title: Workplace wellness participation and the becoming of self.
abstract: This paper provides a sociological examination of workplace wellness participation as a process that occurs in two stages or levels. The existential model of self provides the theoretical orientation for this examination, and data are presented from an ethnographic study of a large workplace wellness program. The first stage or level of participation involves the establishment of a sense of competence. Competence refers to the perceived ability to 'fit in' with the program, to master the often subtle skills required for membership in the class. Once a minimal sense of competence is established, the employee may decide to join by viewing participation either as an extension of a commitment to wellness, or as a vehicle for experimenting with or establishing a new style of self, the identity of a 'well person' so highly valued in contemporary western culture. The dynamics of workplace wellness participation illustrate a more general cultural trend towards health-as-accomplishment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Houston, TX 77004.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kotarba
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bentley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001887:Boredom; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological