The only way to truly understand an organism (the professional, the profession, the organization) is to see it as an extension of the environment it exists within. I can look inside myself for hours, and learn more about myself from 5 minutes interaction with another human being.
At every level of human interaction – interpersonal, group, community, institution – we are engaging in collective identity formation. This holds true for prefessions just as it does for individuals.
Professions only exist as reflections of the society that gives birth to them. Shaped by every cultural force that populates the ecosystem they inhabit.
Perhaps the most significant conversation we can have about professional identity formation is the one that spans the gap between professions and seeks to the insight that only comes through someone else’s eyes.