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Self-expression in professional settings.

Kangirl

I'm a star.
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Screw that. Personal expression is looked down upon in business because the goals are suppose to come before the people. Also, business attire is like a sports jersey, it creates unity, which is exactly what you want to encourage when taking on large projects. Image counts. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn't in a position to hire people.

Yes, this.

Also...ENTJ cagefight?? :D
 

Lady_X

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I'm writing to see what people think of self-expression in professional settings; in particular, the psychotherapy setting.

I was in class the other day and we were talking about ethics, etc, and some of the students argued that psychotherapists should not have piercings, tattoos, etc.

I, personally, have pigtails, which I actually think are very cute and they're "me" and I was discouraged by some of the students to wear these.

I realize that if I have pig tails I may not be taken seriously by some people, but to be honest, I don't care--in the sense that it will not stop me from wearing pig tails. The pig tails are "me;" they're part of what makes me unique, and I will not change that for anyone! I want people to start looking beyond outer appearances and the only way I'm going to do that or make any social change in people's eyes is by starting with myself! If I'm going to be the example then I'm going to stick to it.

I think that when people change their style they are giving into society's judgmentalness and stereotypes. I think they are letting society get the "best" of them. Why should we have to compromise our individuality? Why not all be authentic in expression? If we all continued to change our appearances/who we are, then we will never really know one another on any real, personal, intimate level.
I am curious as to hear people's take on this.

So the question... Should psychotherapists be allowed to exhibit themselves (fashion-wise) however they want?

(I'm going to dig deep here); I'd like to get to the real core of this. Please, especially INTJ's and those who have difficulty with allowing themselves to be vulnerable, share your vulnerable, beautiful experiences... open your hearts for a second and just let out what's inside.

Thank you.

i hate any form of control and i hate being inauthentic but it would absolutely not occur to me to present myself in such an unprofessional manner...i don't wish to sound harsh but really?? pig tails?? save it for your off time...it can't be that big of a deal...and i don't think the message is worth it.

i think there are other more subtle ways in which to express yourself...a funky blouse under your jacket...some sort of funkier shoe...you just need to find an updated version of your style...one that is more fitting to your professional career.
 

Randomnity

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But I'm sure you know that's bullshit. Now I want to become a corporate leader, just to start hiring ONLY people that show up with holes in their pants. Maybe they spent time doing something more productive rather than trying to see how their dress fits.
Maybe. Let us know how that goes, and the impression that makes on clients. :cool:

Even if unprofessional dress weren't a problem in itself, it's often symptomatic of a certain attitude that well, doesn't play well with others (in my observation). Not that that's universally bad, but it's often not what you want...
 

Quinlan

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Just imagine the untapped value in all the people with bad haircuts out there.
 

Kangirl

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Bad hair is a sign of psychosis. Fact. :newwink:

FWIW, I don't believe that everyone with, say, pigtails and holey pants would be bad at a given job. And is it possible some of them would be damned good at it? Yes. But for me the point is that in a professional environment one is going to be interacting with people who one does not know very well. I wouldn't want Pigtail Lady working for me because of the assumptions that might be made by clients/co-workers etc. Might those assumptions be wrong? Yes. Would they still hurt business? The chance is too great for me to take it.

If I had someone working for me for a couple of years who was very competent, I'd be open to a discussion about what to wear/how to look at work. I don't have an inherent problem with pigtails. If they wanted to sport pigtails they would be free to, except in situations where they would be dealing with clients/people from outside the company etc.
 

Quinlan

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Man people are so judgemental, I think that's what the OP was getting at, that if those false asumptions are ever going to be broken down then you have to try and start with yourself. Maybe they don't need to be broken down (or can't be), they're too useful as they are?
 

Lady_X

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people are judgmental you're right quinlin...and i can appreciate the thoughts behind the op but...to me it's just not a fight i personally would find value in...i just don't place much importance on it...i enjoy dressing up though...so possibly i would feel otherwise if i didn't....but if i were in a professional environment i'd want/ expect the people that worked for me to project a serious polished image...if i were in a creative environment then it wouldn't matter a bit to me...it would just depend on the environment.
 

wolfy

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Man people are so judgemental, I think that's what the OP was getting at, that if those false asumptions are ever going to be broken down then you have to try and start with yourself. Maybe they don't need to be broken down (or can't be), they're too useful as they are?

I just see it as they can't be broken down. Not easily at least. So you have a choice. You need to choose your battles well.

Break them and take the hits or...
Use the social conventions and make them work for you.

People are judgemental. Society has rules and heuristics they use to size others up. That makes it easy to play the game well. The rules are clearly defined.
 

wolfy

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Why? Is it too much to ask for merit to be rewarded over appearance (I'm talking in general here)?

Does being judgemental make life easier?

It's simply too much work to sift through all the data. People look for patterns that fit with their preconceptions. And make judgements from there.

So it does make life easier. I'm not saying it's a good thing it just is what it is.
You don't have to follow the rules and often it's fun to break conventions and it sometimes pays off.
And you can change them if you're willing to pay the price.
 

FDG

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Well it is no wonder that the business world struggles so much with innovation, creativity and change, they are too busy maintaining their expected norms.

Yeah, and it's no wonder that the businesses that have been fluorishing the most in the past 10 years are those that pay the least attention to these idiotic protocols.
 

Quinlan

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Yeah, and it's no wonder that the businesses that have been fluorishing the most in the past 10 years are those that pay the least attention to these idiotic protocols.

Yes! Now there's an ENTJ looking to the future, got to get rid of this 1950s style thinking.
 

nightning

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It's simply too much work to sift through all the data. People look for patterns that fit with their preconceptions. And make judgements from there.

So it does make life easier. I'm not saying it's a good thing it just is what it is.
You don't have to follow the rules and often it's fun to break conventions and it sometimes pays off.
And you can change them if you're willing to pay the price.

Yeah, and it's no wonder that the businesses that have been fluorishing the most in the past 10 years are those that pay the least attention to these idiotic protocols.

Both of you need to figure out the facts first before stating assumptions as truths...

Chandy & Tellis 2006
http://www.csom.umn.edu/Assets/71635.pdf
 

Kangirl

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The hell? "Why are people so judgemental"?

Dude, a job interview IS a judging situation. Interviewing a person for a job IS, literally, judging them. Judging their suitability for the job.

It is not the same situation as walking down the street, seeing someone with pigtails and thinking "clearly this person is an immature loser and totally worthless as a human being" - I agree that's overly judgemental and not necessary or helpful at all.
 

Quinlan

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The hell? "Why are people so judgemental"?

Dude, a job interview IS a judging situation. Interviewing a person for a job IS, literally, judging them. Judging their suitability for the job.

It is not the same situation as walking down the street, seeing someone with pigtails and thinking "clearly this person is an immature loser and totally worthless as a human being" - I agree that's overly judgemental and not necessary or helpful at all.

I kind of meant "judgemental" as in judging people on irrelevant things rather than sticking to what's important. I don't even think an interview is the best way of determining who would be good at some jobs, people surprise me all the time after getting to know them. An interview will tell you that person has good interviewing skills, beyond that I wouldn't draw too much from it. But then I suppose I'm just being idealistic and way too FP, ahwell.

Edit: Just went back and read what I was referring to, I meant the strangers your workers would be interacting with, they shouldn't be judging your books by their covers. :D
 

sunset5678

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`

I think it should be allowed as long as it is nothing too revealing or offensive.
I work in an office where dressing up is an option and casual is allowed, and
the guidelines are pretty close to that. Generally everyone gets along pretty
well because people are encouraged to work together on projects as long as
they're not distrubing someone else or slacking off on their work just to chit
chat and goof off but people have a sense of humor so being a little easily
amused once in a while is allowed. That's how I generally prefer most of my
work enviornments, not too strict, but the appropriate amount of structure
and not too isolated but not distruptive either. I work another part time job
where the environment is the exact opposite. I mean the dress code thing
is the same, but people get away with murder like gossip, backstabbing and
checking around to see what of people's personal business they can bring
into their jobs to make their day hell then play dumb and try to make it look
like they're just getting distracted when they get flustered. Some of them
don't do it on purpose, they just get pulled in by stronger personalities bec-
ause they're nice to a fault and don't know what a bully is. I know who's
way to stay out of but luckily I'm just not afraid of people because I know I
can't afford to loose that job so they back off when I don't react and leave
me alone.

ENTJ
 

OrangeAppled

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I understand the need to dress appropriately for any situation (ie. a bikini is fine at the beach, not at the office), but I will not work anywhere with some uptight dress code. People who get stuck on stupid stuff like open-toed shoes at an office need to apply their same zeal for something that actually matters.
Besides, what is "professional" to one person is hideously bland and unimaginative to me, offenses far worse to me than not being "professional".

As a designer, I see rules for design as fluid guidelines, and I apply that same thinking to things like dress/grooming. Acknowledge the rules, but then break them while upholding the principles.
 
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