Routledge The Psychoanalysis of Career Choice, Job Performance, and Satisfaction: How to Flourish in the Workplace

Freud said that "love and work" are the central therapeutic goals of psychoanalysis; the twin pillars for a sound mind and for living the "good life." While psychoanalysis has masterfully contributed to understanding the experience of love, it has only made a modest contribution to understanding the psychology of work. This book is the first to explore fully the psychoanalysis of work, analysing career choice, job performance and job satisfaction, with an eye toward helping people make wiser choices that bring out the best in themselves, their colleagues and their organization. The book addresses the crucial questions concerning work: how does one choose the right career; what qualities contribute to excellence in performance; how best to implement and cope with organizational change; and what capacity and skills does one need to enjoy every day work? Drawing on psychoanalytic thinking, vocational counseling, organizational psychology and business studies, The Psychoanalysis of Career Choice, Job Performance, and Satisfaction will be invaluable in clinical psychoanalytic work, as well as for mental health professionals, scholars, career counselors and psychologists looking for a deeper understanding of work-based issues. Review ‘Paul Marcus has written a unique book on the psychoanalysis of work, one that superbly integrates psychoanalytic findings with those of related fields such as organizational, leadership and management studies. In one accessible volume Marcus provides the "gems" of psychoanalytic insight that will greatly help social scientists deepen their understanding of the many challenges of effectively and happily working in our very stressful contemporary world.’ - William B. Helmreich, Professor of Sociology, City University of New York, author of The New York Nobody Knows. Walking 6,000 Miles in the City ‘This book richly explores the meaning and place of work in today's world for the survival of soul and body. In exploring the role of work in the quest for personal being, the author includes individual and group processes, emphasizing the health of organizations that affect society and individuals and their essential interplay. One gets a sense of developmental processes intimately germane to the quality of our lives. A much needed work.’ - Michael Eigen, PhD, Author of Image, Sense, Infinities, and Everyday Life ‘Paul Marcus’s excellent new book uses the wisdom and insights of psychoanalysis to inform us about how to lead the good life, which he defines as including deep love and creative work. The extraordinary intellectual depth of this book is matched by its compassion for people who are seeking survival and self-determination in their work lives. Marcus has done a masterful job of integrating psychoanalytic theory with career development scholarship to paint a vivid picture of how people are navigating one of the most challenging tasks in modern life―creating a work life of meaning, purpose, and connection.’ - David L. Blustein, Lynch School of Education, Boston College About the Author Paul Marcus, PhD, is a training and supervisory analyst at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis in New York City and the author/editor of eighteen books, including Creating Heaven on Earth: The Psychology of Experiencing Immortality in Everyday Life and Sports as Soul-Craft: How Playing and Watching Sports Enhances Life. He can be reached at Tibs9@aol.com.