ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the broader changes in the economy and the workforce that is affecting the work lives of therapists and patients alike. The new economy is bringing about changes in tasks, roles, and the exercise of authority in the workplace. These changes constitute a fundamental shift in the nature of work itself, with profound implications for the psychology of work life. Individuals in organizations are working in more complex, emotionally involving, and time-consuming situations. People work with relatively clear distinctions among departments and divisions, between the organization and its customers. The new economy has led to changes in the workplace and in the very nature of career that are influencing the psychological parameters of work life. Relationships in the new workplace are becoming increasingly personal, urgent, and exciting while at the same time more short term and fluid. Theorists of the new economy agree that both work and career will increasingly entail more risk.
