City Research Online

Abstract

The EU Referendum took place on 23 June 2016; the UK voted to leave the EU. Many academics and economists predicted that Brexit would have serious implications for the UK’s banking and financial services sector, with increasing speculation and media reports about banks relocating their operations and staff to other European cities. This qualitative study aimed to capture the Brexit lived experiences and sense-making process of eight London-based European banking professionals, who did not vote to decide their future in the UK, yet had to live with the Brexit consequences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the transcribed data were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodological approach. Three dominant themes emerged from the data: ‘Making Sense of Brexit’, ‘Transformation of Identity’ and ‘Disconnection’. The findings revealed how these participants made sense of incomprehensibility, uncertainty, and possible changes in their life and in the workplace, with some positive aspects. This study represented one of the first to explore European banking professionals’ lived experiences of Brexit; its findings were considered for their practical value in Counselling Psychology, such as informing perspectives on Brexit mental health by helping to conceptualise these participants’ lived experiences in the face of an unprecedented event. The study’s findings were also discussed with respect to the consulted literature, their limitations, and their implications for future research.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Psychology School of Health & Psychological Sciences > School of Health & Psychological Sciences Doctoral Theses

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