Effects of meaning in life and meaning of work on health in unemployment

Steve Thill (1) , Claude Houssemand (1) , Anne Pignault (2)

1 LLLG - Institute for LifeLong Learning & Guidance
2 2LPN - Laboratoire lorrain de psychologie et neurosciences de la dynamique des comportements

In line with the meaning making theory, people experience a discrepancy when their appraised meaning of a situation is in conflict with their general meaning framework. We wanted to replicate this result in the context of unemployment. Heren the meaning of work and meaning in life influenced the perception of unemployment and consequently had an impact on mental health. This study points to new ways of thinking about unemployment and career transitions. Whereas the COVID-19-induced economic crisis will see millions of people losing their jobs, these results could assist counselors in helping unemployed people better understand the experiences they are going through.

Mots clés: cognition; emotions; meaning; mental health; unemployment

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Psychologie

Steve Thill, Claude Houssemand, Anne Pignault. Effects of meaning in life and meaning of work on health in unemployment. Health Psychology Open, 2020, 7 (2), pp.1-11. ⟨10.1177/2055102920967258⟩. ⟨hal-02956599⟩