Habits Of The Heart Summary

Book Title: “Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life”

Authors:Robert N. Bellah, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton

This is the first paper in our series that will cover landmark researches conducted on employees’ calling towards a specific line of work.

Why bring up the subject of people’s passionate attitude towards their work (i.e. calling)? Because it has been proved to have a profound impact not only on their productivity but also on their wellbeing.

Coming back to this research, Professor Robert and his colleagues categorized people’s relation with work in three distinct groups - Job, Career, and Calling.

Here are brief descriptions of the three attitudes towards work:

They have no attachment with their work and would love to do something else if given the chance.

Career - Career-minded employees do not loathe their work as much as the previous category. They are more interested in career advancement for the prestige and authority that comes with it.

Calling - As evident from the word ‘calling’, these employees are the ones who consider their work as the mission of their lives. In other words, they think that were meant to pursue this path. For them, their work is the most important aspect of their life, regardless of the pay and career growth they receive.

Career researchers have repeatedly reported that employees who feel being called towards their work are the ones who make the difference in any organization. They have higher commitment and enthusiasm for work and lead healthier, happier, and fulfilling lives.

For example, a research done by Amy Wrzesniewski and her team reported that employees who worked in a profession they felt passionate about were happier, healthier, and more satisfied with their jobs than others.

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