Contributions of the psychodynamic analysis of work situations to the study of organizational crises

Abstract

It is well known today that the organization of work has several conse quences on employees' mental health. I will take in this article an inverse approach, i.e. that employees' pain has several consequences on the organi zation or the organizing of work, on organizational crises and on their man agement.

Presenting briefly the field of "Psychodynamic Analysis of Work Situations", and using empirical data collected in the nuclear industry, I will focus in this article on the problems existing between individualism and work de-motivation, and the risk of major industrial crises. In conclusion, I will discuss how this perspective on the organization of work, derived from the analysis of the employees' psychic pain, suggests a number of changes in order to increase the safety of industrial activities.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Arendt, H. , 1958. Human Conditions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.

Begoin, J. , 1957. La nèvrose des téléphonistes et des mécanographes. Thèse, Faculte de Medecine, unpublished, Paris.

Cottereau, A. , 1987. Justice et injustice ordinaire sur les lieux de travail d'aprés les audiences prud'homales (1806-1866). Le mouvenment Social, 141: 3-8. Les Editions Ouvriéres : Paris.

Dejours, C. , 1980. Travail: usure mentale. Essai de psychopathologie du travail. Edition du Centurion, Paris.

Dejours, C. , 1986. Mental disorders related to work. in E. Kamino , M. Batawi and C. Cooper (Eds.). Psychological factors at work. WHO Publication Center, Washington, D.C.

Dejours, C. (Ed.)., 1988. Plaisir et souffrance dans le travail (Publié avec le concours du CNRS et du Ministère de la Recherche). 2 tomes. Edition de l'AOCIP, Orsay, France.

Dejours, C. , 1990. Nouveau regard sur la souffrance humaine dans les organisations . In J-F. Chanlat (Ed.). L'individu dans l'organization. Les dimensions oubliées, 687-708. Presses de l'université Laval, Quebec, et Editions Eska, Paris.

Detienne, M. et J.P., 1974. Les ruses de l'intelligence. La métis chez les Grecs. Flammarion, Paris.

Flynn, B.C. 1985. Reading Habermas, Reading Freud. Human Studies, 8: 57-76.

10.

Le Guillant, L. , 1963. Incidences psychopathologiques de la condition de «bonne à tout faire».L'evolution psychiatrique, 28: 1-64.

11.

Pharo, P. , 1991. Politique et savoir vivre. L'Harmattan, Paris.