How Is Work Close to an Ideal Possible? A Self-Grounded Theory of Work through the Distinction from Workaholism

This paper develops a theory of work by drawing on existing theories of recognition, self-worth, motivation, and narcissism. Its aim is to clarify the conditions under which work tends toward self-verification and the conditions under which it approaches the practice of an ideal. Human beings are situated within society through recognition by others. Recognition is an important social resource that supports belonging, trust, role-taking, and cooperation. Yet when the foundation of self-worth is placed in recognition, work tends to move away from the realization of an ideal and toward the replenishment of self-worth or the calming of anxiety. Achievement becomes a means of self-verification, and failure is experienced not merely as a practical problem to be improved but as a disturbance of one’s very sense of value. This paper understands this structure as the self-verification of work driven by the impulse for recognition. This impulse enters not only work itself but also efforts outside work, such as acquiring qualifications, studying, self-improvement, and striving for personal growth. Effort is often described in admirable terms. However, when effort is driven by urgency, anxiety, the gaze of others, and the need to confirm self-worth, the foundation of the self becomes increasingly dependent on external evaluation. The central thesis of this paper is that work close to an ideal requires a foundation of self before effort. By “foundation of self,” I mean a psychological ground on which one does not entrust self-worth entirely to external evaluation, but can receive one’s own existence, life, and activity by oneself and form a certain degree of satisfaction. The more this foundation is established, the more room a person has to include the benefit of others, fidelity to the object, and social value in the initial motive of work. Effort undertaken on that basis does not function as self-verification. It becomes the force by which an ideal is implemented in reality. This paper refers to self-determination theory, the theory of contingent self-worth, the self-concordance model, self-compassion theory, Winnicott’s capacity to be alone, Fromm’s theory of self-love, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, social comparison theory, and self-presentation theory. While these theories are used to explain relevant psychological mechanisms, this paper rearranges them as a theory of work. The paper also emphasizes life-practice in the formation of the foundation of self. Life-practice refers to the repeated activity of acting upon one’s own lived world and receiving the changes brought about by that action. Housework, walking, reading, caring for tools, and rest can be completed within one’s own field of experience before being connected to public display or reactions on social media. Whether one can enjoy such activities alone is an important indicator of the foundation of self. However, the more unstable one’s foundation of self is, the more likely one is to feel guilt about enjoying oneself by oneself. Although enjoying life-practice is necessary, that very enjoyment is often rejected as “meaningless,” “lazy,” or “mere self-satisfaction.” Here lies a trap that prevents the recovery of the foundation of self. Therefore, what is first required of a person who suffers from self-anxiety is not additional effort, but the suspension of the impulse toward effort. Instead of immediately converting anxiety and urgency into effort, one must cultivate the capacity to receive one’s own life and savor one’s own activity. Only after this does effort become effective as the practice of an ideal. Through this argument, the paper presents the logical order of work close to an ideal: foundation of self, room for the benefit of others, practice of an ideal, and finally, desperate effort.