Possible selves

Our career identity, as part of our broader identity, is our "internal compass [...] in the midst of all the turbulence" (Inkson et al., 2015, p. 32, citing Hall, 2002). Imagining ‘possible selves’ in roles different to our current experience can be quite powerful. Reflecting on our internal dialogue can help us to identify our dominant ‘selves’, and those which need more light to flourish (Arthur et al., 2019). 

There are several selves (Inkson et al., 2015, p. 192):

• "Potential self: What type of person do you think you might become?"
• "Ideal self: What type of person would you most like to become?"
• "Feared self: What type of person are you afraid of becoming?"
• "Ought-to-self: What type of person do you feel you should become because of pressures or expectations in your environment?"
• "Alternative self: What type of person could you have been today if certain things had happened differently in the past?"

The 'ought-to' self - constantly telling us what we should be fulfilling in our differing roles - is the identity that is most likely to provoke internal conflict, shame and guilt, giving us role conflict (Inkson et al., 2015). The 'ought-to' self may tell us we are selfish in wanting time for ourselves; while the potential self says advises us to find space and take the time so we can be refreshed... and so are better able to care for others. I suspect that women find themselves performing more roles than men: those of parent, carer, educator, counsellor, spouse, cook, cleaner, professional, daughter and grand-daughter. This may lead to "inter-role conflict" (p. 198), where we hold incompatible and opposing roles which are difficult to reconcile (for example, parenting young children alongside heavy work commitments). Further, if we also work from home, we may find boundaries bleeding across work and home life: living in "a reality where we are all in constant contact with each other" (Inkson et al., 2015, p. 200).

Society conditions men and women to fit - to a greater or lesser degree - with gender-specific traits. These then shape our expectations when we perform our various roles. We have "these gender ‘master identities’ [which] influence how different roles are taken up". These master identities in turn influence "how work and career roles are taken up or rejected" (Geldenhuys et al., 2019, p. 2). The sexual revolution enabled women to preserve or to take on work identities, but it seems that we were less able to shed the more traditional roles... so have role conflict because it is still less socially acceptable for men to share all the unpaid work. 

Being able to focus more on the other 'selves', such as our potential self, helps us to regain balance: providing we can find solutions for those traditional, unpaid roles. The idea of 'possible selves' is powerful in helping us to reflect not just on who we are now, but also who we want to become, creating hope and a sense of 'future identity'.

Sam

References:

Arthur, N., Neault, R., McMahon, M. (2019). Career Theories and Models at Work. CERIC Publications Ltd.

Geldenhuys, M., Bosch, A., Jeewa, S., & Koutris, I. (2019). Gender traits in relation to work versus career salience. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 45(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v45i0.1588

Inkson, K., Dries, N., & Arnold, J. (2015). Understanding Careers. SAGE Publications Ltd.