Unemployment

Psychology traditionally understands unemployment as a condition of ‘deprivation’ where the unemployed lack the social and psychological benefits associated with employment such as monetary gains, but also a higher sense of purpose, a time routine, and a sense of personal and social identity among others. The assumption is that the unemployed require either psychological or skill training interventions to rectify this lack. These approaches focus on ‘improving’ the individual at the expense of leaving untouched the contextual aspects that are instrumental in producing negative self-evaluations, stigma and low mental health among the unemployed. If we are to confront the increasing inequalities existing in the current labour market and their consequences, organizational psychologists need to generate better understandings of the psycho-social consequences of unemployment and underemployment to be able to support and disrupt these negative experiences and generate better alternative pathways.