Laura Little, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Georgia – Terry College of Business, recently contributed research to a Forbes.com article comparing the employee and boss relationship to that of a child and parent.
The Forbes article surveys research from a number of professionals, ranging from psychotherapists to business leaders. in order to understand the influence that one’s relationship with their parents may have on their later working relationships. Although people often convince themselves that work is a less emotional affair than family life, says psychotherapist Naomi Shragai. The truth, however, reveals much more overlap in our emotional connections to both life and work.
One possible reason for this overlap is the psychoanalysis-rooted idea of “transference”, which involves a person projecting the dynamics of a past relationship onto a new one. This often involves the transference of a parental relationship dynamic, especially since — according to author Ben Michaelis — “your parents are the first authority figures you ever meet.”
Laura Little, management professor at Terry, provides research which suggests that children with positive role models and consistent attention from their caregivers are more likely to be successful in a working environment. “[W]e develop fairly stable patterns of attachment styles with others that carry into adulthood,” she says. Additional research suggests that children with more secure parenting are likely to earn higher incomes than those without.
Of course, children have little control over the attentiveness and stability of their parents or adult role models, and over 40% of the population grow up in less than stable conditions. Such a background need not be a death sentence to professional success, nonetheless, and Forbes offers some advice to prevent problematic transference from interfering at work. The ability to acknowledge your bias, revise expectations and cut your losses when necessary can help pave the way for success regardless of your background.