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Seria wydawnicza EUKRASIA Vol. 5 Unemployment and Health Care |
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Beata Pawłowska, Agnieszka Kowalik Self-image of short – and long-term unemployed An unemployed is a person who does not work but who is actively looking for employment and is ready to take up a job. Nowadays unemployment is treated as one of the most important social problems because the loss of occupational status contributes to more often disorders in mental health. The period of being unemployed is quite significant. One can distinguish: short-term unemployment, which applies to people unemployed for up to 3 months, middling-term unemployment – up to 6 months, long-lasting unemployment – up to 12 months and long-term unemployment – over 1 year [3]. Long-term unemployment leads to the destruction of self, impedes development of personality, causes increasing dissatisfaction with oneself, which is connected with treating oneself as inferior, resourceless, unwanted and with a feeling of being a nobody [5]. These opinions about oneself influence the central element of personality, which is the self-image. According to Reykowski [4], self-image is a collection of opinions concerning one’s appearance and physical features, one’s skills and abilities, attitudes, needs, status among others. According to Walczak [5] mental disorders of long-term unemployed are in a significant way connected with their negative self-images, their low self esteem and self respect and the loss of the rules that gave meaning to their lives and were a source of their activities. On the basis of her studies, the author stated that unemployed women are characterized by a low degree of self acceptance, rejection of self, little sensitivity to the needs of others, little need of affiliation and difficulties in coping with stress. The author thinks that the real self-images of short- and long-term unemployed women do not differ in any significant way, which means that women from both groups similarly react to the situation of loss of employment and the impossibility of finding a job. On the basis of the available literature the authors of this article tried to answer the following questions: Do short- and long-term unemployed differ in terms of the features of their real self-images? Which features of self-images of short- and long-term unemployed differ? Subjects and methods In order to answer the above questions a group of 120 unemployed (64 women and 56 men) was tested. All the unemployed were registered in State Employment Agency in Zamość. 33 women were long-term and 31 short-term unemployed. Among men 27 were long-term and 29 short-term unemployed. The average age of the subjects was 35. Among women 52% had secondary education, 29% elementary education and 20% higher education, while among men 17% had higher education, 49% secondary education and 30% elementary education. Both groups of unemployed were tested with the Personal Questionnaire (constructed by Agnieszka Kowalik) and the ACL Adjective Check Liste of Gough and Heilbrunn’s [2], which the subjects filled out answering the question “what are you like?”. On the basis of the ACL Test the real self-images of the subjects have been determined. Results During the first stage of the experiment the results of the tests taken by short-term unemployed and long-term unemployed subjects were compared using the t-Student test (tab. I).
Table I. Comparison of
the self-images of long-term unemployed (N=60) and short-term
Long-term unemployed subjects received significantly higher scores in the following scales: the number of unfavourable adjectives (Unfav), the need of succorance (Suc), self abasement (Aba), counseling readiness (Crs), critical parent (Cp), and adapted child (Ac); and significantly lower scores in the scales: the need of affiliation (Aff), the need of heterosexual contacts (Het), the need of change (Cha), personal adjustment (Pad), ideal self-image (Iss), free child (Fc), and low originality, low intelligence (A-3). The above results indicate that long-term unemployed people judge themselves in a more negative way, they abase themselves and are submissive expecting support and acceptance. They have more difficulty dealing with problematic and stressful situations, they are more critical about themselves and others whose achievements they perceive as undeserved. Long-term unemployed are more fearful in interpersonal relations, they seek stabilization in their environment and become defensive. Short-term unemployed easier deal with problematic situations, are more efficient in achieving their goals. They tend to be more autonomous, spontaneous, better adjusted, have more self trust and a more positive attitude to life. The following table compares the average results received in the ACL test taken by short- and long-term unemployed men. Table II. Comparison of real self-images of short-term (N=27) and long-term (N=29) unemployed men
Long-term unemployed men received significantly higher scores, in comparison to short-term unemployed men, in the following scales: femininity (Fem), critical parent (Cp), and significantly lower in the scales: heterosexual contacts (Het) and the need of change (Cha) Long-term unemployed men declare greater willingness to cooperate with others and simultaneously are more skeptical and critical about the environment, they seek stabilization and retreat to a narrow range of roles in comparison to short-term unemployed men, who are characterized by a greater spontaneity, tolerance, self trust and are more warm in interpersonal relations. Table 3 compares the results received by short- and long-term unemployed women. Table III. Comparison of the real self-images of long-term unemployed (N=33) and short-term unemployed women (N=31)
In comparison to short-term unemployed women, the long-term unemployed ones received significantly higher scores in the following scales: the need of succorance (Suc), the need of self abasement (Aba), counseling readiness (Crs) and adapted child (Ac); and significantly lower scores in the scales: free child (Fc), the need of affiliation (Aff) and ideal self-image (Iss). Long-term unemployed women, when compared to short-term unemployed women, display a greater tendency to retreat into dreams from troubles. They are characterized by dependency, the need of support from others, the feeling of guilt, submission to the wishes and demands of others and little spontaneity and warmth in relations with others. Short-term unemployed women display greater independence, better ability to adapt are more enterprising and have higher self trust. The results received in this study allow to put forward the following conclusions. Conclusions Long-term unemployed are characterized by lower level of self appraisal, greater hostility towards themselves and others, a tendency to abase themselves and to be submissive. They are fearful in social contacts and have difficulties coping with stress. Short-term unemployed, on the other hand, more easily deal with stress, have more self trust and are more autonomous. In comparison to short-term unemployed men, these who are long-term unemployed are less tolerant, more hostile towards others, they seek stabilization and tend to retreat to a narrow range of roles in interpersonal relations. Compared to short-term unemployed women, those who remain without a job for a long period of time display greater need of support and acceptance in their environments, they are more submissive and tend to abase themselves, they experience the feeling of guilt and often try to escape troubles by retreating into dreams. Discussion of the results The results of the study presented in this article point out to the existence of statistically significant differences in the range of some features of the self-image of short- and long-term unemployed men and women. Long-term unemployed people give negative self presentations, are more dependant, hostile and critical about themselves and their environments. They have difficulties adapting and dealing with stress. They also display a reduced need of affiliation in comparison to people who are short-term unemployed. The results received did not confirm the results of Walczak’s [5] study, who claims that there are no significant differences in the self-images of short- and long-term unemployed women. The authors of this article showed that long-term unemployed women, when compared to short-term unemployed, are characterized by a greater tendency to self abasement and search for support. They more often experience the feelings of guilt, humiliation and reduced need of belonging to a group. Long-term unemployed men display greater need of safety and stabilization, greater criticism, lack of tolerance and a tendency to withdraw from interpersonal relations in comparison to short-term unemployed men. One may thus think that the period of being unemployed has a significant negative influence on the self-image of unemployed, both men and women. References: [1] Bańka A.: Bezrobocie. Podręcznik pomocy psychologicznej, Print-B, Poznań 1992. – [2] Juros A., Oleś P.: Struktura czynnikowa i skupieniowa Testu Przymiotnikowego ACL H.G. Gougha i A.B. Heilbruna, W: J. Brzeziński, E. Hornowska (red) Z psychometrycznych problemów diagno-styki psychologicznej, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. A.Mickiewicza, Poznań 1993, 171–201. – [3] Mahać W.: Obserwacja statystyczna rynku pracy w Polsce, „Rynek Pracy” 1996,1,49, 9–29. – [4] Reykowski J.: Obraz własnej osoby jako mechanizm regulujący postępowanie, „Kwartalnik Pedagogiczny”, 1970, 15,3,45-57. – [5] Walczak R.: Obraz siebie u kobiet długotrwale bezrobotnych, KUL, Lublin 2000.
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To cite this article: Pawłowska B., Kowalik A., Płotka A., Self imagine of short- and long-term unemployed, [in:] Niebrój L., Kosińska M., Unemployment and Health Care, Katowice: Wyd. SAM 2004, p. 65-72 |
