Abstract

RIBEIRO, Marcelo Afonso. Youth and work: building the careers in a vulnerable situation. Arq. bras. psicol. [online]. 2011, vol.63, n.spe, pp. 58-70. ISSN 1809-5267.

The article analyzed the meanings, pathways and strategies for the initial building of the career of young searching for a job, between 18 and 24 years of age and recruited in an employment agency, which are considered living in vulnerable situations, because of the precariousness of their objective and psychosocial conditions. Aiming a qualitative study, 30 semi-structured interviews and a content analysis were conducted. The main findings pointed out that the meaning of work would be the satisfying of demands, not the cultivation of a core value. Thus, the work experience gives it meaning by the establishment of social relations with respect (psychosocial meaning) and by the financial gain (material meaning). However, it naturalizes a socio-occupational situation, leading to conformity and to a lack of future planning by the need to respond to the requests of the present. Their output will be the developing and the adapting continually, by building their careers in vulnerable situations.

Keywords : Youths; Career development; Work values; Vulnerability.

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