THE IMPACT OF A CHANGING JOB MARKET ON OCCUPATIONAL IDENTITY AND OCCUPATIONAL HISTORY

Paid work is not only the main source of income in Western cultures; it is also of central importance for identity formation and the construction of a consistent life history. More than other areas of occupation the... [ view full abstract ]

Paid work is not only the main source of income in Western cultures; it is also of central importance for identity formation and the construction of a consistent life history. More than other areas of occupation the work-related “curriculum vitae” is goal-oriented and “becoming”-focused. It is well-documented by research that disruptions of the anticipated working life e.g. by unemployment can cause severe health impairments.

Traditionally the individual is supposed to have control over its identity formation and life history, especially its occupational career. According to the saying “from rags to riches” people are expected to be directors of their narrative. Failures are easily ascribed to the individual. But these assumptions originate from a societal period in which one job or one career was enough for a person’s lifetime.

The effects of globalization and modernization lead to changing demands on the job market, e.g. people become used to move between several jobs during their working life, full-time workers are more and more replaced by part-time workers. These socio-ecological changes have an impact on identity formation and on building a consistent narrative of the individual.

The presentation will show the impact of socio-ecological changes on occupational identity and occupational history by taking current theories of sociology into account. This will allow new perspectives on the existing concepts of occupational science.