How Does Paid Employment Affect Your Identity - Literature review Example

Topic: Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction In everyday life people have a tendency to want to belong to a particular group or society hence identifying with it. Traditionally, identity was located in “nationality, social class, neighbourhood, educational background and paid employment” (Third way, 1988 p. 13). However, as time passes by many aspects of our lives change and it becomes necessary to reshape our identity. In modern times, there are advancements in technology, increased mobility and unemployment leading to lack of clear categories for identification and therefore the dialectic has been in favour of paid employment especially due to the protestant work ethic. According to Kirpal (2011), the company and occupational categories are the source of work-related identity formation processes. Employees form identities as they engage in their job and as they interact with their colleagues and customers giving them a source of commitment, motivation and effective job performance (217). People are also judged according to the work they do rather than who they are and a result people are in continuous search for the right job which brings meaning into their lives. This depends on what individuals view as meaningful work to them and the community as a whole. The question that begs an answer then is what constitutes meaningful work? Klein (2008) observes that content and meaning of work for individuals evolves as technological and economic circumstances change thus making it difficult to find meaning in work and form identities. This paper will explore how paid employment affects identity based on the contextual nature of identity. Identity Identity is defined by Goffman (1959) as an impression management where we monitor all aspects of behaviour of people we encounter. Identity is therefore like a theatrical performance where actors try to convince the audience that their actions are real when in reality they are not authentic. Actors thus identify the things to be taken into account, act on basis of these identifications and attempt to fit their actions with others in the situation (Burke, 2006). Just like in performances, the actors in society have roles to play and they attach meanings which are derived from culture or from own understanding to themselves while performing the roles. However, the individuals must negotiate meanings derived from own understanding with others who have different views such that self meanings correspond to role behaviour. For example, in a work setting if the role of the worker means service to others, then the worker’s actions or behaviour should match the meaning by attending to customers needs promptly. Jensen (2011 p. 163), defines identity as “a process of recognizing and being recognized by those who count.” The nature of identity in this case is relational as individuals try to distinguish themselves from others. For example, in a work situation an individual tries to identify himself by distinguishing himself from non-work situation therefore an individual constitutes his context of development. Jensen also acknowledges that individuals have various identity options which vary across cultural contexts but the individual has to explore the most convenient identity from the available options and make a decision to adopt the chosen identity. According to Goffman (1959), choosing the right option requires negotiation with the other pathways available. For example, people can negotiate on the requirements to fill a certain position or occupation hence set a criterion for identifying with that option. In traditional societies, options were limited as children followed the path of their parents through apprenticeship hence identified with parent’s occupation. For example, a child from a poor background or uneducated parents was also not educated hence ended in same occupation as parents. However, Rehn (2009) acknowledges that children learn differently from adults and should not be ignored as they also form a work-identity through popular culture. Effect of Paid Work on Identity Work is central to human existence and involves a degree of necessity since individuals perform work for others or for themselves to sustain their basic among other needs. It is also used to achieve something else such as producing products for consumption by others and also involves putting a lot of effort and persistence (Noon & Blyton, 2006). One may ask why an individual has to engage in stressful and taxing work with poor rewards. This is because people all over the world nowadays are identified with what they do instead of who they are hence paid work dominates identity formation furthermore the protestant work ethic encourages people to work hard work and delay their gratification so as to get generous rewards or as a virtue. Some people derive satisfaction from relationships at work rather than rewards while for others, work is a vocation therefore it all depends on personal beliefs and values as well as societal conditioning. The context of work has changed greatly over the years hence affecting identity in various ways. Jones (2003) argues that traditionally, people used to engage in occupations available in their communities such as agriculture and the children took over the jobs from parents hence collective identification. Another apparent feature was male dominated jobs in the manufacturing sector which have now been replaced with female dominated service sector. The craft trade was apparent in those societies and individuals gained skills in such trade through apprenticeship and thereafter gained craftsmen identity which entailed long life employment, loyalty and commitment and also security. The traditional industries also offered such opportunities hence work-identity was stable and people enjoyed performing their work. However, in modern times with the advent of industrialization it is difficult to form stable work-identity due to improved technology leading to job restructuring, deskilling, downsizing, mass unemployment and need to find new meanings in work and often reshape identity. Industrialization led to capitalism where according to Marx, individuals were alienated from the means of production, products of their labour and from others and self. Work became necessary as individuals had to exchange labour for wages to be able to satisfy their needs (Jones, 2003). The bourgeoisies or capitalists on the other hand, aim at making profits by use of wage labour and to maximize profits, they have to control costs. The work context therefore is such that the capitalist keeps on reducing the number of workers and by improving technology which makes workers skills redundant resulting in mass unemployment. Others such as most textile firms in America outsource jobs to cheap labour areas such as Asia thus denying locals’ jobs. The unemployed thus lose identity in a society that values work and judges people according to occupation. The worker is thus in constant search of paid work so as to have an identity but as Ehrenreich (2006) notes, searching for a job is just like another form of employment as one spends the whole day searching for a job and acting like an employed person. Contrary to protestant work ethic that hard work pays, those laid off are hard workers and are experienced but find it difficult to secure a new job hence are in constant debts and in despair. Furthermore, one is blamed for not being able to secure a job when in real sense it is due to factors out of ones control such as a recession which may not allow employer to recruit more workers. Some of these workers lack jobs because of their different meanings of work. For example, one may prefer to apply for a professional job since he believes it is prestigious rather than a job in another occupation such as tourism which is readily available but not prestigious. As Sennett (1998) notes, concepts like flexibility, flexitime, long-term commitment, work ethics and team work are prevalent in modern workplaces. During Taylorism and Fordism, there was complex division of labour and specialization hence increased productivity and wages as well as job security since work did not change much although it resulted in boredom (Mankiw, 2003). Nowadays, tasks are not routinized as flexibility is encouraged and most of the tasks that used to be performed by men at high pay are now performed by women and children at low pay due to reduction in manufacturing and increase in service jobs. As a result, there is a lot of balancing of family and work-life hence flexibility and flexitime. This has led to introduction of part-time, full time and temporary work whereas others work at home leading to alienation of individual and difficulties in forming work-identities. This is due to fact that there is no longer long-time commitment and security hence lack of motivation. According to Jensen (2011), even those in paid employment are in continuous search for new jobs due to fear of being laid off or to advance careers. As such they are trying to find new meanings to their work. De Botton (2009) argues that people spend most time in an occupation they chose while young and which they never cared to find out what it meant to them. As a result, most people struggle to find satisfying work and this is why Rehn (2009) emphasizes the need to take children’s culture into consideration and not just concentrate on adult education on management and work. The work ethics requires one to delay gratification for a future benefit and commitment to work. However, in the changing work context such work ethics is non existent. In the new capitalism, individuals are overworked as they work for long hours and the wages are incommensurate with their efforts and sometimes they end up being laid off (Ehrenreich, 2006 p. 215). Instead of delayed gratification, individuals have resorted to consumerism whereby they accumulate a lot of material wealth. Nowadays, people are identified with the commodities they own instead of the work they perform hence blurring of boundaries between work and consumption identities (Du Gay, 1996). According to neo-weberian theorists, consumption is the main determinant of individuals’ identity with work. Fields (2009) also established a correlation between salary and positive effect on identity where higher paying jobs resulted in high self-esteem. There is a lot of advertising by companies on the media thereby forcing individuals to buy items they do not require for immediate need satisfaction which Du Gay refers as false needs. Individuals thus engage in work to acquire more wealth as they are not satisfied with the wealth they have; they want to acquire as much as others and this has resulted into what James (2007) calls affluenza. The result is increased material inequality, dissatisfaction, worthlessness and unhappiness and is as a result of selfish capitalism which advocates for market liberalization. The only solution to this predicament is by pursuing real needs and by identification of self as valuable even without material possessions. Marx on the other hand, argues that abolishing the capitalist system and instituting communism or socialism where there is no property ownership will solve the alienation of worker and consumer problem and enable individuals to achieve self actualization (Du Gay, 1996). Conclusion Identity formation is a process which involves exploration and commitment. Identity is an impression management where every individual’s performance is not authentic but is like a rehearsed theatrical performance. It is formed in relation to others through negotiations and a variety options do exist for individuals. Traditionally, people identified with the nationality, social class and paid employment but due to technological advancements and erosion of social structures, paid work has become the central point of identity formation hence individuals are identified with what they do and not who they are. However, the world of paid work has also undergone many changes as work becomes flexible, restructuring, flexitime and deskilling as well as mass unemployment. As a result workers are in constant search of new meanings to their work and continuous identity formation. Capitalism has not made things any better as people result to mass accumulation of wealth and judging people according to what they own. There is thus a blurring of boundaries between work and consumption identities. Marx thinks that the only solution is to have a different social formation such as communism so as to fulfil human potential and achieve self-actualization. References Burke, P. (2006) Contemporary Social Psychological Theories. California: Stanford University Press. De Botton, A. (2009) The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. London: Penguin. Du Gay, P. (1996) Consumption and Identity at Work. London: Sage. Ehrenreich, B. (2006) Bait and Switch: The futile pursuit of the corporate dream. London: Granta. Fields, J. (2009) ‘Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love.’ eHow.com. http://www.ehow.com/facts-74883313-occupation-employments-effect-identity.html. (Accessed December 22, 2011). Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Anchor Books. James, O. (2007) Affluenza: How to be Successful and Stay Sane. London: Vermillion. Jensen, L. (Ed). (2011). Bridging Cultural and Developmental Approaches to Psychology: New Syntheses in Theory, Research, and Policy. New York: Oxford University Press. Jones, P. (2003). Introducing Social Theory. UK: Polity Press. 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