Year: 1979
Type: article
Abstract: IT HAS BEEN NOTED that Americans are becoming increasingly introspective.The 1970s have been called the "Me decade" because of the popularity of self-analysis and self-actualization."The new alchemical dream is : changing one's personality -remaking, remodeling, elevating, and polishing one's very self. . .and observing, studying, and doting on it.(Me!)"' The human potential movement of the 1960s did not dissolve as some social critics prophesied.In fact, many of the concepts and techniques from Esalen, Synanon and other "growth centers'' have been incorporated into Americans' daily lives.New growth methods have been conceived and are extremely popular.For those who do not wish to join a group experience, self-help (popular psychology) books have proliferated ;many have become unexpected bestsellers.Perhaps one of the best indicators of the growing interest in selffulfillment is a radically new attitude toward work.Since 1950, the United States has witnessed an increase in the number of men (250 percent) and women (20 percent) who are neither in poor health nor in the labor force.This is a total of 83 million people who are not employed, not seeking employment, and not unable to work.2An unspecified proportion of these people have decided that they would rather do something else than work purely for work's sake.Many more workers are retiring early with anticipation of a state of leisure; many more new workers are refusing boring and menial labor: "Young and old are willing to invest more effort in their work but are demanding a bigger payoff in satisfac-Rhea J.
Author: Rhea Joyce Rubin
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W107489382