What does it mean to say that one's identity is determined by work? Con¬sider that "What do you do?" is a very common first question we ask when introduced to someone. People identify themselves to others by their work. "I am an accountant." "I manage a small business." "I am a college professor." "I work for the state social service department." What we do determines who we are. When you tell me that you are a computer programmer, you have iden¬tified yourself in terms of your work. We come to know others by knowing what they do. But we also come to think about ourselves, we develop our own self-image, in terms of our work. Sometimes our work can contribute to a strong positive self-image as when someone introduces herself as am vice president for marketing at a large international corporation." Sometimes our work, or lack thereof, contributes to a low self-image. "I'm unemployed" or "I work the night shift at the meat packing plant.