The transition into work - An editorial commentary

Abstract

Different research perspectives on the transition into work are presented, and some trends and shortcomings are discussed. It is argued that an orientation toward transition as a crisis no longer seems appropriate for research. Rather, various contextual schemes embedding different courses of transition and the “gradualness” in a context of life-long learning actually characterise this period. The six articles of the special issue are commented upon with regard to the study of the transition into work domain. General conclusions are summarised into eight points, claiming for example that societal events and contextual structures are important factors, that psychological attributes measured individually appear to be relatively stable whereas configurations may change considerably, and that job satisfaction is only partially determined by dispositions. The conclusion also suggests moving away from a global perspective on transition as a change, toward a more micro-behaviourally focused dynamic approach.