The notions of both work and persistence carry implicit assumptions that some obstacles have to be overcome through effort. Given the hurdles that women physicians must overcome in training, most research has assumed that work plays an important role in their lives. A sample of 71 women physicians from an earlier study was surveyed to learn why some women invested more heavily in their careers than others. Results showed that adversity, either status or emotional, proved to be a compelling reason for career persistence. The earlier women imagined being physicians, the more likely they were to persist in their careers. Persisters developed stronger masculine personality components and more distant or equivalent relationships with their parents. Women who were less close to their fathers did not develop as strong feminine personality components and were less likely to commit themselves to traditional role relationships. The findings indicate that nearly all the subjects freely pattern their lives in harmony with their inner beings. (JAC)