This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: People's ability to successfully navigate career changes depends on their adaptability and flexibility—skills that can be developed through training transition "muscles," according to Sarah Wittman, assistant professor of management at Costello College of Business and of industrial-organizational psychology (by courtesy) at George Mason University. This can be done by confidently narrating a new identity, adapting to instability and connecting with support structures, Wittman suggests in a chapter in the forthcoming book Research Handbook on Career Transitions (co-authored by Bethany Cockburn of Northern Illinois University and Amy Colbert of the University of Iowa).
Informed by learning theory, the chapter extends Wittman's prior research on career transitions, emphasizing the learning that takes place amid the growing trend of nonlinear career paths and the professional identity changes they entail. Much of the existing research literature on transitions focuses on an individual's shifts between professional identities, such as "trailing spouse," "translocal worker" or "working mother." Building on this body of work, Wittman and her co-authors examine the process of transition itself, considering how insights from the experience may affect an individual's readiness to face future uncertainty and identity changes. They emphasize that "people in transition are not blank slates" and "different people likely live similar transitions differently." The outcome of each individual's efforts to explore, test and integrate multiple possible selves depends on personal agency and social validation.
To facilitate a successful outcome, the authors propose a framework consisting of three types of "transition muscles" representing "the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that can be improved and strengthened over time through repetition, variation, and a gradual increase in difficulty, resulting in an increased ability to navigate transitions." The three types of "transition muscles" are integrated into a unified, interconnected system. Incorporating different parts of the professional self into a confident, coherent narrative trains the "content muscle." Connecting the in-between time, or liminality, to the larger career trajectory engages the "process muscle." Securing mentorship and community support by building anchor relationships in times of uncertainty strengthens the "context muscle." Individuals train the "content muscle" when they learn identity narration skills. As they explore and communicate to the wider world who they are, they incorporate their emerging professional identities into a cogent self-narrative.
According to Wittman, people can learn "to assert their identity" through the process of repeatedly rebuilding their self-narratives, "finding meaning in difficult spaces," and using that awareness to manage future transitions. Defined as "externally and internally shared stories," narrative claims can be effective or ineffective. Wittman points out that it is important "to narrate the story of your new self to people who are in a position to assess it critically and be authentic in sharing their feedback with you." In practice, this might mean changing your approach to networking so that you're building a network for your future self rather than just for who you are now.
Doing so not only increases confidence that a transition to the "next you" is possible but also allows you to (safely) test your identity claim's validity with each new contact you make. Training of the "process muscle" happens when past experiences are applied to current transitions while "echoes of transition processes build on each other." Wittman describes the experience of being in-between identities, otherwise known as "liminality," as a particularly challenging transition phase, when a person's social role is no longer defined by their previous job but not yet shaped by their anticipated position. Working the process muscle could mean focusing on the temporariness of liminality, remembering the times you have experienced it before and what you learned and the strengths you gained in the process.
Even without having experienced career instability, everyone has gone through periods of liminality, for example, becoming a new parent, moving to a new city or entering college. Structured remembering—via journaling, looking over old emails or reconnecting with a longtime friend—can strengthen resolve and adaptability. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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