In part, Shepard explains how the social environment influences the self-concepts and the social identities we form

Associate Professor Carole K. Barnett
University of New Hampshire
Whittemore School of Business & Economics

Copyright 1999 Carole K. Barnett, All Rights Reserved

SUMMARY OF HERB SHEPARD's article:

Shepard, H. A., 1984. On the realization of human potential: A path with a heart. In M.B. Arthur, L. Bailyn, D.J. Levinson, & H.A. Shepard (Eds.) Working with Careers, New York, NY: Columbia University School of Business: 25-46.

In part, Shepard explains how the social environment influences the self-concepts and the social identities we form. Shepard argues for fighting those environmental influences in order to find your "true" self and talents.

"...yourself is not a role. Thus, it is vitally important to recognize your roles as costumes you wear for particular purposes, and not to let them get stuck to you" (p. 39, par. 1).

The focus of his lesson is discovering your "true self," learning how to nourish and protect it, and thereby providing yourself with "a life fully worth living."

Each person has a unique talent or talents that she or he loves to develop and use.

Your "genius" is in those talents. ("Genius" is "the unique and identifying spirit of a person or place," see p. 33, par. 3).

"Tone," "resonance," and "perspective" are the signs that you have discovered your genius and have developed the autonomy to live by it, rather than by society’s dictates (p. 43, par. 2).

"Tone" -- refers to feeling good about yourself (your aliveness as an organism, p. 38); your mental and emotional life as well as your muscle and organ life; anxiety is as much the enemy of tone as drugs or being overweight). (p. 37). Sources of distortion include: making your role(s) your self-image, making your head (your brain) your self-image, and making your gender your self-image.

"Resonance" -- refers to feeling good about your relationships (this involves an enhanced, stimulated, and yet relaxed vitality that you can experience in interaction with particular others and particular environments. . . it has much in common with [the word love] . . . [whose] very meaning has become distorted in our society (it’s become a commodity and it’s difficult to distinguish love from exploitation or imprisonment). (see p. 37-40). "Resonance" suggests synergy and expansion of tone when your energy joins with the energy of others; it also implies harmony. Resonance implies people’s capacity to use their differences in ways that are beautiful rather than ugly. Competitiveness ("adversarialism"), materialism, sexism, and violence are cultural themes that can cripple the capacity for resonance (see pp 40-41).

"Perspective" -- refers to feeling good about the choices in your life. If your perspective is differentiated--e.g., if you can see the potential of a new relationship to be either collaborative or adversarial--you enlarge your range of choices; thus, aware of the multiple potential of the moment, you will usually be able to make a choice that will make the next moment better for you and others in the situation. Whenever you find yourself humorless, examine if distortions are blocking our access to a useful perspective....the essence of humor is a sudden shift in point of view; to be without humor is to be dying, and laughter is one of the most valuable sources of health and well-being on the journey called a life fully worth living (see pp 42-43).

To experience these three qualities consistently is to know that you are living life well (p. 37, par 3).

A path with a heart is one which provides for expression of your human potential and it facilitates your own human growth (i.e., "a life fully worth living").

We begin life with an ability and a need to grow uniquely and we can be quickly corrupted by the social environment into "deficiency motivations" (the need for approval, recognition, power, control, status, etc.). "Your self-image is a cultural product, and the distortion it contains may prevent you from recognizing yourself anymore as a bundle of life-loving energy with a marvelous array of potentialities" (p. 37, par. 2).

Many institutions command us to live in ways that are unrewarding for taking the path with a heart.

Underlying assumptions:

(1) Everyone needs, wants, and/or has to grow.

(2) Everyone is corruptible.

What can you say about these two assumptions?