The Elements of Identification with an Occupation

Abstract

This chapter provides a breakdown for one type of identification, that of a man with his work. It discovers, by comparing three groups of persons about to enter the work world, some of the threads from which the fabric of occupational identification is woven. Comparison of the three groups suggested four major elements of work identification: occupational title, and associated ideology; commitment to task; commitment to particular organizations or institutional positions; and significance for one's position in the larger society. An occupational identity tends to specify the kinds of organizations, and positions within them, in which one's future lies, the places in which it is appropriate, desirable, or likely that one will work. The engineers' identifications are equally consistent in the other direction, with commitments to a broad area of work, a wide range of possible tasks, organizations, and positions, and the expectation of great social mobility.

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