67. The speaker claims that our jobs greatly influence our personal interests, 0 g: v4 c V' Z6 N, g) A
recreational activities and even appearance. While I agree that the personal lives of
( Z& ` t$ N! Dsome people are largely determined by their work, in my view it would be a mistake to
: `! ~, H( ?0 J4 j/ U2 Z# C+ ydraw this conclusion generally. In my observation, the extent to which occupation $ `# ^) p' Z1 H
influences personal life depends on (1) the nature of the work, and (2) how central the
% f4 d9 m2 l: u; c6 F. fwork is to one's sense of self.
6 C& O4 ?- b2 j8 p On the one hand, consider my friends Steve and William. Steve works as a
( l1 W( }3 L, a fgardener, but after work he creates oil paintings of quality and poignancy. His leisure
, ?& Q4 J5 }! m! s6 x3 F2 K% r$ o' W6 Htime is spent alternately at the sea, in the wilderness, and in dark cafes. William paints
2 c4 y4 O) }( Y& u/ _5 mhouses for a living, but on his own time he collects fine art and books in first edition, as / B, H' `1 F: A
well as reading voraciously in the area of American history. Their outside activities and
! D3 g( A# @5 N1 G* l1 E( ~; b. ] Q0 Gappearance speak little about what Steve or William do for a living, because these men ) g9 m# |# X8 H( y- ~
view their jobs as little more than a means of subsidizing me activities that manifest
# x+ g% J" b, wtheir true selves. At the same time, they have chosen jobs that need not spill over into / n# ]; k; F8 Y
their personal lives, so the nature of their jobs permits them to maintain a distinctive
% E4 U! s. N# a6 I- Z9 H6 [6 C, B& Oidentity apart from their work.
* D$ o% K& A$ w& { On the other hand, consider my friend Shana—a business executive who lives and
6 l1 r3 h# m1 P6 t% cbreathes her work. After work hours you can invariably find her at a restaurant or bar 1 Y9 Q9 r3 U9 O0 P4 W
with colleagues, discussing work. Shana's wardrobe is primarily red—right off the
' D G. G6 ^# A- c2 {dress-for-success page of a woman's magazine. For Shana, her job is clearly an
& C) ~+ p$ D5 b7 o$ c% `5 [$ h: B% mexpression of her self-concept. Also, by its nature it demands Shana's attention and time ( h$ Y" A) d* {( w
away from the workplace.
, D4 G# f0 t( n& D) Q' h, g! X What has determined the influence of work on personal lives in these cases is the : p$ f6 D2 @7 D1 `
extent to which each person sees himself or herself in terms of work. Clearly, work is at ' z2 w7 A; f( f5 O* x& P; i6 f
the center of Shana's life, but not of either Steve's or William's. My sample is small;
5 G! X, y! X( q) i2 Ostill, common sense and intuition tell me that the influence of work on one's personal
! w4 b, }$ M1 y. vlife depends both on the nature of the work and on the extent to which the work serves
2 b8 o# D$ a. u( L5 E8 was a manifestation of one's self-concept. |