Criminal Minds Hotch – Work Life Balance?

The character Aaron Hotchner on CBS’ hit show Criminal Minds is the epitome of the problems that many individuals face in their daily lives involving work-life balance. Work-life balance is the process of learning how to balance the obligations of one’s work with one’s personal life. Aaron Hotchner consistently was forced to make decisions that placed the capturing of an unsub (unknown subject) against his responsibility as a father and husband.

Ultimately, this inability to balance his work with his personal life he asked for a transfer out of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the FBI, which he had been pressured to do by FBI section chief Erin Strauss. However, the FBI section chief quickly realized how important Hotchner was during a case in Milwaukee. Ultimately Hotchner realized that his place was in the BAU much to his wife’s dismay.

Hotchner’s inability to successfully leave the BAU led to his wife Haley’s filing for divorce. Hotchner’s inability to balance both his work at the BAU and his family is a good example of an individual who has work-life balance problems.
Agent Hotchner is your run of the mill working a white color job whose high profile job ultimately cost him his marriage and son. Hotch is very good at what he does at the Behavioral Analysis Unit and is a great leader for the unit. He knows his stuff. Unfortunately for him, he is too good at what he does.

His refusal to work less or take a different position in the BAU ended up costing him his wife and son. Honestly his wife knew his profession before they got married and was aware of the toll it would take on their relationship. Despite knowing this, she still chose to marry him and have a child with him.

Hotch is just another man who chose his job over his family. Although his job is very important, he is amazing at it, and helps so many people it is important that he stop and remember his family. At some point there comes a time when you have to help yourself and family before you can help others.

I am sure in future Criminal Minds Episodes, there will be a time when Hotch looks back on all of the things he missed with his son and realizes that while saving lives was an amazing feat, his son is ultimately paid the price.

Every child deserves to grow up with both of their parents teaching them and providing life lessons. Being a behavioral specialtist, Hotch should know this. I am quite sure it is hard to see something when it is happening to you. He is just another example of how hard it is to be that successful at what you do and travel all over the place and be able to have a stable family.

To come home when it is all said and done. Agent Hotch will be the first to give advice to those in his unit. For instance, the advice he gives to Agent Morgan during the Hi-Lo Season finale, but when it comes to taking advise it is hard for him to swallow. It is erie how his friend from the FBI (the woman that appears in the Lo-Fi Episode) look just like his wife. It almost seems that he is connected to her in a way he can not shake. When they can’t act upon or seem to find their way to each other romantically.

He looked for the next best thing, which was his wife. He didn’t seem to really fight for their marriage and this could be the reason why. Because he was never really in love with her, just in love with the idea of being with someone who was like this other woman that he was lusting after. He comes off as a very good guy who just has some commitment issues. Hotch is the guy who values what he gets from his work more than what he can get out of a marriage and family.

For More on Hotch Visit: Hotch The Beloved

Popularity: 10% [?]

Related posts:

1. Criminal Minds – 5.10 promo pictures
2. Criminal Minds: Preview of Episode 5.10 “The Slave of Duty”
3. 3rd Promo for Criminal Minds 5X01
4. Criminal Minds Season Premiere Review
5. Today on TV

Tags: Aaron Hotchner, Agent Morgan, behavioral specialtist, criminal minds, hotch, hotch divorce, hotch relationship, hotchs marriage, work life balance

This entry was posted on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 7:05 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Criminal Minds Hotch – Work Life Balance?”

1. Criminal Minds ~ Criminal Minds Fan Site, Forums, News, Episodes, and MORE! » Blog Archive » » Hotch - Criminal Minds Series Beloved Cast Member Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pm

   [...] For more about Hotch visit: Hotch- Work Life Balance? [...]

2. Hippediva Says:
   December 12th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

   If I’m reading my canon right, Hotchner was a successful prosecuting attorney before becoming a profiler so it doesn’t follow that Haley was automatically aware of how difficult it would be to balance his home and worklife.

   Even so, the average lawyer puts in a 70-80 hour week. (I’m part of a family of ‘em), so she would have been quite used to his absenteeism at home.