Cultural Identity, Vocational Development, and the Meaning of Work Among Appalachian Coal Miners: a Qualitative Study
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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2014 Cultural Identity, Vocational Development, and the Meaning of Work among Appalachian Coal Miners: A Qualitative Study Susan Chamberlain Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Chamberlain, Susan, "Cultural Identity, Vocational Development, and the Meaning of Work among Appalachian Coal Miners: A Qualitative Study" (2014). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 5334. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/5334 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cultural Identity, Vocational Development, and the Meaning of Work among Appalachian Coal Miners: A Qualitative Study Susan Chamberlain Dissertation submitted to the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology Jeff Daniels, Ph.D., Chair James Bartee, Ph.D. Reagan Curtis, Ph.D. Christine Schimmel, Ed.D. Shelley Savage, Psy.D. Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counseling Psychology Morgantown, West Virginia 2014 Keywords: Appalachia, culture, identity, vocational development, psychology of work, coal miners Copyright 2014 Susan Chamberlain ABSTRACT Cultural Identity, Vocational Development, and the Meaning of Work among Appalachian Coal Miners: A Qualitative Study Susan Chamberlain In this study I explore what coal mining means to underground miners in Appalachia, and how these meanings interact with participants’ cultural and vocational identities. Using narrative data from eight underground coal miners, the study investigates the connections between cultural values, career, and personality. These connections are singularly intertwined in Appalachia, where economic and social landscapes have been heavily influenced by coal mining for over a century. The resulting relationships have blurred the lines of identity among career, family, and community. This qualitative study is based on data from semi-structured interviews; participant language was analyzed using grounded theory to create a theory of cultural and vocational development while also exploring the meaning of work. In exploring the core concept of underground coal mining in Appalachia, early knowledge of coal mining and early explorations of options and values emerged as significant influential conditions. Demographic factors, personality, and individual vocational development emerged as contextual factors. In addition, four intervening conditions (experienced miner development, work-home balance, disadvantages of mining, and pride) impacted participants’ conceptualizations of the meanings of coal mining. Ultimately, six branches of meaning became apparent: mining as family, mining as survival/power, mining as self-determining, mining as social connection, mining as personal identity, and mining as cultural identity. Each of the above components is described in participants’ own language and contexts. Clinical implications, limitations and strengths, and recommendations for future research are discussed. Culture, Vocation, & Meaning of Work among Appalachian Coal Miners i Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 7 Appalachia: Geography and Population ...................................................................................... 7 Race and ethnicity. .................................................................................................................. 9 Education, employment, and income. ................................................................................... 10 West Virginia: Education, employment, and income. ....................................................... 14 Appalachian Culture and Values: Historical and Social Contexts ............................................ 15 Ethnic roots. ........................................................................................................................... 16 Trust and exploitation. ........................................................................................................... 19 Communication styles. .......................................................................................................... 21 Collectivism. .......................................................................................................................... 24 Gender roles. .......................................................................................................................... 26 Educational goals. .................................................................................................................. 28 Substance abuse and unemployment. .................................................................................... 33 Appalachian career choices. .................................................................................................. 35 Mining. ............................................................................................................................... 36 Services. ............................................................................................................................. 44 Research in career development. ....................................................................................... 45 Connections to the land and importance of place. ................................................................. 57 Multicultural Contexts in Identity ............................................................................................. 59 Multiculturalism in psychology. ............................................................................................ 61 Individual and group identity. ............................................................................................... 62 Individual identity. ............................................................................................................. 63 Group identity. ................................................................................................................... 66 Group differentiation. ........................................................................................................ 67 Social identity theory. ..................................................................................................... 68 Subjective uncertainty reduction theory. ........................................................................ 71 Culture, Vocation, & Meaning of Work among Appalachian Coal Miners ii Optimal distinctiveness theory. ...................................................................................... 72 Identity salience. ................................................................................................................ 74 Stereotypes............................................................................................................................. 75 Self-stereotyping. ............................................................................................................... 77 Appalachian stereotypes. ................................................................................................... 78 Multiculturalism in Vocational Psychology .............................................................................. 83 Career development theories. ................................................................................................ 85 Trait and factor or person-environment fit theories. .......................................................... 85 Holland’s Vocational Personalities and Work Environments. ...................................... 86 Personality Development Theory. .................................................................................. 87 Theory of Work Adjustment. ........................................................................................... 88 Social learning theories. ..................................................................................................... 89 Social learning theory of career decision making. ........................................................ 89 Social Cognitive Career Theory. 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