Typical Themes Associated with Chronic Unemployment

[Daniel E.]

Typical Themes Associated with Chronic Unemployment

Depression themes: (hopeless occupational situation): It's too late for me to start a career; it's impossible to get a job

Defective themes: My c.v. has gaps in it; I have never been disciplined enough to succeed at a job; I'm too embarrassed about being unemployed so long; I'm not qualified enough to apply for this job; I've always been destined to fail

Entitlement themes: These jobs are below me, too menial, boring; I'm not a nine-to-five person; I can't stand working with idiots

Rigid job criteria: It's against my principles to take a low-paying job when I should make double the salary; no other occupation is acceptable

Unrealistic occupational goals: What I really want is to be a rock singer; I've always wanted to be a doctor; I could start my own business and make a lot of money

Magical thinking: I'll buy a business after I win the lottery; I can do a deal and make a million

Abdication of responsibility: I can't do anything about it, the system has to change; I leave it to fate

Avoidance themes: I must be cured of my anxiety first before I can begin to think of looking for a job; mother needs me at home; I need to fix my computer first

Vulnerability themes: I'd go crazy cooped up at an office all day

External blame themes: New immigrants are taking all the jobs from us; employees are corrupt; employers don't listen to me during interviews; female bosses have it in for me; every time I made a career plan, someone shoots it down

Source: Developmental Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Adults

 

[icthus]

Intriguing. Certain ideas occur to me.

1) Many of the above themes could apply to "chronically employed" persons, though of course employed persons are at least doing something to stay self-sufficient economically.

2) I believe unemployment numbers will continue to be high for some years to come, and for some of those years get much higher--in other words I think this is a timely post in a longer term trend.

I don't pretend to grasp the fractal or Fibonacci patterns or technical market jargon, but the mass psychology part of Elliott Wave theory seems to make intuitive sense: mass mood drives market. In other words, the herd of humanity doesn't feel depressed and afraid because of a bear market, but rather (or primarily), our collective "afraid and depressed" (or otherwise negative) mood drives us en masse to act in ways that cause a bear market. The herd stampedes because of fear or other negative moods.

Unemployment rates are one of many economic parameters to measure mass mood. I don't want to hire because tomorrow's sales will be worse than today's. I can't get a job because I can't get a job. Or whatever and so on--the above post bullet points may each apply.

Of course conversely, when we are feeling hopeful or greedy, optimistic, trusting, and are otherwise "positive" in mass mood, we cause a bull market. There is more to it and caveats to be made (not just individual and sub-group variation), and the theory is not necessarily incompatible with other things like demographic shifts, but the theory seems worthy of consideration in the broad sweep of things such as cannot wholly be avoided when considering themes associated with the psychology of chronic unemployment or current market uncertainties.

 

[Boris1234]

Yep, I fit the defective themes a little bit on the external side too.

I'm Mr. "I'm too under-qualified for this position" and a bit of "It's the epidemic of society, there's just no new ideas, and I have no idea either." So what do I do?

I know if apply to something above me it's waste of time, also it's a waste to try to comb at myself to see exactly where I fit with my so-called skills, so-called experience, and education, I'm just not that specialized enough. Where I am, I need real world experience, and I can't get it, or it's just not good enough.

On another note, the wave theory sounds interesting, I remember something similar to it in my macroeconomics II class, I forget who it was, but it was a theory of inflation--the logic was "if consumers and firms behave like there will be inflation, there will be inflation".

 

[Daniel E.]

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