“This Job has Changed Me”: Work Life Conflict, Self and Social Identity in Correctional Work

Abstract

Growing research demonstrates the toll of correctional work on the mental health and well-being of staff. Within this body of work, researchers note that work life conflict is a significant stressor faced by correctional workers, though minimal research has examined this topic qualitatively. Drawing on open-ended survey responses from a study on provincial and territorial correctional worker well-being in Canada, we consider how different types of work life conflict, including time, strain and behavior based conflicts, impact sense of self and social identities among workers. More specifically, we examine how work life conflicts give way to: changes in self tied to negative impacts on personality, disposition, and attitudes; loss of self due to lack of time and emotional energy to enact non-work roles and identities; and loss of social identities as a result of both externally and self-imposed forms of social isolation. Findings highlight how work life conflict can have cumulative effects resulting in estrangement with respect to one's self, others, and society more generally.