Reactions to Redundancy: A First Test of a Response Typology Available to Purchase

Two recent papers on the psychological impact of redundancy, have pointed out that there are frequently very positive reactions to the experience. Their remarks do not apply to those seeking voluntary redundancy to achieve substantial financial benefits, but to those who have redundancy forced upon them who then discovered that it gave them an exciting opportunity to start a new career and a new life. Apart from the fact that “redundancy” could do with some positive publicity, their finding raises the question as to what kinds of people respond to redundancy in this proactive fashion. This study was designed to examine the validity and utility of a personality typology which has the appearance of being very relevant to understanding people's reactions to changing circumstances.