Similar to the theme in the previous 9 chapters, chapter 10 of this novel explains that people are heavily involved in long work hours or heavily involved at work are not necessarily prone to heart disease; rather it depends the stresses one faces and how they appraise and deal with those stresses. One critique I do have on the study done in Chapter 10 is that is limited to only one gender: men. Granted times have changed since the early to mid 1900’s, it needs to take into account both male and females, and even the LGBT community, in order to generalize the study to everyone reading this novel. Another major finding in this chapter was those with the more successful careers were the least likely to have a shorter life span. Taking into account another theme throughout the book; conscientiousness played a role in the more professionally successful individuals.
This chapter was intriguing to me as a graduating senior looking to start my career. This semester, I’ve have been in a constant internal battle of whether I should apply for jobs that are outside the golf industry or stick with what I know and have experience in, and apply for jobs within the golf industry. I want to expand my horizons, however when interviewing for jobs in the golf industry, I am more ambitious, passionate, and have a sense of mastery and accomplishment. Completing an interview this past week, I realized that I have a more clear idea and progression when it comes to working within the golfing industry. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but after my interview and reading this chapter, I may pivot from what I am currently doing and actively pursue positions within golf business administration. In the long run, I hope it does impact my mental and physical health in a positive way.
Next, chapter 11 touches on the subject of religiosity and the role it has on one’s longevity. Essentially it states that religious involvement isn’t what is important to a longer life, but rather the personality traits that are associated with being religious. Also similar to chapter 10, the findings were only significant in one gender, this time: women. The recurring theme and characteristic that seems to play a role and be associated with practicing religion is conscientiousness.
As someone who does not practice religion, but is a conscientious person, this chapter did not resonate with me as much. I respect those that practice religion, however I am a firm believer of the psychological, social, and behavioral influences on health and well-being that religion may sometimes undermine the importance of. There are plenty of people who are healthy because they do not practice religion but take part in exercise, careers that stir passion, and have supporting relationships. This study doesn’t seem generalizable to me as the chapter is very vague and no specific details and statistics were mentioned.