RESPONSE TO WORK TRANSITIONS BY UNITED STATES ARMY PERSONNEL: EFFECTS OF SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-EFFICACY, AND CAREER RESILIENCE

This paper examined association of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and career resilience with the responses of 171 United States Army personnel making the transition to civilian jobs. Specifically, the study addresses whether personality traits are related to the appraisal of the transition from Army to civilian life and to how individuals plan to manage the transition to yield employment success. Self-esteem, self-efficacy, and career resilience were the personality variables examined. Only self-esteem and career resilience were related to harm appraisals of the transition. None of the personality variables were related to use of coping strategies. Limitations of the study and suggestions for research are provided.