Unemployment and self-concept - a contribution to a controversy

Abstract

Whether the self-concept of unemployed people is different from the self-concept of employed people has been a topic-of research since the Great Depression. Nevertheless, the existence of a relationship is still doubted on theoretical and on empirical grounds. After a literature review, the current discussion included, we present the results of a small non-representative cross-sectional Study (49 middle-aged unemployed, 25 males, 24 females; mean length of unemployment 3 years; and 48 employed, 25 males, 24 females, average age for both groups 35 years). The subjects completed a standardized self-report questionnaire which included a 15-item self-concept scale. Employed and unemployed differed significantly in the total score of the serf-concept scale and the different component scores of self-esteem (global, positive, negative). The self-concept score and the self-esteem score correlated with the length of unemployment (r = -.40, p <. 01).