Psychopathology of work

Our goal for this set of readings is to develop a shared conceptual and clinical framework for understanding the psychopathology of work and strategies for organizational practice.

Core text: Dejours, C. (2015). Psychopathology of work: Clinical observations. Routledge.

Schedule of Readings

September 18  – Introduction

  • Reading: Dejours (2015) Preface, Introduction, Chapter 1; Bensaïd (2015) Chapter 2 (pp. 1–28)
    • Themes: The emergence of psychopathology of work; methodological foundations; subjective experience of labor.
  • Optional: Dashtipour, P., & Vidaillet, B. (2017). Work as affective experience: the contribution of Christophe Dejours’ ‘psychodynamics of work’. Organization, 24(1), 18-35. Link

October 16 – Suffering

  • Reading: Guiho-Bailly & Lafond (2015) Chapter 3 (pp. 29-38)
    • Themes: Suffering as a structural feature of work; individual and collective defense strategies.
  • Optional: Velásquez, N. R. P. (2024). Analysis of the subjective experience of suffering in the psychodynamic work clinic. Nusantara Journal of Behavioral and Social Science, 3(1), 9-14. Link

November 20 – Centrality of work, sexuation, listening and interpretation

  • Reading: Dejours (2015) Chapter 4 (pp. 39-62)
    • Themes: Recognition as a psychosocial need in work; threats to identity from organizational structures.
  • Optional: Angella, M. (2016). Work, recognition and subjectivity: Relocating the connection between work and social pathologies. European Journal of Social Theory, 19(3), 340-354. Link

December 18 – Collective dimensions of work and mental health

  • Reading: Grenier-Pezé (2015) Chapter 5 (pp. 63-76)
    • Themes: Collective defense mechanisms; solidarity in the workplace; breakdown of cooperation.
  • Optional: Hirschhorn, L. (1988). The normal psychological injuries of work. The workplace within: Psychodynamics of organizational life (pp. 19-30). The MIT Press.

January 14 – The psychodynamics of work: Clinical, organizational, and social applications with Distinguished Guest Duarte Rolo, PhD (4pm CT, via Zoom)

  • Distinguished Guest, Duarte Rolo, PhD joins us to talk about key ideas within the psychodynamics of work, their application in organizational studies, and their broader implications for social dynamics.
  • Reading: TBD

February 19 – Toward clinical and organizational interventions

  • Reading: Dejours (2015) Chapter 6 (pp. 77-98)
    • Themes: Clinical interventions; implications for leadership and management; political stakes of work-related suffering.
  • Optional: Deranty, J. P. (2010). Work as transcendental experience: implications of Dejours’ psycho-dynamics for contemporary social theory and philosophy. Critical Horizons, 11(2), 181-220. Link