We all know what it feels like to experience a broken heart, but what does it mean to be heartbroken over your career?
Career heartbreak is more than disappointment with your current job. Satisfaction in a career is deeply rooted in the sense of self and how you identify with your role or with your industry. When people become disillusioned with the careers they have chosen and developed, they may feel that their career heart is broken.
While it might sound like an exaggerated term, this disillusionment is a visceral experience, something you feel in a physically or somatically. Emotions play a big role in this connection of body and mind, and they are entangled throughout the lifespan of our careers.
The Four Stages Of Emotional Career Development
A 2023 study out of the Copenhagen Business School uncovered four distinct emotional stages in the career lifecycle of lawyers on the partner track.
The first stage is one of anticipation and excitement, where early career lawyers have optimism, positive emotions, and high aspirations as they embark on their careers.
Next comes fear and anxiety as they are being considered for promotion to partnership, accompanied by uncertainty and anticipation of potential failure.
Read More: https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissawheeler/2025/06/26/how-to-protect-your-career-heart-from-being-broken/