The matter of Worth is compounding this difficult decision-making process and our struggle to retain some thoughtful (and successful) control over our job choices. Which job will enable me to feel Worthy? Is my “Worth” dependent on income or service to other people? What is my primary career anchor (Schein, 1978; Schein, 2006)? Am I pulled to challenge, security, the opportunity for creativity, or one of the other anchors? We might find that social exchange is more important for me than market exchange. Perhaps, the autotelic rewards associated with nourishing workplace partners are most important.
Conclusions
What then is my Worth? How do I retain and expand this elusive thing called personal worth? And what is the Worth that I share with others in my community and nation? How do I contribute to this collective Worth? Stay tuned. There are six more essays in this series.
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References
Aronson, Eliott (2018) The Social Animal, New York: Worth Press.
Berger, Peter and Thomas Luckmann (1966). The social construction of reality. New York: Doubleday.
Bergquist, William (1993) The Postmodern Organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Boorstin, Daniel (1974) The Americans: The Democratic Experience. New York: Vintage Books.
DeSoto, Hernando (2000) The Mystery of Capital: Why Capital Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. New York: Basic Books.
Dowd, Douglas (1977) The Twisted Dream (2nd Ed.) Cambridge, MA: Winthrop Publishers.
Estes, Ralph (1996) Tyranny of the Bottom Line. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Festinger, Leon (1957) A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Foucault, Michel (1977) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. London: Allen Lane.
Foucault, Michel (1988) Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. New York: Vintage.
