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Metaphors of Professional Activity

Metaphors of Professional Activity Test

Understand how you see your role at work and what it means to you in about 3 minutes. Fast, 15 questions that reveal motivation and values to guide coaching, HR, or career growth.

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Questions: 153 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

28288 views

2434 completions

2130 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

5/10

Disillusionment With the Profession (DWtP)

Measures the degree of negative personal meaning, dissatisfaction, and disillusionment a person associates with their profession.

Low disillusionment

Moderate disillusionment

High disillusionment

0 – 4: Low disillusionment | 5 – 7: Moderate disillusionment | 8 – 10: High disillusionment

A score of 5 indicates a moderate level of disillusionment, suggesting some dissatisfaction with the profession that may be affecting motivation or engagement.

example score

8/10

Passion for the Profession (PftP)

Measures how much positive personal meaning, engagement, and intrinsic interest a person experiences in their professional activity.

Low passion

Moderate passion

High passion

0 – 4: Low passion | 5 – 7: Moderate passion | 8 – 10: High passion

A score of 8 indicates high passion, suggesting the person experiences strong engagement and positive personal significance in their work.

example score

4/10

Occupational Alienation (OA)

Measures how strongly a person experiences their profession as lacking personal meaning and feeling psychologically distant from it.

Low alienation

Moderate alienation

High alienation

0 – 3: Low alienation | 4 – 7: Moderate alienation | 8 – 10: High alienation

A score of 4 suggests a moderate sense of alienation, indicating some reduced personal significance of the profession while meaning and engagement are still partially present.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Career changers and seekers

41%OF USERS

People considering a new role or direction use it to clarify what work means to them and what kind of job would feel fitting.

Burnout and stress recovery

34%OF USERS

Professionals feeling drained take it to understand what’s depleting them and what could restore motivation and balance.

Coaches, HR, psychologists

25%OF USERS

Helping professionals use it as a quick starting point to discuss a client’s work identity, values, and development goals.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.

Practical
Recommendations

Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Detected
Insights

Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Psychologist

Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.

Disappointment in one’s profession (Diop)

Average

5.3

Normal range

3.9 — 6.7

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Passion for the Profession (PftP)

Average

3.6

Normal range

2.4 — 4.9

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Alienation of the Profession (AotP)

Average

3.7

Normal range

2 — 5.3

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions left?

What does this questionnaire measure?

It assesses the personal meaning assigned to professional activity through selected or generated metaphors. Results indicate typical motivational themes, values, and perceived role at work.

What is required to complete it?

Select the metaphor options that best match the current view of professional activity and respond to all items. If an item does not fit exactly, choose the closest option.

How long does it take, and how many items are included?

Completion usually takes about three minutes. The questionnaire includes 15 items.

Are there right or wrong answers?

No; items describe subjective perceptions rather than performance or knowledge. Respond based on the typical or most stable view, not an idealized one.

How should the results be used?

Results provide a starting point for discussing professional resources, strain, and development priorities. They should be interpreted alongside additional information rather than used as a standalone decision rule.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Metaphors of Professional Activity Test

metaphors meaningfulness pro-identity passion

This brief self-report instrument uses metaphor selection to elicit how an individual construes the meaning and role of work in their life. Metaphors of Professional Activity is intended to support an initial understanding of perceived professional identity, values, and motivational themes, using language that can be discussed clinically.

The measure includes 15 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. Content is commonly used to guide a structured conversation about personal significance of work, perceived resources and challenges, and areas for potential development. Metaphors of Professional Activity has been associated with conceptual approaches described by Donald A. Schön and Gareth Morgan.

Author: Donald A. Schön, Gareth Morgan

Literature: Savickas, M. L. Career construction theory and practice. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work. Wiley. 2013.; McAdams, D. P. The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the self. Guilford Press. 1993.

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