ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the experience of tragic job loss. Job loss is a tragedy because both the loss of employment and the consequent period of unemployment are harrowing experiences that result in feelings of isolation and worthlessness. The gap between the reality of lived experience and an imagined and idealized standard against which a person compares him or herself is at the heart of tragic job loss. The way in which a person loses their job, and whether the last job was oppressive or enjoyable influences a person's understanding of job loss and the effect it has on their life plan. Ironic tragedies constitute a third form of tragic narratives. Moderated job loss provides a less traumatic entry into unemployment. Sustained tragedies begin with a description of the markedly oppressive nature of the last job. Depression experienced after a job loss can be understood as a consequence of the tragic form of the narrative of the job loss.
