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Mental Illness, Social Suffering and Structural Antagonism in the Labour Process

Author

Listed:
  • Megan Woods

    (University of Tasmania, Australia)

  • Rob Macklin

    (Independent Researcher, Australia)

  • Sarah Dawkins

    (University of Tasmania, Australia)

  • Angela Martin

    (University of Tasmania, Australia)

Abstract

Workplace conditions and experiences powerfully influence mental health and individuals experiencing mental illness, including the extent to which people experiencing mental ill-health are ‘disabled’ by their work environments. This article explains how examination of the social suffering experienced in workplaces by people with mental illness could enhance understanding of the inter-relationships between mental health and workplace conditions, including experiences and characteristics of the overarching labour process. It examines how workplace perceptions and narratives around mental illness act as discursive resources to influence the social realities of people with mental ill-health. It applies Labour Process Theory to highlight how such discursive resources could be used by workers and employers to influence the power, agency and control in workplace environments and the labour process, and the implications such attempts might have for social suffering. It concludes with an agenda for future research exploring these issues.

Suggested Citation

  • Megan Woods & Rob Macklin & Sarah Dawkins & Angela Martin, 2019. "Mental Illness, Social Suffering and Structural Antagonism in the Labour Process," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 33(6), pages 948-965, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:33:y:2019:i:6:p:948-965
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017019866650
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Helen K. Black & Robert L. Rubinstein, 2004. "Themes of Suffering in Later Life," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 59(1), pages 17-24.
    2. Moscone, F. & Tosetti, E. & Vittadini, G., 2016. "The impact of precarious employment on mental health: The case of Italy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 86-95.
    3. Ana Llena-Nozal, 2009. "The Effect Of Work Status And Working Conditions On Mental Health In Four Oecd Countries," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 209(1), pages 72-87, July.
    4. Nanna Mik-Meyer, 2016. "Disability and ‘care’: managers, employees and colleagues with impairments negotiating the social order of disability," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(6), pages 984-999, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Edwards & Andy Hodder, 2022. "Conflict and control in the contemporary workplace: Structured antagonism revisited," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 220-240, May.
    2. Yi Wang & Sheng Bao & Yubing Chen, 2022. "The Illness Experience of Long COVID Patients: A Qualitative Study Based on the Online Q&A Community Zhihu," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-13, August.
    3. Eline Jammaers, 2023. "Theorizing Discursive Resistance to Organizational Ethics of Care Through a Multi-stakeholder Perspective on Disability Inclusion Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(2), pages 333-345, March.

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