Between distress and agency: The difficult path of identity consolidation in narratives of young adults unemployed or precarious

Journal title PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE
Author/s Simona Luigia Sica, Sestito Laura Aleni
Publishing Year 2016 Issue 2016/1 Language Italian
Pages 21 P. 111-131 File size 131 KB
DOI 10.3280/PDS2016-001010
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The European financial crisis and the changes in the work market have produced effects on the ability to plan for the future and the definition of a coherent and stable self, especially for young people. The study relates to the effects that these difficulties linked to entering the world of work could have on the process of consolidation of personal and professional Italian young adults identity. We used a narrative approach, through which we explored the experiences account of looking for a work of 80 emerging adults, precarious or unemployed. The lexical analysis of texts identified five classes of meaning regarding identity consolidation and personal strategies used to coping with labour market difficulties. Implications of moratorium / achievement of identity are also discussed in terms of agency and identity distress.

Keywords: Youth precariousness and unemployment, identity, agency, distress, lexical analysis

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Simona Luigia Sica, Sestito Laura Aleni, Tra distress e agentività: il difficile percorso di consolidamento identitario nelle narrazioni di giovani adulti inoccupati o precari in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 1/2016, pp 111-131, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2016-001010