Do our Jobs Influence our Behavior?

Posted on January 31, 2008
Filed Under Awareness, Society |

Stereo typical characterization maybe one of the first thoughts that pop into your mind when reading the title of this post. Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and the like. That’s a view I am stepping away from here, instead I will put the question into specifics - what I am asking is this; Many “jobs” (as opposed to work) come with a fairly rigid social structure - this is very notable in offices for example - to what extent does that structure influence our day-to-day thinking process?

I will keep this short because it feels like I am on the edge of getting into semantic nonsense, with this particular post.

From childhood through to adulthood we tend to follow a fairly linear path - one which is common to everyone. Education followed by work etc. For the most part society feeds us all with the same input. Any variations only tend to occur within our personal perspectives and circumstances.

So whilst an event within our personal lives may trigger us to go searching for ’something more’ - it would be rare for society itself to act as such a trigger. For example the education system as a rule doesn’t encourage self-exploration and discovery. What that means is that a large portion of people never really move away from the white line society draws out. That white-line is the path which connects birth to school to education to employment. So unless something causes a person to deviate from that path, they will - in general - be content to simply follow it unquestioningly.

That white-line is a macro version of what is laid out in the workplace; here we find fantastically detailed networks of these white-lines in the form of what can or cannot be done, what should or should not be said etc. Now there are various ways people follow that network of white-lines. Some people just follow the rules because that’s what they need to do to get the job done. Other people take a personal investment in their approach - those white-lines become a map for not just how they need to get the job done, but also a map for how they should behave.

Where I am trying to take this question is here: At what point do we cross that line from an individual following a map, into a collective becoming the map? It seems to me that this question can be leveled at almost every aspect of our culture, and society. And it’s certainly one which is worthy of deep introspection.

How far can this view be taken? Is ‘being the map’ rather than an individual a prime cause for many problems in civilization? I guess we need to answer that one for ourselves - and perhaps that is how it should be…

Comments

2 Responses to “Do our Jobs Influence our Behavior?”

Andrea Wren on February 2nd, 2008 1:04 pm

I think anything we are immersed in can influence behaviour, and jobs/work tend to make up the majority of our lives. I think those who are truly disinclined to behave in ways that form the norm in their industry though, would be inclined to move on, until they find a better fit elsewhere. It can work both ways.
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Marcus on February 3rd, 2008 9:58 am

I totally agree with that. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of staying in a job you don’t like etc.

On the other hand - what should we do when a job is effecting our behavior whilst outside of the work-place? After all there are some elements about work which hold true no matter which industry we work in. The regular work hours. Often repetitive tasks. The use of authority and hierarchy in the workplace. These things and others can have a massive impact upon our behavior.

So is it more of an issue with that whole culture surrounding ‘Jobs’, rather than a personal preference to a specific industry?
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