Identity Reconstruction During Involuntary Mid-Life Career Change: A Phenomenological Study

This study explored how mid-life adults reconstruct their identities following involuntary job loss, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Guided by Narrative Identity Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and narrative therapy principles, interviews and diary entries from fifteen displaced banking professionals were analyzed. Three superordinate themes emerged: “Everything Stopped at Once” captured the initial identity rupture marked by shock, shame, and loss of coherence; “Trying to Find My Feet Again” reflected participants’ struggle to negotiate meaning, restore competence, and navigate fluctuating motivation; and “Becoming Someone New” illustrated the reauthoring of future-oriented identities rooted in regained autonomy and strengthened social support. The findings affirm existing literature that job loss destabilizes self-concept but extend it by showing how narrative and motivational processes interact during mid-life transition. The study highlights the importance of emotional support, competence rebuilding and relational resources in facilitating recovery and offers implications for counseling, organizational practice and policy design.