A seemingly almost everyday situation: A man loses his job. If he does not find a new position soon, a gradual process of self-neglect threatens. Martin Denger therefore inquires about the possibilities and limits of pastoral care for unemployed men: How can it help those affected to develop new perspectives for their lives? How can individuals succeed in distancing themselves from the societal ideology of performance? The study analyzes, using the example of unemployed men, how pastoral counseling can be situated within pastoral psychology, thus making a significant contribution to a renewed, people-oriented pastoral care.