Intersecting Personal Identity and Professional Role: Impact on Social Worker Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

Within undergraduate social work education, personal life characteristics are viewed predominantly in relation to their implications for social worker professional role identity. But personal life factors should also be considered in relation to occupational health and well-being. To better understand this relationship in social work specifically, data from interviews with social workers who reported low to medium levels of overall work and profession satisfaction were analyzed. Respondents noted that personal life factors such as interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal functioning affected their overall subjective well-being, and they highlighted several intersecting factors between their personal lives and professional roles that contribute to overall well-being. The findings have implications for social work education in regard to issues of self-care and the development of inter- and intrapersonal skills to maintain positive occupational health.