Abstract
To understand the importance of the variable’s resilience, social support and self-esteem for individuals aged 50 to 71+ who experienced job loss through redundancy or retirement was the aim of this study. Longevity is a phenomenon of our time as well as changing work environments and roles. Participants (n 121) were recruited through snowball sampling from an on-line quantitative questionnaire. It was hypothesised that variables were different for gender and the reason for job loss, no significance was found. Correlations were identified between Self-esteem and Resilience, and Social Support. Additional analysis found participants within 50-54 age group had lower self-esteem than participants in older age groups. Socio-economic and education status influence self-esteem and should be included in future research, as well as personality traits. In conclusion, as midlife is a time of psychosocial development, individuals who experience job loss should receive psychological support as part of their exit planning process.
