Severe Job Dissatisfaction Leading To Homelessness, Research Paper Example

Homelessness – the very word conjures a picture that most of us do not like to imagine.  The bag lady on the street, the smelly alcoholic you walk past every morning, and the schizophrenic begging for change are scenes that make us avert our eyes.  Homelessness has always been a societal concern, but it’s escalating due to the economic recession.  The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP.org) stated in its February 2008 press release that “Foreclosure and economic crisis are significantly increasing homelessness . . . as much as 20%.  However, there is a “silent” segment of the homeless community that struggles with a hidden emotional issue, work aversion, that can mimic the common causes of homelessness.

The average person underestimates the complexity of the problem; everyone erroneously thinks they know what causes it (lack of money).  Therefore, they think that money is the solution.  But, is it?  We are familiar with the obvious causes (e.g., alcoholism, drug dependence, domestic abuse, incarceration, and mental illness).

According to Wikipedia.org, work aversion is defined as “the state of being turned off by working or being employed, or the extreme preference of leisure as opposed to work [1].  It can be attributed to laziness, boredom, or burnout [2][3]. . . Since the term work aversion only applies to one with the need to earn income, complications will inevitably arise from lacking the money the subject needs from employment. . . . In a 1989 survey, 45% of respondents believed homelessness is caused by work aversion [11].”

Suze Orman, international personal financial expert wrote the book The 9 Step To Financial Freedom.  She says the following:

There isn’t a part of our lives that money doesn’t touch – it affects our relationships, the way we go about our everyday activities, our ability to make dreams reality, everything.  Most of us, I think, have a core of anxiety, that we carry around with us, though we may not admit it to ourselves” (2).

This anxiety may or may not result in a diagnosis from a healthcare professional and/or the use of prescription medication.  Most sufferers experience their psychological pain in isolation.  They may not discuss it with friends and family due to the fact that there is a stigma attached to unemployment.  The fear of being regarded as “lazy” or “stupid”  is valid.

A sufferer of work aversion may have previously held a job with full benefits, a nice boss, or company perks.  But, these advantages do not address his deep need for creativity, intellectual stimulation, or sheer satisfaction for a job well done.  Ironically, he may have actively (and happily) pursued this particular career field.  However, something changed and major dissatisfaction occurred – severe unhappiness leading to perfunctory work habits.  Burnout often results in high absenteeism and other infractions.  Termination or resignation soon follows.

In 2002, Po Bronson wrote the book, What Should I do With My Life?  This #1 New York Times bestseller touched the lives of men and women, young and old, from all over the world.   It chronicled the lives of 55 individuals attempting to answer this all-consuming question.  Po wrote, “I learned that it was in hard times that people usually changed the course of their life; in good times, they frequently only talked about change.  Hard times forced them to overcome the doubts that normally gave them pause.  It surprised me how often we hold ourselves back until we have no choice.  So, the people herein suffered layoffs, bankruptcies, divorces, evictions [homelessness], illness . . . “ (Introduction).

In the book Nikel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich wrote:

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, in 1998 – the year I started this project – it took, on average nationwide, an hourly wage of $8.99 to afford a one-bedroom apartment, and the Preamble Center for Public Policy was estimating that the odds against a typical welfare recipient’s landing a job at such a “living wage” were about 97 to 1” (3).

. . . . And here I am – as clueless and alone as I have ever been . . . one of the steps A.A. asks of recovering alcoholics is to make a “searching and fearless moral inventory” of themselves . . . “ (52 – 53).

Of course, critics of this phenomenon say that work aversive individuals are doing nothing more than neglecting to work.  They are lazy. . . evading responsibility for their own actions.  But, this view does not coincide with the work aversive person’s overall employment history.  Most of them have worked to support themselves for many years, consciously  performing jobs ill-suited to their temperaments and aptitude.  Frequently, these former employees are highly intelligent, talented, and motivated (see excerpts from What Should I Do With My Life?

Therefore, victims of this scenario can easily get caught in a vicious cycle. According to the website for the Homeless Resource Center, there is another term used to describe the outcome of repeatedly finding yourself in an unpleasant predicament due to the inability to solve the original problem – recurring or chronic homelessness.

Only industry experts tend to know about the pertinent resources.  Help is available. Work aversive individuals should independently and vigorously consult the following:

• Low-cost career counseling available at local colleges and universities
• Myers & Briggs Personality Type
• Books (The Purpose of Your Life, Wishcraft, and What Color Is Your Parachute?)
• Reference material located at the local library (Dictionary of Occupational Titles and Encyclopedia of Associations)
• Websites (www.changingcourse.com)
• Support groups.

Works Cited

Bronson, Po.  What Should I Do With My Life? New York:  Random House, 2002. Print.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nikel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. New York: Henry Holt, 2000 Print.

Homeless Resource Center. “Recurring Homelessness.”  October 2008. <egov./search.aspx?search+Homelessness+Resource+Center&Organization>

National Center on Homelessness & Poverty. “Program: Housing.”  June 2010.  <http://www.nlchp.org/program.cfm?prog=5>

Orman, Suze. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. New York:  Three Rivers Press. 1998. Print. Wikipedia.org. “Work Aversion.” 01 October 2010. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_aversion>