ENTREPRENEURSHIP: PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING YOUTH’S DESIRE FOR SELFSUSTENANCE IN MPUMALANGA

Entrepreneurship is considered by many as a potent antidote to the nagging effects of unemployment and widespread poverty among youths in Mpumalanga province. There are concessions among various parties on the need to encourage youth entrepreneurial endeavours in the province as evidences show government’s inability to provide the desired number of jobs needed to absorb the teaming population of youths in need of employment. Several research studies conducted to investigate the reason behind youths’ seemingly lack of interest in starting their own businesses despite obvious government inability to provide jobs focused majorly on external factors; the aspect linking psychological factors to pattern of behaviour towards lack of interest in entrepreneurship has not been adequately addressed. Thus, this paper offers explanations to the psychological factors influencing youth’s desire for self-sustenance and entrepreneurial behaviour in the province. The study adopted analytical using descriptive and inferential statistics to test several independent samples that compare two or more groups of cases in a variable. The results from the analysis shows stressors close to home and community have significant correlation with pattern of behaviour and interest in entrepreneurship; so also, is lack of entrepreneurial training, technical partnership and mentoring. It is therefore recommended that government should realign resources to address the identified psychological factors influencing youths’ desires for self-sustenance in Mpumalanga province.