The importance of work in an age of uncertainty : the eroding work experience in America

Work plays an essential role in how we engage with the world, reflecting our desire to be productive, creative, and connected to others. By exploring the inner experiences of people at work, people seeking work, and people transitioning in and out of work, this book provides a rich and complex picture of the contemporary work experience. Drawing from extensive interviews with working people across the US, as well as insights from psychological research on work and careers, the book provides compelling evidence that the nature of work in the US is eroding-- and with powerful psychological and social consequences. From this conclusion, the book also illustrates the rationale and roadmap for a renewed agenda toward full employment and toward fair and dignified jobs for all who want to work. The emotional insights complement the conclusions of the best science and policy analyses on working, culminating in a powerful call for policies that attend to the real lives of individuals in 21st century America. By weaving these various sources together, Blustein delineates a conception of working that conveys its complexity, richness, and capacity for both joy and despair. This work provides a deeply psychological view of working in America with the intention of transforming existing assumptions and policies about work. At its best, working can provide a powerful sense of aliveness and meaning in our lives; yet, working can also be the source of psychic pain, distress, and despair. The text uses psychological and social science research in conjunction with qualitative analyses of 58 in-depth interviews with adults from across the country who were working or struggling to find work. This title explores the various ways in which working serves to sustain a sense of aliveness, including being able to survive and thrive, connect with others, contribute to something greater than ourselves, be the best we can be, being able to care for others, and being able to work without oppression and harassment Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface 1. Being Alive: Work as a Central Role in Life 2. Being Able to Survive and Thrive 3. Being With Others 4. Being Part of Something Bigger Than Ourselves 5. Being Motivated and Being the Best We Can Be 6. Being Able to Care 7. Being Able to Work Without Oppression and Harassment 8. Being Without Work 9. Being Able to Work With Dignity and Opportunity Notes Index