Here is a challenging study on the effects of work and unemployment on mental health. Examined in this comprehensive study are issues such as why some people are more harmed by unemployment than others; why certain job transitions are more difficult; and what we mean by mental health and how we can measure it. The author introduces nine characteristics of any environment and shows how they give rise to the harmful and beneficial consequences of work and unemployment. The book gathers integrates the extensive and widely-dissemenated research into the topic and places it in an original and logical conceptual framework.