Research with Larger Units. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Final Comments ............................................... 251
Contents xi
References 255
Author Index ........................................................ 275
Subject Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281