To Mean Is To Be Perceived: Studying the Meaning of Work Through the Eyes of Others

Abstract

Social scientific research on the meaning of work has depended mostly on workers’ own reports. These reports have contributed to our understanding of what makes work meaningful. However, research has treated the meaning of work as an individual-level phenomenon evaluated from a worker’s perspective. This empirical path does not capture how meaning is influenced by the perspectives of others. This paper asserts that research based on personal observations and experience limits our understanding of the meaning of work. We use accounts from third-person perspectives to show how meaning is perceived by someone other than the worker. We advocate the use of novel data sources that consider the meaning of work seen through the eyes of others. We develop two examples: the collected oral histories in Studs Terkel’s Working, and the “Portraits of Grief” from the New York Times, narratives based on interviews with relatives and friends of 9/11 attack victims. In both cases, diverse people reflect on the place of work in a meaningful life. Third-person perspectives offer unique insight and practical guidance on what work means and how it is viewed by others. These views also mirror broad societal values about the importance of work in life.