The formation of professional roles and identities affect people’s wellbeing at work. To form professional identities, one needs to attain competence but also ‘become’ a professional – think, feel, and act like one.
Moreover, vocational motivation affects wellbeing at work: for example, nurses commitment is being eroded by the impact of bureaucratic changes at management level, such as the setting of performance targets and increased workload. This in turn impacts their professional identity and can negatively affect their mental health and wellbeing. Professional identity and wellbeing are connected through commitment. People that feel more competent in their jobs and feel committed to their careers, show higher senses of identity and improved wellbeinG
