Journal ArticleDOI
Subjectivity, Work, and Action
TLDR
Work is inseparable from suffering as mentioned in this paper, but it is also at the origin of intelligence and ingeniousness, and subjectivity (individual development) is also a source of intelligence.Abstract:
This essay is intended to explore relations between work and subjectivity (that is, what concerns the individual subject: his or her suffering, pleasure, personal development, and so on). To this end, we shall draw on a body of theory and clinical practice that has been developing in France for some twenty years under the name of the ‘psychodynamics of work’ and ask the three following questions.What is work? This question might seem trivial, but the clinical analysis of the relationship between work and subjectivity shows that work is inseparable from suffering. Working inevitably means experiencing failure—in terms of one's know-how, technique and control of the work process. Is suffering simply an unfortunate consequence of work? We shall attempt to show that in fact it is also at the origin of intelligence and ingeniousness.Which subjectivity? Assuming that we recognise what work owes to subjectivity, we must also reverse the question and ask ourselves what subjectivity (individual development) owes t...read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Decent Work: A Psychological Perspective.
TL;DR: It is proposed that a psychological perspective can help to revitalize the decent work agenda by infusing a more specific focus on individual experiences and by reconnecting decent work to its social justice origins.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Centrality of Work
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present some of the main features of the centrality of work within the framework of the "psychodynamic" approach to work developed by Christophe Dejours and argue that we should distinguish between four separate but related ways in which work can be said to be central: psychologically, in terms of gender relations, social-politically and epistemically.
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Dairy Cows: Workers in the Shadows?
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that cows do collaborate in the farmer's work, and raise the question: can cows' collaboration in work be considered work, based on the hypothesis that animals are actors involved in the process of work and not simply objects.
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How Does Performance Management Affect Workers? Beyond Human Resource Management and Its Critique
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on recognition theory's exploration of how (in)adequate acknowledgement of workers' contributions can significantly affect their well-being at the level of self-conception.
Journal ArticleDOI
The possibility of disalienated work: Being at home in alternative organizations:
TL;DR: Work organizations have long employed various management techniques in order to maximize workers' engagement, which in itself implies that "alienation" at work is common as mentioned in this paper, which is the central descrip...