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Investigating suicide as a career response
Duff, Angus Chan, Christopher
Duff, Angus
Chan, Christopher
Author
Abstract
Purpose: To empirically consider work and career as potential influences of suicide.
Design/methodology/approach: In this qualitative study we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 individuals who were survivors (i.e. family members or intimates) of individuals who had committed suicide. Data was analyzed using a grounded theory methodology.
Findings: This exploratory study used purposive self-determination as the theoretical framework for analyzing their life histories. Factors of purposive self-determination, including lack of purpose, feeling controlled, experiencing failure, and social exclusion all figured prominently but differentially according to life-stage. Distinct work and career themes for early-career, mid-career and late-career suicides emerged. Early-career suicides were attributed to educational or work-related contexts, leading to a sense of hopelessness. Mid-career suicides emphasized despair based in failure. Finally, an attempt to escape from challenges associated with transitioning roles in retirements emerged as a key theme in late-career suicides.
Originality/value: Although suicide has been studied extensively from medical, psychopathological, sociological, anthropological, philosophical and religious perspectives, there is a dearth of research considering why certain individuals choose to end their own lives as a result of work and career related reasons. This study sought to contribute to our understanding of this under-researched phenomenon. Additionally, while extant careers theory and research has considered positive notions of career such as career success or careers as a calling, this work presents an alternate lens, the consideration of career failure and careers as a sentence.
Keywords
Date
2014
Type
Journal article
Journal
Career Development International
Book
Volume
19
Issue
1
Page Range
4-26
Article Number
ACU Department
Peter Faber Business School
Faculty of Law and Business
Faculty of Law and Business
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Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled