Inhabiting the Self-work Romantic Utopia: Positive Psychology, Life Coaching, and the Challenge of Self-fulfillment at Work

• In Event: 2451 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 12. Work Identities

Abstract

Much has been said about the rise of work as a central identity marker in modern society. With the recent popularization of self-help and positive psychology, this identity marker broadened its signification to include new emotional needs such as love, self-fulfillment, and passion. We term these broadening expectations the ‘self-work romantic utopia.’ Sociological studies have criticized this utopia as a myth that serves capitalist neo-liberal structures, leading to frustration and self-blame. However, little is known about how workers themselves confront this myth, and the strategies they employ when attempting to inhabit it in today’s precarious job market. Based on 60 in-depth interviews with workers who hired life coaches in order to improve their work experience, we identify five strategies used to inhabit this romantic utopia: starting over, healing, idealization, polygamy, and fantasy. Through the analysis of these strategies, we illustrate how workers adapt the self-work romantic utopia to the precarious labor market, inhabiting the myth in partial degrees. We argue that in a somewhat paradoxical turn, the ability to only partly fulfill the self-work romantic utopia does not produce resistance to the myth, but rather strengthens its power.

Authors

• Michal Pagis, Bar Ilan University

• Sari Alfi-Nissan, Bar Ilan University