Work and Happiness in Death of a Salesman and Remains of the Day

According to many different opinions and point of views, happiness can either only be pursued or at a certain point can be achieved. It is first important to define what happiness truly is, while looking beyond something that embraces positivity and well-being. Happiness is less of direct and attainable goal but rather a state of mind, a way of life, and it is up to those living to determine what will allow them to experience this certain level of satisfaction. In fact, happiness can be comparable to leadership. Leaders are in constant search of new or better qualities in order to improve their role in their community showing that it is a quest with diverse opportunities. Those craving happiness will never feel completely and utterly satisfied

Arthur Miller’s play, “Death of a Salesman” shows how the obsession of being successful can have psychological effects on the human mind. We can see how unstable Willy gets after failing hopelessly to be fruitful. Willy, a salesman, believed that because of his looks and the way you sell yourself to people, you can sell anything. The American Dream can be obtained in many ways, but if you do it the erroneous way it can swallow you whole.

We cannot let our work and living conditions limit our success, we must take control of the situations in our lives. As much as we have all heard it, we need to keep a positive attitude and mindset, or at least try to. This is probably the easiest way to take control of the situations you are in; keeping a positive attitude has been known to increase your physical and mental health, which can really only benefit you. In a study performed by the University of California, Riverside, in which productivity, happiness, and overall physical and mental well-being were analyzed in working individuals, it was concluded that a positive attitude and outlook has a great effect on one’s life. Generally positive, or “happy people,” were found to be more satisfied with their jobs, to perform tasks better, and less likely to be unemployed and more likely to be physically healthier and live longer than their less happy peers (Joy). Positive people being less likely to be unemployed allows these individuals to accumulate more money, which makes the general public happier nowadays, and this ultimately makes the dream of having success more easily attainable. Happy individuals being found to be healthier and to therefore live longer than less happy individuals gives these happy individuals more time to attain the “American Dream” as well. Keeping

In the article, Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says, “Researchers such as Cummins et al. (2009) go as far as to suggest that individuals are happier when whole society’s functions better” (Flynn and MacLeod 452). This shows that without happiness, people could not work well together. It is why so many people work together, and keeping the economy well. In the article Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says, “It is well known in the positive psychology literature that increased happiness is related to multiple benefits including better mental and physical health, (see Lyubomirsky et al. 2005)” (Flynn and MacLeod 452). This is why people that are happier have a better life in their jobs and schools. It also shows that people have better eating habits if they are happy. In the article Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says that, “The individual benefits can pale in comparison to the potential societal gains of having a population comprised of such happy and therefore “successful” individuals” (Flynn and MacLeod 453). This is why people who like their job are better at their job. People that are fortunate are ones who usually like their job. People are happier if what they are doing is what they like, and it helps them to be happier than they

The most universal goal every human has in common is the pursuit of happiness or “creation or construction of happiness” (Achor, 78). To be able to fulfill this wish of becoming happy, people often think the key to achieving happiness is success. In the book, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, he debunks this theory of success leading to happiness by illustrating the reverse theory of success. Through dozens of studies and experiments as forms of evidence, the author argues that an individual needs to achieve happiness in order to be truly successful. Achor 's argument is valid in that happiness should come before success because there is a clear advantage to being successful in an individual’s work life, personal sphere, and liveliness if they are happy first and foremost.

Perceived organizational values are more important predictor of job satisfaction than personal values. (Kumar, 2012) Sometimes at workplace you need to let go your personal values to align yourself and adapt. I attribute job satisfaction to my advancement at work by the usage of my skills and knowledge, innovative working methods, good feedbacks, good salary and opportunities to promote myself.

Though employees’ happiness is also important, how does this ensure added value to the organization? Considering that employee’s happiness is seen as an end in itself, what will be value if the happiness cannot be mapped to the existence or goals of the organization? More–so, my reservation for this theory is because the servant leader often sacrifices his/her own well-being to help employee succeed. Helping others is good and helping the community is laudable, but it should not be at the expense of one’s own well-being. Other theories also show or have the element of help for people, but are map-able to organizational

Happiness can be a life-changing factor when choosing a career. People are torn between being happy and being successful. Although, in some cases Achor says both can be achieved through positive psychology. Achor also outlines the moving goalpost. This theory states every time we achieve our goal we will strive to reach a better goal. I think Achor is correct when he talks about success and happiness and how they can both be achieved but I think the moving goal post will hinder the amount of happiness you can actually achieve. I also agree with Achor when he talked about choosing a career based on what makes you happy, Although I also think with there maybe be

The lives of the Loman’s from beginning to end seems troubling, the play is centered on trying to be successful or trying to be happy, and the sacrifice which must be made of one to achieve the other. The environment that these characters live in encourages them to pursue the American dream, which can be said to devalue happiness through the pursuit of material success. Death of A Salesman written by Arthur Miller has several themes that run through the play, one of the most obvious is the constant striving for success. Willy Loman put his family through endless torture because of his search for a successful life. Willy, Biff, and Happy are chasing the American dream instead of examining themselves

In the United States, Americans are facing this ongoing battle of finding a job for personal fulfillment versus disutility. Ideally, workers try to get a job for personal fulfillment because it satisfies workers needs for achievements. In other words, workers live to work.  They enjoy what they do. However, that is not always the case, many times workers find themselves working a disutility job. In simpler terms, they do a job because they have to provide for themselves and their family. According to NY Daily News “A newly released Gallup report shows that 70% of Americans polled either hate their job or are "disengaged" from their work, and even perks don't work if they're unhappy with management”.  That is more than half of Americans who spend over 40 hours of their life a week unhappy. Not to mention, they can bring that unhappy attitude home. Even though many workers try and find a job for personal fulfillment sometimes, we are stuck with a job we are not satisfied with.

Money can’t be the determining factor for happiness (Kinicki & Williams, 2016). Therefore, what is meaningful determines what true happiness is. I came to that conclusion, having worked for state government over twenty years. Resigning in 2003, I decided to return in 2010. The department manager told me at the interview how overqualified I was, but they needed me. He stated, “I am sure you understand that you’re not going to become rich by working for the state”. “Yes, I am aware, I replied. For me, it is about learning and serving others.” Genuine accomplishment is identifying our tangible, distinct significances and, to the best of our abilities, being aware of them now so that we don’t wait on a fairytale to manifest later (Clark, 2014 p9).

Because happiness can be different things to different people, Happiness Advantage examines the importance of defining the happiness. People tend to follow the pattern of success leads to happiness; however, after many experiments, Achor has found out that people actually experience the moment of happiness before they successfully reach their goal. It’s important for a person to learn how to improve her mood and raise her level of happiness throughout the day. So that she can retrain her brain to capitalize on positivity in order to improve productivity and performance.

The Value Percept Theory argues that job satisfaction depends on whether a job supplies the things an individual value most. Overall satisfactions derive form combined levels of satisfaction from various elements of an individual’s job, whether it’s: pay, promotion, supervision, coworkers, or the work itself. Job satisfaction is based on cognitive and affective components, which is evaluated by what an individual thinks about the job, and how they feel. Cognition evaluation is based on experiences, weighing different aspects of a job; as affect is a reaction of the job, which can fluctuate based on moods and emotions. Level of dissatisfaction is measured by the difference between what one has and what one wants, and the level of importance of that facet to the individual. Statistics have proven, that supplying individuals with what they value, will increase the chance of better performance, which has a high correlation with an individual’s affective commitment with the organization.

The brain is a massive ball of nervous tissue that regulates both physical and mental functions. The brain can only survive for 4 minutes without oxygen before brain cells begin to die. It is safe to say that the brain is the most important part of the body because it is the leading factor in life or death. Similarly, if a person lacks intelligence they enable themselves to defeat and their life can easily become dysfunctional or even no existing. It is human nature to seek an even balance of happiness at work and at home, but this outcome generally depends on the situation involved. According to Standard, There are roughly two philosophical terms of “happiness,” One values the a person's well-being while the other is simply used to describe

Job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences. It has been treated both as a general attitude and satisfaction with five specific dimensions of the job: pay, the work itself, promotion opportunities, supervision, and coworkers. Challenging work, valued rewards, opportunities for advancement, competent supervision, and supportive coworkers are dimensions of the job that can lead to satisfaction (Nelson & Quick, 2013, pg.