Psychological connections with work

A full understanding of wellbeing and work requires that we fully understand what is going on with the individual worker within the context of the workplace environment. What are the reasons why an individual works in a particular job environment, what are the factors that influence the person’s job
performance, and what are the conditions that either improve or worsen that person’s wellbeing at work? Questions like these are fairly modern ones, which did not arise when “work” was more individualized and more craft-oriented. In the past, there may have been assumptions of individual willingness to work hard and to learn specific skills, but there were also assumptions that certain people were more likely to do certain jobs, either because they were “chosen” in some way (e.g., through birthright or family tradition), or had greater gifts or talents. Conversely, people who failed to do their work well had only themselves (and their lack of ability) to blame, and there was no protection for the customers of their products or services.