EMOTIONAL LABOR OF SOCIAL WORKERS WORKING WITH THE POOR

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study examined the emotional labor of social workers serving the poor regarding the Emotional Labor Theory of Hochschild (1983). Based on in-depth interviews, the research focused on the emotions of the social workers who always face increasing poverty and caseloads and social policy practices keeping poverty under control rather than reducing it. A total of 18 social workers selected with the snowball sampling technique were interviewed in this case study. While some of the interviews (13 interviews) were carried out face-to-face between September 20 - October 5, 2020, others (5 interviews) were conducted via e-mail. The findings revealed three interrelated aspects of the participants working with the poor: a) encountering problems in work routines frequently, b) confirmation of the adverse impacts of increasing caseloads and being always with the poor on emotional well-being and their projections on social life, and c) resorting to insensibility/depersonalization, emotional splitting, and emotional labor to deal with reactions due to constant encounters with the poor. In addition, the research findings revealed that social workers did not receive any professional emotional support.

Keywords

• Emotional labour
• Poverty
• social workers
• social assistance
• case study

Yoksullarla Çalışan Sosyal Hizmet Uzmanlarının Duygusal Emeği

Abstract

Çalışmada yoksullara hizmet veren sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının duygusal emeği Hochschild (1983)’ün duygusal emek teorisine referansla incelenmiştir. Derinlemesine görüşmelere dayanan araştırmada artan yoksulluk, artan vaka yükleri ve yoksullukla mücadelede yoksulluğu azaltmaktan ziyade kontrol altında tutan sosyal politika uygulamalarıyla karşı karşı olan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının duygularına odaklanılmıştır. Örnek olay çalışması niteliğinde olan araştırmada kartopu örnekleme ile 18 sosyal hizmet uzmanı ile görüşme yapılmıştır. 20 Eylül 2020-5 Ekim 2020 tarihleri aralığında yürütülen görüşmelerin bir kısmı (13 görüşme) yüz yüze bir kısmı ise (5 görüşme) e-posta aracılığıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular yoksullarla çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının birbiriyle alakalı üç yönünü ortaya koymuştur: a). sosyal hizmet uzmanları çalışma rutinlerinde sıklıkla sorunlarla karşılaşmaları, b). artan vaka yükleri ve sürekli yoksul insanlarla iç içe olmanın duygusal refahları üzerindeki olumsuz etkisinin ve bunun sosyal yaşamlarına yansımalarının teyidi, c). sürekli yoksullarla karşılaşmanın duygusal tepkisiyle baş etmek için duygusal hissizlik/ duygusal duyarsızlaşma ve duygusal bölünme gibi duygusal emek uygulamalarına başvurmadır. Ayrıca araştırma bulguları sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının profesyonel olarak duygusal koruyucu bir destek almadıklarını ortaya koymuştur.

Keywords

• Duygusal emek
• yoksulluk
• sosyal hizmet uzmanları
• sosyal yardım
• örnek olay çalışması

References

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