Abstract

BENDASSOLLI, Pedro F.. Work malaise: from suffering to the power of action. Rev. Mal-Estar Subj. [online]. 2011, vol.11, n.1, pp.65-99. ISSN 1518-6148.

The second half of the 20th century is the time of the institutionalization of suffering at work, and especially of mental suffering. However, more than a psychological category, suffering appears to have become a new key for the discussion of work, its meaning, its worth, and its purpose in the understanding of subjectivity, as well as for how social ties are structured and how one lives in society. If, on the one hand, there seems to be no doubt left that suffering at work, as a form of malaise, is an analytical category that drives the actions of several actors that study and intervene in this field, on the other hand the presence of debate on the nature, reasons and implications of this taking of sides before the subject and work appears to have become less commonplace. The purpose of this paper is to offer a contribution in this direction. We argue that the rhetoric of suffering positions the subject as a vulnerable being that needs constant input and support to act, while work itself is conceived of as a threat. The article discusses the possibilities created by a shift from the subject of suffering to the subject of action, and from work as a disease factor to work as a creative activity.

Keywords : Work and Subjectivity; Ill-Being at Work; Activity Clinic; Psychology of Action; Psychology of Work.

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