Emotionally Indebted : Governing the Unemployed People in an Affective Economy

This book explores the lived experience of unemployment from a critical social psychological perspective. It connects the condition of unemployment to governance structures and wider societal issues, such as the labor market tendencies of precarity and enterprise culture. Based on qualitative data collected in Denmark and America, the book gives voice to unemployed people to critically discuss both the intended and unintended consequences of active labor market measures, as well as the frequent moral evaluations that surround unemployment. The author explores how unemployed people make sense of and deal with the demands and activities required by activation policies or ALMPs, which tend to make the job seekers responsible for finding a solution to their condition. Building from the subjective experience of unemployment, it maps the complex emotional demands on jobseekers who should feel shame and self-blame but also display motivation and passion on the labor market. Presenting emotions and feelings as pivotal instruments of the governmentality of worklessness, this book addresses the lack of critical discussion and research into the unemployment experience and offers a useful, provocative perspective for students, scholars, and practitioners alike in social psychology, social policy, economic policy, and related disciplines. Preface References Contents 1: Introduction Eroding the Binary Category of Un/employment Governing Unemployment in the Welfare State Researching Unemployment Working on or with Unemployed People Social Psychological Approach Aims and Contributions Structure of the Book References 2: Governing Unemployed People Through Technologies of Power and Those of the Self The Social Psychological Figure and Governmentality Studies Governmentality Studies as the Theoretical Backdrop Technologies of Power and of the Self The Challenges of Governmentality Studies Subjectification and the Art of Not Being Governed Quite So Much Neoliberal Subjectification Affective Subjectification Affective Economies and ‘Sticky’ Categories Emotional Labor and Affective Economies in Networking Summing Up References 3: Setting the Scene Framing the Policy-Level and Situating the Danish Case Activation at Street-Level PES Temporary Suspension of ALMPs during Covid-19 Summing Up References 4: Governing the Active Jobseeker Psychologizing Unemployment: Governing Through Empowerment and Motivation Internalizing Motivation Technologies The Many Faces of Self-Blame Competitive Infrastructures What Alleviates the Self-Blame? Technologies of Fear and Risk Management Managing Risk Through Future Selves Governing Through Algorithms: Job Suggestions and Profiling Summing Up References 5: The Sticky Shame and What to Do with It The Duality of Shame and Passion, Affective Economy, and ‘Sticky Categories’ Recoding Unemployment: Passion as a Prerequisite Selling Oneself in the Competitive Labor Market Not Only Good Feelings Shame and Its Workings Not Me: Then Who? Escaping Shame: The Freelancer and the Affective Economy Summing Up References 6: Resisting the Shame and ‘Unemployed by Choice’ Self-Responsible Creative People Alternative Value Systems Turning the Arrow Toward Society Summing Up References 7: The Intimate Dance of Networking Networking and the Unemployment Field Institutionalized Networking Technologies The Experience of Networking in the U.S. and Denmark Networking in the Affective Economy The Double Mask: Hiding the Emotional Toll Differences Between Unemployed Danish and American Workers: Positivity and Critique Summing Up References 8: Unemployment Experiences During Covid-19: A Little Less Blame? The Continuous Self-Doubt in the Job Search and the Impact of the Pandemic The Relentless Job Search Leaving No Time for Life Exploring Alternative Values Unemployment as a More Legitimate Position: But for Whom? Summing Up References 9: Synthetizing the Contributions Psychologization and the Emotional Debt Managing (Self)Blame Profiling and Individualized Risk Management Turning the Arrow Outward Managing Shame Freelancers: Working within and against the System and Values The Caring State and the Contours of the New Shadow Sides Insights from Covid-19 The Practical Implications: Where to Go from Here? References Conclusion Index