What is Psychological Richness and why does it matter in your career?

If you are looking to change your role or pivot in your career, you may be looking for more Psychological Richness.

The desire for a career change is often driven by factors OTHER than advancement, location, work-life balance, and money.  New research suggests that our desire to pivot could be motivated by a lack of Psychological Richness in our work. 

Psychologically rich = a life characterized by a variety of interesting and perspective-changing experiences.

Shigehiro Oishi, a Marshall Field IV Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, is championing the study of psychological richness as another dimension of a “good life.” Psychological richness refers to the depth, variety, and meaningfulness of experiences in a person’s life. It’s about engaging in activities that provide complexity, novelty, and learning, often through challenges, surprises, and even setbacks. 

This concept can significantly influence someone’s urge to shift careers in several ways:

1. Desire for Novelty and Learning

• Connection to Career Change: Psychological richness thrives on new experiences and learning opportunities. If a current career feels monotonous or doesn’t provide avenues for personal growth, individuals may seek a shift to gain novel challenges or learn new skills.

• Example: A seasoned Wall Street executive decides to learn more about environmental social governance to advise clients on investments that match their values.

2. Response to Challenges or Setbacks

• Connection to Career Change: Psychological richness often comes from overcoming difficulties. Experiencing challenges in a current role (like a toxic work environment or burnout) might push someone to consider alternative careers that promise more fulfilling experiences.

• Example: An aged-out executive puts her creativity to work and opens an online pattern design business. It starts small, but her business savvy provides the key to success as her marketing and branding skills build an engaged audience. 

3. Alignment with Personal Identity

• Connection to Career Change: As individuals grow and accumulate diverse experiences, their sense of identity evolves. This growth may lead to realizing that their current career no longer reflects who they are or want to become.

• Example: A burned out divorce lawyer decides to invest more time in his hobby of comedy and expands his offerings in the “relief business” to include stand-up comic relief.

Shigehiro Oishi findings suggest why career development is so important. For many people, development is not only about climbing the corporate ladder and reaching new pay brackets, but also about fundamentally connecting to a human need to engage in new experiences that stretch and shift our thinking.

Because psychologically rich experiences expand our sense of self—allowing us to see beyond our own likes, dislikes, and personality structures—they can encourage us to approach overwhelming issues from a whole new vantage point. Engaging in Psychologically rich experiences increases resilience and wisdom; resources that are important to have in any new endeavor.