X CLOSE
TherapeiaEudaimoniaPoiesis
AboutContact
Search
Menu
Psyche
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN
Ideas

Work and vocation

Disorders and difficultiesTherapies and practical advicePerspectives and controversies
Self-knowledge and personal growthRelationships, work and leisureValues and ethical living
Creativity and the artsSpirituality and transcendence
AnimalsCaregivingCommunication and languageCommunityConflict and conflict resolutionCooperation and collaborationFood and drinkForgivenessFriendshipHomeLoveMoney and economicsParenting and familiesPlacePleasures and pastimesSports and gamesTechnology and mediaTravelWork and vocation
LatestPopular
Photo of an office building’s facade with illuminated windows revealing people working inside at desks and meeting spaces.

Personality

idea

Introverts are excluded unfairly in an extraverts’ world

One in three people are introverts, physically present, but culturally absent. We shouldn’t have to change to be heard

by Noa Herz

Painting of a man in a bowler hat, seated with a drink and cigarette, gesturing expressively while at a table.

Thinkers and theories

idea

Learning to be a loser: a philosopher’s case for doing nothing

For Emil Cioran, a life devoid of action, practical ambitions and busyness is a life in which room has been made for meaning

by Costica Bradatan

Photo of a neon-lit window display with mannequins, featuring “Willkommen im Love Story” and “Caffe” signs in German.

Gender

idea

The reality of prostitution is not complex. It is simple

Prostitution is not sex and it’s not work. Its reality is far from complex – in fact, it’s simple. Trust me, I’ve done it

by Rachel Moran

Black and white photo of five children sitting on a kerbside in front of a house, with playful expressions.

The self

idea

The self of self-help books is adrift from social and economic facts

Self-help books are a broken parachute: to win friends and influence people, take advice from a social scientist instead

by Craig Schamel

Photo of a person playing swingball in an alley with bicycles and a basket on the cobblestone path.

Play

idea

The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play

This is about more than a self-help switch – it will take structural changes to reject capitalism’s productivity obsession

by Alec Stubbs

Blurry photo of a dimly lit interior with a person in swimwear under red lighting.

Work and vocation

idea

In an unstable economy, I found freedom and security in sex work

Speculation about the mental health of sex workers is undermining. Focus instead on how to improve our working conditions

by Tamara MacLeod

Photo of a man in a blue jacket and cap cutting turf in a grassy field with a pitchfork and spade under a cloudy sky.

Work and vocation

idea

For the Stoic Musonius Rufus, manual work is philosophy too

The Stoic Musonius Rufus practised philosophy by bridging the seeming gulf between intellectual work and manual labour

by Lee Clarke

Photo of a street scene with a large billboard showing cloudy sky a woman walking by a café and an underpass roof above.

Work and vocation

idea

Kafka warned us: surveillance turns the watched into watchers

Surveillance changes us in powerful ways, as Franz Kafka warned. Neither the watched nor their watcher escapes unscathed

by George Alliger

Photo of a desk with a laptop, fan, and sleeping cat. Craft supplies, pens and paper are scattered on the wooden surface.

Goals and motivation

idea

Facing a tedious to-do list? This trick could make it easier

The ‘easy addendum effect’: how careful timing of your easier tasks could help you feel better at the end of the day

by Shayla Love

Black and white photo of a person looking up at a tall glass skyscraper with a suitcase in hand.

Therapeutic relationships

idea

Life coaching is unregulated and growing rapidly. Should it be reined in?

Anybody can call themselves a life coach, and then offer what amounts to serious therapy. Should life coaching be regulated?

by Elias Aboujaoude

Photo of a man working at a desk with multiple monitors, backed by a large mountain mural, in an office setting.

Work and vocation

idea

Why do so many people think they are in a bullshit job?

Researchers continue to debate whether some jobs are inherently useless – but all agree it’s harmful to see your job this way

by Shayla Love

Black and white photo of a man in a suit addressing a group of workers outside a building.

Work and vocation

idea

Imagine a workplace where you could actually tell the truth

Most people won’t even think to tell the truth at work. In a society that seems to laud honesty, why is it so rare?

by Lauren A Taylor & David Berg