Chapter 17: Meaningful Work: An Ethical Obligation for Vocational Psychology?

Ali, a 25-year old mother of two young children, was consulting with a vocational psychologist as she was transitioning from being a stay-at-home mother to entering the workforce. The change was driven by economic necessity; she had accumulated more debt than she and her partner could manage on a single paycheck. She completed a vocational interest questionnaire and sat down with her career consultant to go over the results. “Ali,” the psychologist began, “your responses to this assessment instrument indicate that you like working with your hands, prefer things to be orderly and predictable, and would enjoy working with other people as opposed to working on your own.” Ali agreed that sounded like her. “Well, then, Ali,” the psychologist continued, “I’d suggest you go to the gigantic electronics manufacturing plant in town and look for a job. You will not need to worry about being alone, because at this particular facility, workers are kept under constant surveillance and are frequently visited by floor supervisors who continually encourage you to work faster. In fact, you will be surrounded by hundreds of people, all doing the same job. You get to work with your hands—boy, do you ever! Heh-heh, you like structure don’t you? In this job, you get to toil for 12-hours a day in a highly regimented and relentless assembly line. Because you like structure and predictability, I was also going to suggest becoming a migrant farm worker living in tightly guarded housing provided by tomato farm owners. I also thought you might be good at convincing low-income homeowners to take out mortgages they can’t afford. You get to work with people and you also get lots of forms to fill out. You can take your pick.” Ali looked disappointed, and said, “But I’ve always wanted to run my own business. Maybe start my own Montessori school, or—.” The psychologist stopped her with a raised hand, “Ali, what does it matter, a job is a job.”