Counselling the "split subject": a psychodynamic analysis of career dissatisfaction

The objective of our research is to analyse career dissatisfaction through the psychoanalytical lens of Jacques Lacan. Taking a multiple-case study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven male, senior managers working in the highly competitive technology industry. We found tha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of guidance & counselling Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 634 - 645
Main Authors Phillips, P., MacMahon, M. E., Elovikova, M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 04.07.2023
Subjects
career
Career Counseling
career counselling
career dissatisfaction
Constructivism (Learning)
Empowerment
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
Information Technology
Job Satisfaction
Lacan
Personal Autonomy
Professional Personnel
Psychiatry
psychodynamics/psychoanalytic therapy
Psychological Characteristics
Quality of Working Life
Social Attitudes
Ireland
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The objective of our research is to analyse career dissatisfaction through the psychoanalytical lens of Jacques Lacan. Taking a multiple-case study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven male, senior managers working in the highly competitive technology industry. We found that respondents are defining satisfaction against a socially constructed career system that obliterates the concept of an agentic self. By grounding our qualitative investigation in the research fields of career and career dissatisfaction in the under-researched realm of Lacanian theory, we extend career theory to include a psychodynamic lens. We also contribute to practice by providing an alternative approach to career counselling that encourages the client to co-construct a sense of liberation and empowerment.
ISSN:0306-9885
1469-3534
DOI:10.1080/03069885.2021.1999389