Between norms and margins: The “Norms–Fringe–Margins” model. A dynamic model of psychosocial self-construction through an expanded notion of working

Abstract

This article addresses the new forms and relationships to work currently developing, in line with the upheavals of the Anthropocene. Occupational and counseling psychology are developing models that increasingly integrate systemic and contextual dimensions to understand careers and work-related issues. We propose a theoretical model “Norms–Fringe–Margins” to approach these new forms of work as hybrid constructs, sources of both personal and social innovation. We argue that these new ways of relating to work can contribute to sustainable and just commitments to citizenship, both at the individual and social levels. The model distinguishes three interrelated spaces of psychosocial self-construction through work: a normed space (Norm), a space on the margin (Margin), and an intermediate space (Fringe). To analyze the psychosocial construction of a person, we study the dynamic interactions of these three psychosocial spaces as a presence supported by a set of tensions to overcome.