Between Silence and Service: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Funeral Directors and Cemetery Workers

This study explores how Italian funeral home and cemetery workers construct vocational meaning and navigate identity amid constant exposure to death. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 participants (12 funeral directors, 7 cemetery workers), exploring emotional labor, motivation, coping, stigma, and ethics. Six themes emerged: (1) emotional labor and detachment, (2) mortality and transformation, (3) stigma and invisibility, (4) vocational ethics and care, (5) unique challenges for cemetery workers, and (6) institutional barriers for funeral directors. Despite low social prestige, participants expressed a strong sense of calling and deep ethical commitment. Their narratives reveal a complex professional identity shaped by emotional depth, moral responsibility, and silent service. This study contributes to the vocational behavior literature by shedding light on meaningful work and identity formation in stigmatized, death-related professions.