Sustainability Transitions in Professional Life Trajectories

An Empirical Reconstruction of Changing Work Life Practices

Elisa Thevenot (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

290 Seiten

2026
Verlag Barbara Budrich
978-3-8474-3192-3 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. März 2026)
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Wie integrieren Erwachsene Nachhaltigkeit in ihren Berufsalltag? Die Autorin rekonstruiert individuelle Prozesse der Sinnfindung im Kontext beruflicher Übergänge auf der Grundlage biografischer Interviews. Dabei zeigen sich verschiedene Strategien: von radikalen Veränderungen über die Vorbildrolle bis hin zur Anpassung der Nachhaltigkeit an den eigenen Lebensstil. Die Ergebnisse geben Einblick in die individuellen Wege und Muster, mit denen Menschen Herausforderungen zwischen Beruf und Nachhaltigkeit bewältigen. How do adults incorporate sustainability into their professional lives? Based on biographical interviews, the author reconstructs the individual processes of finding meaning in the context of career transitions. Various strategies emerge, ranging from radical transformations to leading by example or adapting sustainability to fit one's lifestyle. These findings offer valuable insights into the unique ways in which individuals navigate the challenges of balancing career and sustainability.

1 Introduction

2 Connecting work, sustainability and life course in research
2.1. Prevalent forms of relations linking work transitions and life course
2.2. Prevalent forms of relations linking sustainability and life course
2.3. Prevalent forms of relations linking work transitions and sustainability

3 Research foci and questions within a Doing Transitions framework

4 Outline of the theoretically informed perspective
4.1. Discourse, Practice and Implicit Knowledge
4.2. Practice theoretical approach to frame social phenomena
4.2.1 Ontological assumptions and grammar
4.2.2 Practice theory’s contribution to the sustainability transitions (STs) field
4.2.3 Practice theory’s application from everyday life studies to life course studies
4.3. Practice Theoretical foci: circulation, suffusion and variation
4.4. Practice Theory made empirically applicable

5 Reflexive Methodology - Presupposing, creating and interpreting empirical data
5.1. Exploring, situating, revising
5.2. Creating empirical data: framing, collecting, sampling
5.2.1 Biographical narrative frame
5.2.2 Preparing and collecting
5.2.3 Unaddressed dimensions and implications
5.3. Method of analysis

6 Empirical reconstruction: Three ways to recount worklife transitions - Typology (I)
6.1. Narrating a Professional Breach Transition (Type A)
6.1.1 Framing of an unsatisfactory previous life and an unlikely but necessary exit
6.1.2 Experiencing holistic transformations
6.1.3 Unloading dissonance and passing on a fitting story
Summarizing Type A: Breach transition narratives
6.2. Narrating a professional Cohesive Transition (Type B)
6.2.1 Framing of a consistent life path
6.2.2 Losing and regaining control over one’s life trajectory
6.2.3 Solving dissonance by framing of a purposeful trajectory
Summarizing Type B: Cohesive transition narratives
6.3. Narrating a professional Balancing act transition (Type C)
6.3.1 Framing of an ascending career track
6.3.2 Weighing in gains and minimizing loss of past conveniences
6.3.3 Overlooking dissonance by keeping life spheres separate
Summarizing Type C: Balancing act transition narrative

7 Interim conclusions considering Typology I
7.1 Doing ecological transition by doing narratives of worklife transitions
7.2 Doing ‘successful’ worklife transition by doing ecological transition
7.3 The making of an ecological transition master narrative

8 Empirical reconstruction: Four approaches to doing ecological transition - Typology (II)
8.1. Disrupting approach to doing ecological transition (Type 1)
8.1.1 Creating Bogeymen Counter horizons
8.1.2 Being an alternative
8.1.3 Changing paradigms to change the world
8.2. Representing approach to Doing sustainability (Type 2)
8.2.1 Relying on best practice
8.2.2 Being an example for
8.2.3 Changing oneself to change the world
8.3. Intervening approach to Doing ecological transition (Type 3)
8.3.1 Making oneself necessary
8.3.2 Being a driving force
8.3.3 Changing spaces to change the world
8.4. Calculating approach to Doing ecological transition (Type 4)
8.4.1 Reacting to a changing world
8.4.2 Being a professional
8.4.3 Changing at the top to change the world
8.5. Summary of the second typology (Typology II)

9 Bridging the two typologies: relations, linkages and learnings

10 Conclusion and outlooks

Bibliography

Erscheint lt. Verlag	16.3.2026
Reihe/Serie	Reflexive Übergangsforschung – Doing Transitions ; 18
Verlagsort	Leverkusen-Opladen
Sprache	englisch
Maße	148 x 210 mm
Themenwelt	Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Erwachsenenbildung
Schlagworte	Biografische Erzählungen • Biografisches Lernen • biographical learning • Biographical Narratives • Career • Karriere • Lebensweg • life course • Qualitative Methode • qualitative methodology • transition, professional trajectory • Übergang, berufliche Laufbahn
ISBN-10	3-8474-3192-7 / 3847431927
ISBN-13	978-3-8474-3192-3 / 9783847431923
Zustand	Neuware