"For the millions whose sense of self has been constructed around professional competence and measurable achievement, AI is triggering something far more threatening than economic disruption. It's triggering the forced dismantling of identity itself. However, there is a hidden opportunity here to shed the 'conventional' identity and move into the 'post-conventional identity', a place where greater self-awareness and well-being have the potential to arise."
"But conventional identity is inherently fragile because it depends on circumstances beyond your control. When AI systems rapidly outpace human cognitive capabilities across expanding domains, the foundation crumbles. The lawyer who spent 10 years building expertise watches algorithms draft better contracts. The programmer who defines themselves through technical mastery sees AI write cleaner code. The analyst whose identity centered on data interpretation finds their role automated away."
AI is undermining identities anchored in professional competence and measurable achievements by automating tasks and outpacing human cognitive abilities. Conventional identity derives from job titles, quantifiable accomplishments, hierarchical roles, and demonstrable problem-solving skills. That identity is fragile because it depends on external circumstances beyond individual control. As AI displaces expertise across domains, people experience grief, fear, and profound psychological disorientation about who they are without occupational markers. The transition toward post-conventional consciousness passes through a treacherous liminal zone marked by avoidance behaviors and nihilistic deconstruction. A hidden opportunity exists to shed conventional identity and cultivate greater self-awareness, integration, and well-being in post-conventional identity.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]