ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the theories, that have been proposed to explain the psychological effects of unemployment, in the light of evidence gleaned from the data and related studies. Some longitudinal evidence that seems consistent with a stages account has been reported by Warr and Jackson in a study of male, blue-collar workers. Several writers have proposed that the psychological response to unemployment can be described in terms of several discrete stages. Fryer has criticised Jahoda’s deprivation theory, suggesting that the five supposed latent benefits of employment are all too often costs rather than benefits. Warr’s vitamin model is concerned with the effects of different environmental features on mental health. According to the vitamin model, there is no necessary distinction between work and non-work environments. Erikson’s developmental theory is based on Freudian psychoanalytic concepts.
