New Work and the Corrosion of Character, Article Critique Example

Richard Sennett’s book The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism, is a scholarly examination of the constant changes of employment and the effects it has on the individual. Primarily his article focuses on the economic activities as paramount to the development of a person’s character. The economy is always altering itself, offering short term economic situations which lends to constant changes in an individual identity. In Bennett’s book, he discusses employee individualization, and the many drawbacks that he has observed in these individuals. As he details the erosion of a traditional business structure, Sennett describes the negative impact a flexible capitalist economy has on workers. Some of these negative impacts have been the loss of long-term contract employment, frequent job relocation, and unpredictability.

Sennett makes the point in his book that alienation occurs for most workers when they are employed in a place without a traditional business structure. This alienation lends to marked ambiguity amongst these individuals who are not guided by a structured system. Due to the short-term prospects of employment, the worker moves on to another company and must forget all of the past knowledge and begin anew. As companies continue to evolve, this problem will only become greater in the future. As he reviews the complexities of ‘character’ and its many definitions, Sennett argues for the corrosion of character after interviewing blue collar workers. Blue collar workers were much downtrodden about their self-concept and circumstances. This builds on his theory that the uncertainties of working situations is causing a decline in character morality of various individuals. Overall, the absence of a plausible solution and a grim portent of more character erosion in the future, Sennett’s view is pessimistic. Unfortunately, Sennett makes no suggestions for improvement. He merely identifies the problem and discusses it in great detail.

Sennett’s book compiles compelling data about the changes in capitalism over the last few decades. With a brilliant use of individual work stories and economic history, Sennett is able to delineate the derivation of character and morality through perspectives of time and space. Work is a constant measuring tool for personal value and time progression. For example, workers who worked before the 20^th century had a solid foundation and financial security. This is taken and contrasted to the perception of work by individual workers today, or as Sennett describes them, ‘victims of flexible Capitalism’. Flexible capitalism is defined by its malleable structure that adjusts to any current economical climate.  While the adjustability is good in many aspects, Sennett chooses to focus on the negative implications for the individual workers.

Negative impacts on the workers include less long-term contracts offered by employers. Due to the fact that employers are constantly changing their companies to conform to the climate of the flexible capitalist economy, employees and management executives can’t offer long term contracts because their companies would be static, even during a period in which the climate of the economy called for major adjustments within the company. Therefore, the absence of long-term contracts causes security to decline for the employees.

Sennett then compiled the overall outlooks of individual workers across the last two decades. Each worker seemed more despondent as time progressed. One example of this is given by Sennett’s analysis of a group of computer analysts who were just affected by the downsizing of their place of employment. There is a bit of comfort in the fact that the three computer analysts have the same problem and situation. Their overall response to the downsizing of their company is negative, and they are forced to recognize their own limitations in their ability to finding more work elsewhere.

Capitalism is harshest on the individual worker; often this only applies to blue collar workers but white-collar workers have also faced hard times because of the unpredictability of employment. The character of the individual is therefore shaped by many events in the workplace. This is well-evidenced by the first individual who is interviewed at the start of the book – a janitor of Italian American descent, who was a part of a major workers union. The janitor and his wife secured the future of their children by putting some money aside for their college educations. With a long-term vision, the family is successful in this ever-changing economy. Eventually their son grew up and was far better off than his parents, thanks to the college tuition they saved. He was well-educated, but that fact didn’t hange anything about the economic climate.

Another example used in Sennett’s book is the constantly-changing environment seen in his scenario involving a woman by the name of Rose. Rose got a just in the advertising industry. She has taken a side source of income through the entrepreneurial ownership of a bar. This side income is very important when abruptly, Rose is let go because of her age and the greater appeal of younger men and women in the advertising business. By diversifying and keeping a side income through another business, Rose is praised as being a survivor in the ever-changing flexible capitalism of the United States.

The Corrosion of Character is a very different viewpoint about the effectiveness and benefits of capitalism. Overall, this book has been insightful and well-rounded. The author’s purpose and tone is clear. He writes this book to give the reader another viewpoint into capitalism and its flaws, which are often overlooked due to the financial superiority it has over any other economic policy. Over all, Sennett’s suggestion can be limited to a brief conclusion he draws, stating character and community must have the same fate and the same opportunities at stake.