Psychological self-sufficiency (PSS) as an empowerment pathway among economically disadvantaged youth and young adults in South Korea

This study aims to investigate the effect of psychological self-sufficiency (PSS) on economic self-sufficiency (ESS) among economically disadvantaged youth and young adults in South Korea. PSS theory posits an individualized process of developing goal-directed psychological strength by turning the perceived barriers into hope, by which a bottom-up system transformation will be achieved—in the case of this study both the demand and supply sides of the workforce system. Using a sample of 500 South Korean youth and young adults living in poverty, a structural equation modeling analysis revealed that perceived employment barriers affect ESS, fully mediated by employment hope. In other words, factors that were believed to be barriers to employment, if met with a force of hope within them, could lead them to achieve external employment outcomes. When individual factors of perceived employment barriers were entered into the model independently, the soft skills barrier was the only significant path to employment hope. These results suggest the importance of overcoming the soft skills barriers to employment and developing employment-related hope as they relate to the ESS outcome. This study extends the useful application of the PSS theory—a process-oriented practice embracing psychological empowerment—for use within the context of the South Korean youth workforce development program.