TY - JOUR AU - Gillberg, Gunnar AU - Kadefors, Roland AU - Holmer, Jan AU - Östebo, Anders PY - 2021/09/21 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Meaningfulness and Coherence? Experiences Among Young Soldiers in the Swedish Armed Forces JF - Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies JA - NJWLS VL - 11 IS - 3 SE - Articles DO - 10.18291/njwls.123905 UR - https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/123905 SP - AB - <p>The twofold aim of the present study was to try to understand why young recruits to the Swedish Armed Forces chose a military career rather than a civilian one, and how their expectations were met when confronted with the realities of life as a soldier or marine. The study material consisted of 57 interviews with 37 young recruits; the interviews were carried out at units representing different branches of the Armed Forces. The interviews were semi-structured, transcribed, and categorized. It was found that the desire to remain employed as a soldier or marine in the Swedish Armed Forces is based on a set of individual and organizational factors: the selection process, the sense of meaningfulness and organizational coherence, the safety offered, and the salutogenic nature of military working life. The recruits are part of a system that offers good work conditions in return for taxing and stressful work assignments.</p> ER -