67. The speaker claims that our jobs greatly influence our personal interests, / I" s' N" d5 y
recreational activities and even appearance. While I agree that the personal lives of
& r1 c! H F; O! ], Zsome people are largely determined by their work, in my view it would be a mistake to / J* n" f2 `+ V; v M' q5 M
draw this conclusion generally. In my observation, the extent to which occupation
) {$ {2 i7 {! Linfluences personal life depends on (1) the nature of the work, and (2) how central the
1 c; @- R% L0 s* M' I- r# Lwork is to one's sense of self.9 c V0 z! S$ r- ?8 Z9 e( v% |
On the one hand, consider my friends Steve and William. Steve works as a
" l6 U# G; Q+ z: C; [9 X8 N; `gardener, but after work he creates oil paintings of quality and poignancy. His leisure ) [& Q7 N5 P K" x# A
time is spent alternately at the sea, in the wilderness, and in dark cafes. William paints 3 x7 O J) Y' q) @; y2 t
houses for a living, but on his own time he collects fine art and books in first edition, as
) ^! F( i T% c* U) E8 e, `well as reading voraciously in the area of American history. Their outside activities and
. S5 W2 ?- U6 R2 Sappearance speak little about what Steve or William do for a living, because these men
$ P4 b5 o" ~' L+ `% Wview their jobs as little more than a means of subsidizing me activities that manifest r% {* I: i1 _2 A$ U% a
their true selves. At the same time, they have chosen jobs that need not spill over into 4 L& p! Z* Z4 r. D
their personal lives, so the nature of their jobs permits them to maintain a distinctive + W7 H9 u3 F' r5 r) M- m) P
identity apart from their work.
8 K ]/ M0 p: w* o9 I! L$ q On the other hand, consider my friend Shana—a business executive who lives and
, i: k& m" Z! S, e& m l6 m/ D3 y: L3 Fbreathes her work. After work hours you can invariably find her at a restaurant or bar & p2 I. C3 R( D: M( h$ U9 J
with colleagues, discussing work. Shana's wardrobe is primarily red—right off the 4 w, p% L. V4 z) C& g4 T. l7 O$ [
dress-for-success page of a woman's magazine. For Shana, her job is clearly an
# P6 K7 u/ i; |' iexpression of her self-concept. Also, by its nature it demands Shana's attention and time
% J" n6 o9 D4 F& oaway from the workplace.
) A3 x2 o! |# K9 ^* n8 S What has determined the influence of work on personal lives in these cases is the 4 e! }1 f2 v$ N p, @( r
extent to which each person sees himself or herself in terms of work. Clearly, work is at S; l" @0 f1 f- Y6 p5 x+ p4 U* w
the center of Shana's life, but not of either Steve's or William's. My sample is small; 8 k. A: w1 ~2 p# g
still, common sense and intuition tell me that the influence of work on one's personal ) o/ Z7 |% o. b$ e! J8 j: v
life depends both on the nature of the work and on the extent to which the work serves
5 Q% z$ j5 n- `' t Ias a manifestation of one's self-concept. |