Work is about more than money. Around 40 years ago, the social psychologist Marie Jahoda named other, so-called latent functions of work such as time structure, regularity, status, social contacts and participation in goals, which in turn correspond to psychological needs, in a model that is still influential today. As a result, a person loses more than just income from their job.
According to studies, the negative psychological effects of unemployment are more pronounced in men than in women. One explanation for this is that men still benefit more from their work than women, for example through higher earnings or higher status. Another explanation is that work generally shapes men’s identities more strongly – and therefore unemployment affects them more than women.
Research shows how much it can influence a person to no longer be important Mattering (in German: to count, to have a meaning). Not being important is such a devastating feeling, writes psychologist Gordon L. Flett in his book on the subject, that it can lead to dramatic, socially unacceptable reactions. The good news: Even if someone experiences that he or she “doesn’t matter” to others, the person doesn’t have to stop at that experience. Giving others appreciation or standing up for something can make someone feel meaningful again.
Would you like to find out more about the topic? Then read the experience report from a software developer from Munich about the feeling of no longer being wanted “It blew me away”.
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