From Under-Institutionalized to Self-Guided Liminality: The Role of Situational Meaning-Making

Liminality, defined as an uncertain and ambiguous state of being betwixt and between, has become more and more prevalent in contemporary career landscapes. So far, scholars have suggested that liminality in the contemporary precarious and fluctuating careers differs from its original highly-institutionalized anthropological focus; liminality could become under-institutionalized and unfold in a self-guided manner. However, the connection between under-institutionalized and self-guided liminality is not self-evident and remains unclear. To examine this theoretical void, we conduct qualitative research to examine the mechanism that bridges under-institutionalized and self-guided liminality. Our findings suggest that self-guidance in under-institutionalized liminality emerges via situational meaning-making. Moreover, we identify two varied forms of situational meaning-making— open-ended and closed-ended justifications—that pave different but equally purposeful meanings for liminal workers to enact, and in turn, feed individuals with different lived experiences to shape their identities.