A recent study suggests being unemployed could actually change one's basic personality traits.
Being unemployed could cause people to be less "conscientious, agreeable and open," making it harder for them to find a new job, the American Psychological Association reported.
"The results challenge the idea that our personalities are 'fixed' and show that the effects of external factors such as unemployment can have large impacts on our basic personality," said Christopher J. Boyce, PhD, of the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom. "This indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought."
Researchers looked at 6,769 German adults who took standard personality tests over the course of four years from 2006 to 2009. Out of this group, 210 were unemployed for between one and four years during the study period; 251 were unemployed for less than a year before getting new jobs. The study looked at the "Big Five" personality traits - "conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion and openness."
The findings showed men tended to experience increased agreeableness during the first two years of unemployment, but these levels fell below those who were employed in following years. Women's agreeableness levels generally fell for every year of unemployment.
"In early unemployment stages, there may be incentives for individuals to behave agreeably in an effort to secure another job or placate those around them," the researchers wrote, "but in later years when the situation becomes endemic, such incentives may weaken."
The longer men spent without jobs, the more their conscientiousness was reduced. Women became more conscientious in both the beginning and end phases of unemployment, but experienced a slump in the middle. Unemployed men retained a steady level of openness during the first year of unemployment, but these levels started to decline in following years. Women showed significant decreases in openness during the second and third year of unemployment, but tended to experience a rebound in the fourth year.
The findings suggest unemployment may be wrongfully stigmatized as a result of changed personality traits.
"Public policy therefore has a key role to play in preventing adverse personality change in society through both lower unemployment rates and offering greater support for the unemployed," Boyce said. "Policies to reduce unemployment are therefore vital not only to protect the economy but also to enable positive personality growth in individuals."
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Journal of Applied Psychology.
