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What are the consequences of long-term unemployment for those who experience it? How does unemployment impact one’s sense of control over their own life? And does prolonged joblessness influence how we perceive ourselves, members of our own group, and members of other groups? Polish psychologists, led by Wiktor Soral, address these questions in an article published in the Journal of Personality.
Imagine waking up on a Friday morning, pleased that the week is coming to an end with two days of rest ahead. In a good mood, you head to work, looking forward to wrapping up the tasks started earlier in the week so that you can enjoy a well-earned break. Unfortunately, an unpleasant surprise awaits you at work. Your boss calls you in and informs you that due to budget cuts, your position is being eliminated. This means that by the end of the month, you’ll be saying goodbye to your job, your income, and your sense of stability. Suddenly, the prospect of a two-day weekend isn’t quite as appealing as it was just hours before.
As research shows, the unexpected loss of a job is one of life’s most stressful experiences. It is also one of the most common examples of suddenly losing a sense of control. Few are lucky enough to have never been laid off. But what happens to those who, after being let go, struggle to find work for an extended period? This is the question that psychologists from Poland, led by Wiktor Soral, sought to answer in their recent article in the Journal of Personality.
Lack of Employment, Lack of Control?
The authors of the article entitled “Prolonged Unemployment is Associated with Control Loss and Personal as well as Social Disengagement,” proposed that long-term unemployment could be seen as a situation of chronic lack of control over one’s life. Being out of work means not having a steady income, which translates into a lack of stability and the inability to meet life’s basic and psychological needs. The researchers set out to investigate whether individuals experiencing longer periods of unemployment were more likely to report feeling they had little control over their lives. Additionally, the psychologists examined how did the social functioning of unemployed individuals differ compared to that of regular workers.
The primary goal of the authors was to explore whether – and if so, how – unemployed individuals employ strategies to regain a sense of lost control. On the one hand, research on learned helplessness suggests that the longer one feels a lack of control over their life, the worse their functioning becomes, leaving them with less energy to reclaim that control. Extended periods of unemployment can thus result in decreased motivation, withdrawal from social life, and reluctance to solve problems.
On the other hand, research on restoring control would suggest that individuals deprived of influence over their lives will do whatever they can to regain it. This means that those unemployed for longer might be more active, eager to seek employment, or get involved in their community. Additionally, they may adopt other, more indirect strategies to regain a sense of control, such as belief in the political system, belief in conspiracy theories, or even belief in God.
Short-Term and Long-Term Consequences of Unemployment
To answer these research questions, the authors recruited over 800 participants. This included approximately 200 people who were recently unemployed (for zero to three months), around 200 who had been out of work for four to twelve months, and about 200 who had been unemployed for over a year. The study also included around 250 employed individuals, matched to the unemployed sample by age, gender, education, and location. This approach allowed not only for a comparison between employed and unemployed participants but also for examining whether the consequences of unemployment vary depending on its duration.
Because the authors aimed to test several theoretical mechanisms, participants were asked to respond to dozens of questions regarding their daily psychological and social functioning. These questions covered feelings of lack of control, self-esteem, life satisfaction, stress-coping strategies, willingness to engage in various activities (including collective action), and the number of personal projects. Participants were also asked to indicate how likely they were to seek support from others, how strongly they believed in an intervening God, magic, and conspiracy theories, and to what extent they supported the political system they lived in. Finally, the psychologists asked participants to declare whom they considered responsible for their economic situation and to describe their attitudes toward democracy, immigrants, Jews, and fellow Poles.
The Harmful Effects of Unemployment
The analysis conducted by the authors clearly showed that people who had been unemployed longer had a significantly lower sense of control over their lives than those who were employed or recently unemployed. Moreover, they exhibited lower self-esteem and life satisfaction compared to employed individuals. Interestingly – and contrary to theories of regaining control – long-term unemployed individuals were less action-oriented (including collective action), had fewer personal projects, and reported weaker belief in an intervening God. Meanwhile, those who had been unemployed longer showed a stronger tendency to blame their situation on various power groups, such as politicians or large corporations. These respondents were also more likely to express negative attitudes toward Ukrainians and Jews, distrust of democracy, and a reluctance to seek help from others.
In summary, the study results revealed the detrimental impact of unemployment (especially when one is actively seeking work) on the psychological and social functioning of those affected. The findings showed that longer periods of unemployment could lead to a kind of learned helplessness. In other words, the longer people struggle to find work, the less motivated they are to act, the more they disengage from social life, and the more they express hostility toward others.
Further Information:
Soral W, Bukowski M, Bilewicz M, Cichocka A, Lewczuk K, Marchlewska M, Rabinovitch A, Rędzio A, Skrodzka M, Kofta M. Prolonged Unemployment is Associated with Control Loss and Personal as well as Social Disengagement. J Pers. 2024 Aug 2. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12967. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39092487.