Table 2 Sources of perceived identity... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2

Sources of perceived identity threat of unemployed individuals

Sources of perceived identity threat	Illustrative quotes
Society	“Everywhere you are being asked: “What do you do (for a living)?” and so on. Then they (unemployed) are ashamed…This does not surprise me much in this frame that society creates…It is the generally accepted standard. It is difficult to deviate from this” (Stephan)
	“I know, how tough it is, the household, being a single mom. I know that but for society, it is as follows: If you do not work and earn no money, you do not do anything” (Vanessa)
	“In this protestant-shaped society, work has such a high value. You know, you are allowed to beat up your wife at home, send your children to bed without feeding them as long as you have a permanent work contract” (Olaf)
Employers	“Well, the employers probably say: “Oh my God, is she at all able to work?” or: “Is she at all still stress-resistant?” (Monika)
	“Long-term unemployed. He is useless” (Helmuth)
	“You just have to write “based on a job ad of the job center” or a “recommendation from the job center”, then it ends up in trash. Then they know exactly that it comes from the job center…Then he does not even look at it…then they think that you have been out of work for one or one and a half years and that you do not know anything at all” (Beate)
Job center	“You get the stress and the pressure from the job center…You need to prepare the people slowly because you do not have confidence in yourself anymore…You collapse and then they say: “We knew it. He just does not manage”” (Heiko)
	“At the job center…, they had a contract with that temporary employment agency and what you feel like. It is like material. You are not somebody but you are like a table. I was also told afterwards that it was a leasing agency. That means they “lease” me. Whether they lease cars or people, regarding the handling, it is exactly the same” (Dirk)
	“You have to justify why you cannot find work. It is really horrible. How much psychological stress it is if you have a letter from the job center in your mailbox…During the last session, they told us indirectly that it was our fault and that we would just relax on the couch all day. That was during the job search training, during the activation phase when they are actually supposed to build us up a little” (Beate)
Family and friends	“When you are at home with your aunts and uncles, then the problem exists and be it only for four or five times a year. It is complicated. You want to be a role model. It is not well received…You even distance from your own family, from the wider family because this is really uncomfortable for oneself because the environment does not accept it” (Stephan)
	“You just get, the bad thing is also from acquaintances, they say: “The lazy and the stupid one” or something like that, “who does not work, who is too stupid to find or search for work”” (Heiko)
	“Well, a friend of mine was worried about me not doing anything for such a long time. She did not find that appropriate at all at my age. Arguments like: “You live like a retired person, you cannot do this. You are just 30.” She found that really problematic” (Carolin)

Sources of perceived identity threat	Illustrative quotes
Society	“Everywhere you are being asked: “What do you do (for a living)?” and so on. Then they (unemployed) are ashamed…This does not surprise me much in this frame that society creates…It is the generally accepted standard. It is difficult to deviate from this” (Stephan)
	“I know, how tough it is, the household, being a single mom. I know that but for society, it is as follows: If you do not work and earn no money, you do not do anything” (Vanessa)
	“In this protestant-shaped society, work has such a high value. You know, you are allowed to beat up your wife at home, send your children to bed without feeding them as long as you have a permanent work contract” (Olaf)
Employers	“Well, the employers probably say: “Oh my God, is she at all able to work?” or: “Is she at all still stress-resistant?” (Monika)
	“Long-term unemployed. He is useless” (Helmuth)
	“You just have to write “based on a job ad of the job center” or a “recommendation from the job center”, then it ends up in trash. Then they know exactly that it comes from the job center…Then he does not even look at it…then they think that you have been out of work for one or one and a half years and that you do not know anything at all” (Beate)
Job center	“You get the stress and the pressure from the job center…You need to prepare the people slowly because you do not have confidence in yourself anymore…You collapse and then they say: “We knew it. He just does not manage”” (Heiko)
	“At the job center…, they had a contract with that temporary employment agency and what you feel like. It is like material. You are not somebody but you are like a table. I was also told afterwards that it was a leasing agency. That means they “lease” me. Whether they lease cars or people, regarding the handling, it is exactly the same” (Dirk)
	“You have to justify why you cannot find work. It is really horrible. How much psychological stress it is if you have a letter from the job center in your mailbox…During the last session, they told us indirectly that it was our fault and that we would just relax on the couch all day. That was during the job search training, during the activation phase when they are actually supposed to build us up a little” (Beate)
Family and friends	“When you are at home with your aunts and uncles, then the problem exists and be it only for four or five times a year. It is complicated. You want to be a role model. It is not well received…You even distance from your own family, from the wider family because this is really uncomfortable for oneself because the environment does not accept it” (Stephan)
	“You just get, the bad thing is also from acquaintances, they say: “The lazy and the stupid one” or something like that, “who does not work, who is too stupid to find or search for work”” (Heiko)
	“Well, a friend of mine was worried about me not doing anything for such a long time. She did not find that appropriate at all at my age. Arguments like: “You live like a retired person, you cannot do this. You are just 30.” She found that really problematic” (Carolin)