Variations in personal activity, access to ‘categories of experience’, and psychological well-being in young adults

Abstract

Variations in personal activity, access to ‘categories of experience’, and psychological well-being were studied in 36 unemployed young adults and comparisons made with a matched employed sample. The unemployed sample were found to have worse psychological well-being and to have access to a significantly fewer number of Jahoda's five ‘categories of experience’ in comparison with the employed sample. Significant variations in activity, access to categories of experience and psychological well-being were found amongst the unemployed, and results indicated that level of activity (keeping busy) and having a main activity can be important for different aspects of psychological well-being during unemployment, but that the benefits were limited in their extent compared with the levels of well-being and access to categories of experience gained by the individuals in employment.