The Re-Examination of Frequent Job Changes and Their Significance

Through the Narrative of a Man Who Has Changed His Job Thirteen Times

Abstract

In Japan, frequent job changes have been treated in research studies as an exceptional phenomenon or a problem of the socially vulnerable. Dissociating from this perspective, this study aims to re-examine the significance underlying frequent job changes by analyzing the psychological process of a narrative of a man in his 40s, who experienced thirteen job changes, all done voluntary. As a result, the analysis extracted three distinguishing traits: one’s view of profession that does not separate personal life from work, not having attachments to a significant regional migration, and an orientation toward learning from each employment. In addition, the study demonstrated the necessity to examine these traits from a non-Western cultural perspective. Thereafter, the narrative was further examined. As a result, a new career model, Zenzai-doji (Sudhana) Career, was constructed using Zenzai-doji as a metaphor, a character that appears in Kegon-kyo (Avatamsaka-Sutra) sutra, which the Japanese public has been familiar with since old times. Unlike Western models that focus on individuality, this model is anticipated to contribute to the cultivation of eachness, which emphasizes relations with the surrounding people.