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Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work

Hadar Elraz Orcid Logo, David Knights Orcid Logo

Management Learning, Volume: 52, Issue: 4, Pages: 466 - 484

Swansea University Author: Hadar Elraz Orcid Logo

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Abstract

This article examines the internal and external pressures to ‘normalize’ identity in relation to individuals experiencing mental health conditions (MHCs) at work. The data takes the form of three vignettes extracted from a larger empirical study of 60 interviews. These explore the tensions surroundi...

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Published in: Management Learning
ISSN: 1350-5076 1461-7307
Published: SAGE Publications 2021
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61907
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first_indexed 2022-11-14T16:12:08Z
last_indexed 2023-01-13T19:23:00Z
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spelling v2 61907 2022-11-14 Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work ff183e6b1d84cf2a26f40dd64de00419 0000-0003-0799-4629 Hadar Elraz Hadar Elraz true false 2022-11-14 BBU This article examines the internal and external pressures to ‘normalize’ identity in relation to individuals experiencing mental health conditions (MHCs) at work. The data takes the form of three vignettes extracted from a larger empirical study of 60 interviews. These explore the tensions surrounding identity for individuals experiencing MHCs as well as their interventions to suppress exhibiting the condition. The analysis captures a number of competing meanings surrounding identity in relation to learning to care for the self and managing MHCs. Our contribution is to explore the relationships between learning to care for the self and the performativity of ‘normalizing’ identity in managing MHCs at work. It also provides a potential means of integrating Foucault’s ethics of caring for the self with the literature on identity in ways that can be illuminating for those who manage their MHCs and the demands of work through processes of ‘normalization’. This analysis offers theoretical insights regarding how identity work may be self-defeating in exacerbating MHCs and therefore is of some practical benefit for managers, health professionals and those experiencing MHCs since they often leave individuals with little choice but to intensify their attempts to ‘normalize’ their identities. Journal Article Management Learning 52 4 466 484 SAGE Publications 1350-5076 1461-7307 Care for the self; identity; mental health; performativity; reflexivity; self-management 1 9 2021 2021-09-01 10.1177/13505076211006618 14.11.22 RJ Added at authors request COLLEGE NANME Business COLLEGE CODE BBU Swansea University External research funder(s) paid the OA fee (includes OA grants disbursed by the Library) This research was funded by the ESRC, award number ES/H032002/1. 2023-08-30T12:07:29.6126896 2022-11-14T16:06:16.0286136 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Business Management Hadar Elraz 0000-0003-0799-4629 1 David Knights 0000-0003-0072-0393 2 61907__25900__8509490ab2e943e39afd1fb65b46c2fc.pdf 61907.pdf 2022-11-24T13:54:50.2415763 Output 191050 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
spellingShingle Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
Hadar Elraz
title_short Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
title_full Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
title_fullStr Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
title_full_unstemmed Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
title_sort Learning to manage a mental health condition: Caring for the self and ‘normalizing’ identity at work
author_id_str_mv ff183e6b1d84cf2a26f40dd64de00419
author_id_fullname_str_mv ff183e6b1d84cf2a26f40dd64de00419_***_Hadar Elraz
author Hadar Elraz
author2 Hadar Elraz
David Knights
format Journal article
container_title Management Learning
container_volume 52
container_issue 4
container_start_page 466
publishDate 2021
institution Swansea University
issn 1350-5076
1461-7307
doi_str_mv 10.1177/13505076211006618
publisher SAGE Publications
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Management - Business Management{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Business Management
document_store_str 1
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description This article examines the internal and external pressures to ‘normalize’ identity in relation to individuals experiencing mental health conditions (MHCs) at work. The data takes the form of three vignettes extracted from a larger empirical study of 60 interviews. These explore the tensions surrounding identity for individuals experiencing MHCs as well as their interventions to suppress exhibiting the condition. The analysis captures a number of competing meanings surrounding identity in relation to learning to care for the self and managing MHCs. Our contribution is to explore the relationships between learning to care for the self and the performativity of ‘normalizing’ identity in managing MHCs at work. It also provides a potential means of integrating Foucault’s ethics of caring for the self with the literature on identity in ways that can be illuminating for those who manage their MHCs and the demands of work through processes of ‘normalization’. This analysis offers theoretical insights regarding how identity work may be self-defeating in exacerbating MHCs and therefore is of some practical benefit for managers, health professionals and those experiencing MHCs since they often leave individuals with little choice but to intensify their attempts to ‘normalize’ their identities.
published_date 2021-09-01T12:07:30Z
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