Today both our income and much of our status comes from our work. But many people have recently lost jobs. Many more have friends or family members who are out of work. What happens then?When you lose a job, your income drops drastically and suddenly. For most of us, the guarantee of receiving a regular amount of money each month from some source enables us to meet our bills, feed our families, and focus most of our attention on other things. When that source is gone, nothing seems quite so important to us as finding another source of income.
Along with the sudden and drastic loss of income comes the loss of status – the loss of the job title you previously held. You feel like you’ve been knocked “Down a Notch or Two!”
This also applies if you are retired. Perhaps you still have a “guaranteed” source of income, but it is probably less than you had when you were working. If your primary job has been to be at home raising children, when they grow up and move out, your status changes dramatically.
In all these cases, you have suddenly lost the status that came with whatever job you had. You are no longer “Technical Writer” or “Programmer” or “Assistant to the President” or “Accounts Payable Clerk” or “CEO” of the company. You are no longer what you do, but who you are, a person. You are thrown back on your own identity and resources.
How we deal with the loss of income and status depends to a great extent on how dependent we are on external recognition and values. To an even greater extent, it depends on where we are anchored, where we find meaning and value.
Dr. Benjamin Hunnicutt, of the University of Iowa and an expert on the history of work, says:
"Until the 20th century, work was secondary to other parts of life…. [Now] work has become our new religion, where we worship and give our time…. Work has become how we define ourselves…. It is now answering the traditional religious questions: Who am I? How do I find meaning and purpose? Work is no longer just about economics; it's about identity."
