Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2012
Abstract
Today, there are more and more professionals who are or will be transitioning into new geographies, industries, companies, roles and, most importantly, new lives. Some current studies indicate that increasing the number of transitions has a negative correlation with a person's sense of well-being. But some professionals experience an increase in well-being. Although there is an abundance of literature about coping strategies and adaptation for those in the first, negatively affected group, there is little written about individuals who thrive while transitioning. This paper reports on a qualitative study of the second, positively affected group, driven by motivations beyond seeking earnings maximization and who are not purely capitalist oriented in order to: 1) characterize lived experiences of thriving in multiple transitions; 2), explain mechanisms associated with thriving in an age of flux; and 3) develop a model of cognitive processes displayed by professionals who thrive from experiencing multiple transitions.
Keywords
thriving, transitions, well-being, relocation, expatriate, punctuated equilibrium, sense-making
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Woo, Victoria, "Significant Life Transitions and Changing Lives: An Investigation into the Internationally Mobile Professional" (2012). Student Scholarship. 379.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/379