At the cutting edge: Thriving not just surviving - fulfilment across the whole lifespan based on latest research and insights

Rationale and purpose of the session  

This session will focus on the important and worthwhile aspiration of fulfilment in the career space and beyond and will explore what it means not just to survive but to thrive throughout the lifespan, in both professional and personal domains. 

Whilst fulfilment is seen as a desired outcome, there is evidence that it may not be easy or equally available to all. 

This ‘At the Cutting-Edge session’ will set the scene by sharing some contemporary research on the topic, in particular identifying what factors make the biggest difference and pinpointing the six consistent and shared themes which have led to a new psychometric tool – the Work Fulfilment Scale. 

Fulfilment narratives can naturally shift in later life when achievement and work are no longer the primary organising structures of identity and meaning and, drawing on lifespan psychology and adjustment research, the session will also explore meaning for the age group, 60–80, which represents a psychologically distinct and under-theorised developmental stage within current career and lifespan discourse. 

This session will share key findings from doctoral research blended with fascinating insights from the wider Psychology community. Participants will be invited to join the conversation, reflect on practical implications, and to take away a brand-new model to boost their professional practice.  

They will also explore the implications for career development, supporting individuals through longer working lives, retirement transitions, and the decades beyond employment. 

Some fundamental questions will include: 

• How can we thrive, not just survive, in work? 

• How can we sustain fulfilment throughout our working lives? 

• What factors make the biggest difference? 

• Does fulfilment shift throughout the lifespan? 

• Is the experience different for men and women? 

• Is what we find fulfilling unique to each individual? 

• How is Olderhood as a developmental phase shaped by changing relationships with work, time, identity, contribution, embodiment, curiosity, and psychological adjustment? 

• Do longer lives necessarily imply continual striving or prolonged work-centred identities? 

• What are some practical implications for boosting professional practice around this topic? 

This two-hour session will comprise two input sessions, where highlights are shared from doctoral research as well as some practical suggestions and structures for supporting our work around the concept of fulfilment and thriving across the lifespan 

In addition, this session will be interspersed with interactive, small group discussions in break-out rooms, combined with whole group discussion and sense-making. Here we will reflect upon: what this means for our own careers practice? What questions are we left with? The session will culminate in a signposting to additional relevant resources and events to help us to continue with our CPD.  

As hosts of this session, NICEC Fellows Gilly Freedman and Kate Mansfield will guide us through our agenda; they look forward to seeing you there. 

Speakers 

Laura Walker and Dr. Denise Taylor 

Agenda  

Welcome - Gilly Freedman/Date Mansfield
Introduction - Emphasising why this topic is so relevant for us today in the careers field - David Morgan, Chief Executive CDI 
Work Fulfilment: how we can thrive not just survive - Laura Walker
Break-out room Discussions
Plenary discussion followed by short comfort break 
Thrivespan for later life - Dr. Denise Taylor
Break-out room Discussions
Plenary discussion followed by short comfort break 
Conclusion: Gilly Freedman and Kate Mansfield