The open boat: an analysis of the meaning-making activity of individuals experiencing a career shift

Abstract

Using open-ended interviews, this phenomenological study explored the experience of 12 individuals involved in a career shift. The career shift was a critical incident which revealed varying degrees of disequilibrium regarding issues of role identity and self-perception. The experiences of these 12 subjects were metaphorically depicted through a series of nautical images which provided a constructive-developmental perspective on what happens to self/other relationships in a time of stress and challenge. [TRUNCATED]