Work as the contemporary limit of life: Capitalism, the death drive, and the lethal fantasy of ‘work–life balance’

• Published in: Organization (London, England) Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 588 - 606
• Main Author: Bloom, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2016; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Capitalism; Death & dying; Disequilibrium; Employment; Motivation; Studies; Work life balance; Work organization; work–life balance; Control; fantasy

This article introduces contemporary discourses of ‘work–life balance’ as a cultural fantasy revolving self-hood around employment and organizations. To do so, it draws on the Lacanian interpretation of the Freudian ‘death drive’ to highlight the importance of ‘disequilibrium’ for the construction o...