A Positive Approach to Professional Development Vicki Flynn, M.D. Department of Psychiatry University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Peer reviewed and accepted for an oral presentation at American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting, April 27 2020. Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Objectives • Recognize challenges and opportunities at different stages of development • Identify virtues and character traits to enhance throughout career • Gain an understanding of professional burnout – potential causes, consequences, and solutions
Background • Most people spend a third of their adult lives at work, making wellbeing at work a key component of their overall wellbeing (1) • Transitions in training, job search, and a career can be both exciting and challenging, with the potential for self-doubt, imposter syndrome, burnout, turnover, and early career transition • Positive psychology and psychiatry are approaches to mental health, rather than mental illness, with an emphasis on enhancement of positive psychosocial traits, promotion of positive change, and development of wellbeing (2 – 5)
Positive Psychological Traits • Positive psychosocial factors (PPSF) include positive social and environmental influences and internal positive psychological traits (PPT) • PPTs originate from the positive psychology movement which focuses on circumstances and processes that yield successful and optimal functioning in individuals, groups, and institutions • Enhancement of PPTs is helpful for both personal and professional development
Challenges and Opportunities • Individuals face unique challenges and opportunities as they progress through various stages of their profession • These challenges can be viewed through a developmental lens, similar to Erikson’s psychosocial development model, and traversed by enhancement of various character strengths and virtues
Challenges and Opportunities
Professional Development: Opportunities, Challenges, and Character Traits Stage of Career Opportunities and Challenges Erikson developmental Associated Virtue phase Student Knowledge acquisition; Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt Curiosity and Optimism Test based performance evaluation Apprenticeship Industry vs. Inferiority Love of Learning Learning to apply acquired knowledge; Supervised application of acquired knowledge; Skill based performance evaluation Early Career Transition to young professional; Professional Identity vs. Role Vitality and Zest Independent application of knowledge; Confusion Skill based performance evaluation Mid-Career Professional mastery and wisdom; Intimacy vs. Isolation Social and Emotional Leadership and mentorship Intelligence development Late Career Expert professional mastery; Generativity vs. Stagnation Perspective, Kindness, and Knowledge and skill transfer to Gratitude trainees Retirement Transition from professional life; Integrity vs. Ego Despair Appreciation of Beauty and Evaluation of personal and Excellence professional life accomplishments
Important Character Traits Point in Career Developmental stage Character Trait or Virtue Student and Trainee Autonomy vs. Shame and Curiosity and Optimism Doubt • Curiosity and Optimism ▫ Curiosity accounts for 10% of the variance of learning and performance (19) with greater curiosity associated with greater learning, engagement, and performance (20) ▫ Individuals with high levels of optimism tend to attribute positive outcomes to internal, stable factors and negative outcomes to external, temporary factors (2)
Important Character Traits Point in Career Developmental stage Character Trait or Virtue Apprenticeship Industry vs. Inferiority Love of Learning • Love of Learning ▫ Enjoy learning for the sake of learning and are able to self-regulate efforts to persevere, despite challenge and frustration (18) ▫ Beneficial for life-long learners in nearly every field – healthcare, business, education, finance – as advancements in technology rapidly change daily operations and communication avenues to exchange information ▫ Developing love of learning as a strength leads to increased opportunities for skill development and gaining value from learning by increased confidence, competence and an optimistic sense of possibility
Important Character Traits Point in Career Developmental stage Character Trait or Virtue Early-Career Professional Identity vs. Vitality Role Confusion • Vitality or Zest ▫ Vitality is a positive energy from within that energizes and motivates the self and others ▫ Vigor, enthusiasm, spirit ▫ Vitality is increased by Self-motivated activities with a perceived internal locus of causality (24) Exercise and a healthy lifestyle (25-27) Coaching and training workshops (28) Environmental (nature) and social contacts (29-31)
Important Character Traits Point in Career Developmental stage Character Trait or Virtue Mid-Career Intimacy vs. Isolation Social and Emotional Intelligence • Social and Emotional Intelligence (SEI) ▫ Skills of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill Identify emotion in faces, voices, and designs; use this information to facilitate cognitive activities; understand what this means in relationships; manage and regulate emotions of the self and others; use social information to facilitate cooperation; and identify social relationships and hierarchies among groups (18) ▫ Goleman argues this may be more important than IQ for successful leadership (32) ▫ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) practices to build skills Recognize thought and emotion patterns, label thoughts and emotions, accept ideas and emotions with an open attitude, and act based on values (32) ▫ Strengthening emotional agility and social-emotional intelligence can alleviate stress, reduce errors, increase innovation, and improve performance (32)
Important Character Traits Point in Career Developmental stage Character Trait or Virtue Late-Career Generativity vs. Stagnation Perspective, Kindness, Gratitude • Perspective and Gratitude ▫ Gratitude arises from belief that one benefitted from actions of another; it is acknowledgement of this gift, appreciation and recognition of the value of that gift (18) ▫ Late career individuals who benefitted from assistance of another often give back to trainees and early career individuals. Their generativity and inclusion positively affects the development of trainees and early career professionals ▫ Two work-related gratitude diary entries per week decrease perceived stress at work (33) ▫ Generating gratitude in the workplace through various gratitude interventions increases job satisfaction (34)
Important Character Traits Point in Career Developmental stage Character Trait or Virtue Retirement Integrity vs. Ego Despair Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence • Appreciation of Beauty in Excellence ▫ Individuals who have reached later phases of their career and retirement theoretically reach what Maslow would describe as the “peak experience” of one’s career ▫ Peak experiences capitalize on a gained appreciation and include a selfless attitude, receptive and humble cognition, enhanced ability to see, hear, and connect with others, and a view of the world as good and beautiful despite conflicts and suffering (35) ▫ Appreciative inquiry has been studied to celebrate excellence in a community, with the goal of further increasing positivity and excellence (36)
Professional Burnout • Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, low sense of personal accomplishment • Of concern for healthcare, as rates exceed 50% in students, trainees, and early career professionals (7 – 13) • Affects ability to successfully navigate challenges throughout professional development, especially during role transition where burnout rates are higher • Professional and personal consequences ▫ Depression, maladaptive coping (alcohol or drug use), broken relationships, work errors, decreased satisfaction, and intent to leave one’s job
Potential Solutions Organizational Individual Leadership
Potential Solutions • Individual ▫ Interventions of mindfulness training, meditation, gratitude exercises or reengagement with hobbies (33,34,49 – 52,60,61) • Organization / Leadership ▫ Specific interventions to target proposed drivers for engagement or burnout – values and culture, meaning, flexibility, community, resources, workload, and work-life integration (11) ▫ Address the psychological needs of employees, cultivate organization-employee relationships, and sponsor leadership development in order to develop comradery and excellence (63)
Potential Solutions • Professional coaching ▫ A results-oriented method of enhancing self-awareness, drawing on individual strengths, questioning self-defeating thoughts and beliefs, examining new perspectives, and aligning personal values with professional duties (64) ▫ International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines the goal of coaching as a partnership with a client to inspire them to reach their full potential through a thought provoking, question driven, creative process (16)
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