CNL525 Week 8 Discussion Questions
1. Consider some of your primary interests (hobbies, favorite media, and preferable activities). How did you develop an interest in these things? What experiences helped you develop an interest? Did you have any mentors or guides who aided the process? What would you do to introduce someone to similar interest?
My primary interests are shaving, photography, going to movies, gardening, and traveling. These are the activities I prefer to engage in during my leisure time. I developed interests in these activities due to company/social life, the curiosity to learn how to do something, and the environment I was exposed to at my childhood age. Different people develop hobbies and interests out of different experiences (Azevedo, 2013). Having these hobbies has helped build my social life and create a strong bond with the people around me. For example, I gained an interest in learning how to shave as a way of making me productive and at least earn something when I am free from school and work. Other people develop an interest in something out of influence from peers; this also applies to my case. My parents, cousins, and close friends were of great help in guiding me to acquire these interests. However, other interests were out of nature; I just found myself loving them, for example, gardening and photography. To introduce other people to similar interests, I would mentor, guide, and accord them the necessary support until they gain these interests.
2. People often neglect to consider how their own values influence their feeling of fulfillment in their career. If someone feels unfulfilled in any of the basic work values (achievement, comfort, status, altruism, safety, and autonomy) what can they do outside of work to keep their life in balance?
Job satisfaction and wellbeing are two basic needs every worker needs. According to the work adjustment theory, individuals seek to satisfy six core values: achievement, comfort, status, altruism, safety, and autonomy (Eggerth & Flynn, 2015). An individual’s abilities, namely, knowledge, skills, attitude, experience, and behaviors, correspond with the requirements enlisted by an organization for a specific role. If the needs of employees are satisfied, they perform optimally in the job. However, if an employee feels unfulfilled in any of the six fundamental values, this amounts to job dissatisfaction, demotivation, and loss of work morale. To attain the work-life balance, such employees need to engage in active adjustment, i.e., trying to change the working environment. The employee can also engage in reactive adjustment, i.e., changing their behaviors to suit the new environment and live as per the work values priorities while in the workplace (Eggerth & Flynn, 2015). Also, a person can show persistence and continue trying to adjust before giving up.
References
Azevedo, F. S. (2013). The tailored practice of hobbies and its implication for the design of interest-driven learning environments. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 22(3), 462-510.
Eggerth, D. E., & Flynn, M. A. (2015). Applying the Theory of Work Adjustment to Latino Immigrant Workers: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Career Development, 39(1), 68-76.