Reading suffering at work through the Lacanian four discourses theory Pour une lecture de la souffrance au travail à travers la théorie lacanienne des 4 discours Anne Marché Paillé, Ph.D., c.o. GREFID, Université Laval Québec, Canada Étienne Leblanc, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Québec, Canada
Question o Suffering at work an invasive signifier belonging to common sense : disque-ourcourant (Lacan, 1975, p. 35) o How could suffering at work be thought outside the box? 2
Purpose o Discussion of relevance of Lacanian four discourses theory (Lacan, 1991, 2007) alternative comprehension of the suffering at work examples from empirical field of care giving in elderly nursing homes (Québec, Canada)
Design o Accounting for suffering at work Lacanian and Freud s conception of suffering linked to others o Accounting for suffering and relation to others the 4 discourses: integrated model of suffering and social bond o Description of work of care givers in elderly nursing homes o Findings 4 discourses present all together in organizations each is knotted to the capitalist discourse by S 1 o Implications for the clinical practices shift from the complaint to transference
Accounting for suffering at work: suffering 1. Lacan conception of suffering: the symptom as locus of subjective suffering, of pathos it allows us to write on the same line suffering = divided subject = symptom which Lacan writes with his little letters in Seminar 17 of 1969-1970 (Lacan, 1991, 2007) 2. Freud s conception of suffering: relation to others pre-eminence of the relation to others as source of suffering
Pre-eminence of the human relations «We are threatened with suffering from three directions: from our own body, which is doomed to decay and dissolution and which cannot even do without pain and anxiety as warning signals; from the external world, which may rage against us with overwhelming and merciless forces of destruction; and finally from our relations to other men. The suffering which comes from this last source is perhaps more painful than any other» (Freud, 1930/1962, p. 24)
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. The 4 discourses to account for symptom and relation to others agent Other truth production
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. The 4 discourses to account for symptom and relation to others agent Other truth production desire Other truth loss
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. The 4 discourses to account for symptom and relation to others master signifier subject knowledge jouissance
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. Suffering in the Discourse of the master the muted-symptom DM
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. Suffering in the Discourse of the hysteric DH
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. Suffering in the Discourse of university DU
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. Suffering in the Discourse of the analyst DA
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. Suffering in the Discourse of the analyst DA
Accounting for suffering at work: 4 discourses 1. Suffering in the Discourse of the capitalism desire ( ) other (S 2 ) truth (S 1 ) loss (a)
Findings 1 1. Our point 1 We observe that the 4 discourses are present in organizations, sometimes altogether in the same workplace Each of them is linked to the capitalist discourse the link is knotted by the master signifier
Findings 2 1. Our point 2 1. each discourse produces its own type of suffering -silenced, -wasted, -masquerade, -talked -no division
Implications o We argue that o psychoanalytic informed analysis of practices could shift the subjective position (ex: Arnaud & Vanheule 2007) from silence to transference opening a path toward the get down to work on symptom could support individually or collectively the shift from the complaint to transference.
MERCI