In Discussion: “A Profession is not a Personality” 

Do you define yourself by what you do? 

In his article “A Profession is not a Personality” Arthur C. Brooks makes the compelling case that when our careers disproportionately consume our priorities we may be stuck in an unhealthy cycle of self-objectification. 

The truth is it feels good to feel important, to feel we are especially good at something. It can become easy to allow our imagination, curiosity, and the other parts that make us who we are shrink into the background outside the workplace –  in exchange for more mind-numbing activities as a way of alleviating stress (Real Housewives and all). This in itself may sound obvious but he challenges us to ask these questions:

Is your job the biggest part of your identity? 

Do you have trouble imagining being happy if you were to lose your job or career? Does the idea of losing it feel a little like death to you? 

Brooks urges us to remember that our professional self is merely a part of our whole self. To get some space and to make friends who don’t see you as a professional object. Especially at a time when many of us are working from home and the divide is blurry it’s important to check-in and ask yourself the questions above. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Originally Published in the Atlantic. By Arthur c. Brooks – Read the article here