Basic
personality changes linked to unemployment, study finds
American Psychological Association (APA), Science DailyUnemployment can change peoples' core personalities, making some less conscientious, agreeable and open, which may make it difficult for them to find new jobs, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
"The results challenge the idea that our personalities
are 'fixed' and show that the effects of external factors such as unemployment
can have large impacts on our basic personality," said Christopher J.
Boyce, PhD, of the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom.
"This indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought."
"This indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought."
Boyce and his colleagues examined a sample of 6,769 German adults (3,733 men and 3,036 women) who took a standard personality test at two points over four years, from 2006-2009.
Of this group, 210 were unemployed for anywhere from one to four years during the experiment; another 251 of them were unemployed less than a year but then got jobs. The findings were published in APA's Journal of Applied Psychology.
The researchers looked at the so-called "Big
Five" personality traits -- conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness,
extraversion and openness. They found that men experienced increased
agreeableness during the first two years of unemployment, compared to men who
never lost their jobs.
But after two years, the agreeableness levels of the unemployed men began to diminish and, in the long run, were lower than those of the men with jobs. For women, agreeableness declined with each year of unemployment.
But after two years, the agreeableness levels of the unemployed men began to diminish and, in the long run, were lower than those of the men with jobs. For women, agreeableness declined with each year of unemployment.
"In early unemployment stages, there may be
incentives for individuals to behave agreeably in an effort to secure another
job or placate those around them," the researchers wrote, "but in
later years when the situation becomes endemic, such incentives may
weaken."
With respect to conscientiousness, the longer men spent
without jobs, the larger their reduction in this trait, which is also tied to
enjoying one's income, according to the researchers. In comparison, women
became more conscientious in the early and late stages of unemployment but experienced
a slump in the middle of the study period.
The researchers theorized that women may have regained some conscientiousness by pursuing non-work-related activities traditionally associated with their gender, such as caregiving.
The researchers theorized that women may have regained some conscientiousness by pursuing non-work-related activities traditionally associated with their gender, such as caregiving.
Unemployed men showed steady levels of openness in their
first year of joblessness, but the levels decreased the longer they were
unemployed. Women, in contrast, showed sharp reductions in openness in the
second and third years of unemployment but rebounded in year four, according to
the study.
The study suggests that the effect of unemployment across
society is more than just an economic concern -- the unemployed may be unfairly
stigmatized as a result of unavoidable personality change, potentially creating
a downward cycle of difficulty in the labor market, Boyce said.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by American Psychological Association (APA). Note: Materials may be edited for
content and length.
Journal Reference:
Christopher J. Boyce, Alex M. Wood, Michael Daly,
Constantine Sedikides.Personality Change Following Unemployment.. Journal of Applied Psychology,
2015; DOI: 10.1037/a0038647
Cite This Page:
American Psychological Association (APA). "Basic
personality changes linked to unemployment, study finds." Science Daily,
18 February 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150218122232.htm>.
