Du travail émotionnel au travail de santé

• Published in: PISTES Vol. 25; no. 1
• Main Author: Dominique Lhuilier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité du Travail (IRSST) 01.12.2023
• Subjects: affects; dilemma; emotional work; health work; regulation; work organization
• ISSN: 1481-9384
• DOI: 10.4000/pistes.7449

The change in the way emotions are treated at work has been marked by a shift from their proscription to their prescription, and this, against the background of the new managerial model of subjectivity management. The notion of emotional work, understood as the control and production of emotions in accordance with the requirements of the work situation, emphasizes its prescriptive side. Here we explore another side of the treatment of emotions, not only that of normalization but also of normativity. Work – in the sense of activity – involves a subject and his/her emotional life. This leads us to an exploration of work’s psychic difficulties and their impact on health. We then develop the aspect of emotional work as it is indexed to healthy work. The concept of healthy work seeks to describe how the construction of health is a core element of occupational activities.