Socialization for Occupational Disengagement

Abstract

This is a study of occupational disengagement among students in American, British, and Spanish merchant marine academies. Disengagement is shown to be a function of two attributes of training. The first involves the content of training in the sense that students acquire a more realistic and less romantic view of their future career once they are faced with training experiences which simulate the actual work situation. The second attribute concerns the social context in which this education occurs. Specifically, students attending schools of a military character manifest much less commitment than do students attending vocational- professional types of schools. It is reasoned that occupational commitment may be partially a function of the degree to which effective bonds of loyalty and attachment are nurtured between student and school and may be determined early in the training period.