Ask Dr. Helen: Are Men Who Lose their Jobs Really ‘Addicted to Success’?
Just wanted to say that as a career woman (married but childless), I am addicted to success and proud of it. Yes, I find a sense of identity, self-worth, fulfillment, and achievement through my work and accomplishments. Isn’t that what this country is all about? If one works really hard, s/he can achieve professional (and sometimes economic) success? I know this article is about men, but I wanted to affirm that we women can feel the same way. I would hate this country to turn into France or Germany, where there is less incentive to “pull one’s self up by the bootstrap” (and I know–I’ve lived over there).
I also wanted to express my sympathy to those men whose wives/girlfriends see them as just a paycheck. When I was a kid and my father went through several periods of unemployment, my mother berated him as a no-good loser who couldn’t provide (he now owns a successful business and has for 25 years). I found this to be cruel and unconscionable. I couldn’t understand why my mother didn’t get her butt off of the couch and go find some kind of employment and contribute–retail, waitressing, anything . . . but I digress.
