References: Coping with work & identity

The key studies and reviews behind these pages – organised by topic, so you can see exactly what each claim on the site is based on.

Redundancy & job loss

  • Jahoda, M. (1982). Employment and Unemployment: A Social-Psychological Analysis. Cambridge University Press. The foundational “latent functions” model of work – time structure, status, purpose, social contact, activity – beyond the wage itself. The main source behind this page’s point that a job organises entire days, and that losing it is an identity and structure loss, not just an income one.
  • Sharone, O. (2013). Flawed System/Flawed Self: Job Searching and Unemployment Experiences. University of Chicago Press. A study of how job seekers internalise blame for their unemployment even when the causes are structural – the source behind this page’s point that shame turns up even when nobody’s at fault.
  • Latack, J.C. & Dozier, J.B. (1986). “After the ax falls: Job loss as a career transition.” Academy of Management Review, 11(2), 375-392. Frames job loss as a significant, under-marked career transition – the source behind this page’s point that redundancy rarely comes with any recognised ritual or ending.
  • McKee-Ryan, F.M., Song, Z., Wanberg, C.R. & Kinicki, A.J. (2005). “Psychological and physical well-being during unemployment: A meta-analytic study.” Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(1), 53-76. A large meta-analysis of unemployment’s toll on mental and physical health – the source behind this page’s point that prolonged low mood or withdrawal is worth raising with a GP rather than waiting out alone.

Retirement and identity loss

  • Szinovacz, M.E. & DeViney, S. (1999). “The Retiree Identity: Gender and Race Differences.” Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 54B(4), S207–S218. Examines how and when people actually come to see themselves as retired – the source behind this page’s point that adopting a new identity doesn’t happen automatically on the leaving date.
  • Van Solinge, H. & Henkens, K. (2008). “Adjustment to and Satisfaction with Retirement: Two of a Kind?” Psychology and Aging, 23(2), 422–434. Frames retirement adjustment as two separate tasks – losing the work role and building a new life – the source behind this page’s central framing of retirement as a dual, not single, transition.
  • Atchley, R.C. (1989). “A Continuity Theory of Normal Aging.” The Gerontologist, 29(2), 183–190. Proposes that people adapt best to major life changes by preserving continuity with their past selves, rather than starting over – the source behind this page’s advice to find continuity rather than expect a wholly new identity.
  • Ebaugh, H.R.F. (1988). Becoming an Ex: The Process of Role Exit. University of Chicago Press. A foundational study of what it takes to leave a major life role and build an identity as an “ex” – including retirees among its subjects – the source behind this page’s framing of retirement as a role exit, not just a scheduling change.

Imposter syndrome

  • Clance, P.R. & Imes, S.A. (1978). “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.” Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247. The original paper naming and describing the phenomenon in high-achieving women who couldn’t internalise their own success – the source behind this page’s point that it has a real research history, not just a modern label.
  • Sakulku, J. & Alexander, J. (2011). “The Impostor Phenomenon.” International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 73–92. A review of the phenomenon’s antecedents, including personality traits and role transitions, and its spread well beyond the original sample of professional women – the source behind this page’s point that new responsibility is often what triggers it.
  • Bravata, D.M., Watts, S.A., Keefer, A.L., Madhusudhan, D.K., Taylor, K.T., Clark, D.M., Nelson, R.S., Cokley, K.O. & Hagg, H.K. (2020). “Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: A Systematic Review.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(4), 1252–1275. Found prevalence estimates ranging from 9–82% across 62 studies, common among both men and women and across career stages – the source behind this page’s point that it isn’t confined to any one type of person.
  • Brauer, K. & Proyer, R.T. (2022). “The Impostor Phenomenon and Causal Attributions of Positive Feedback on Intelligence Tests.” Personality and Individual Differences, 194, 111663. Found self-reported imposter feelings were essentially unrelated to psychometrically measured intelligence or performance under real-life test conditions – the source behind this page’s point that the feeling doesn’t track with actual ability.