According to the transactional model of stress, there are three ways that individuals frame the meaning of a stressful event: as a harm/loss, a threat, or a challenge. The person is essentially assessing what is at stake for them. One person may see losing their job as harming their ability to support themselves and/or losing their entire social circle and support system. Another person may see losing their job as a threat to their self-esteem, thinking that if they had been more competent or smarter, their employer would not have let them go. In the third scenario, however, the person may see losing their job as a challenge to finally make a change that they had wanted to make, but had put off because of the security the job offered.
Secondary appraisal is the process of asking “what can I do about this?” what are my coping resources and what are the costs and benefits associated with each? In the case of a harm/threat appraisal, the person may be so worried about not having a paycheck that they may work hard to find a new job, possibly settling on one that is not right for them. In the case of a threat, a person may strive to prove to themselves (and others) that they have skills to offer—and find another job as a consequence. On the other hand, they may take the job loss personally and do nothing, because the resulting depression depletes them of energy and motivation to move ahead. In the case of the challenge appraisal, the person might go back to school and study something they are passionate about in hopes of finding a job in a completely different field.
Age could have either a beneficial or a detrimental impact on the appraisal process. If a person is in young adulthood, they might be more likely to see the job loss as a challenge because they may perceive more options for themselves. For example, they are not tied down to the area; they may be interested in trying something new; they do not have the responsibility of supporting a family and having to earn a certain salary to pay the bills. If they are in mid-life, they may use their life experience to cope with this as they have other life stressors. On the other hand, they may feel a lack of control if they internalize ageist stereotypes that suggest that once people are a certain age they are incapable of learning new things, set in their ways, and not able to keep up.
Culture could impact the appraisal process differently, depending upon whether it is a collectivist or individualist culture. In a collectivist culture, the person may appraise job loss as the ultimate harm to the family’s security by not having wages to support them; it may also be shameful to the family name to have lost one’s job. On the other hand, the need to think of the needs of others over one’s own needs could be a motivator to find another job quickly. In contrast, in an individualistic society, the person may take this as an opportunity to explore their own needs and take their time to find a job that brings satisfaction. In contrast, they may lack the support to get through this difficult time because they are less likely to be living with family or even to be close enough to them to see them often.