Abstract

Interest in emotions and emotional labour has grown significantly in scientific contexts over the last few decades. Emotions play a central role in various disciplines, such as psychology, philosophy, neuroscience and cognitive science (cf. Stephan & Walter, 2003, p. 11). In social work, they are an essential component of the fundamental working relationship between professionals and clients (Commission for Social Pedagogy, 2018, p. 10) and of professional practice.

There is broad scientific consensus that, in addition to subject-specific knowledge, emotional competence is also a key prerequisite for success in professional contexts and for the quality of care. These skills are particularly important in social psychiatry, where professionals often work with clients who display dysfunctional or maladaptive emotion regulation.

While the history of professionalisation saw social work focus primarily on the emotions of service recipients, subsequent developments turned their attention to economic power relations and the potential paternalism of addressees, while the feelings of professionals were long marginalised and at times suspected of being ideological  (Müller, 2018, p. 454) .

This study deliberately focuses on the emotional demands and regulatory strategies of social workers in social psychiatric practice. The aim is to contribute to the so far underrepresented perspective of professionals within emotion regulation research.

Current research shows that emotion regulation has been well researched in clinical psychology, but there is a need for research into the emotional processes and strategies of carers in social psychiatric practice.

Within this field of work, professionals are often confronted with clients who exhibit dysfunctional or maladaptive emotion regulation, for example through under- or over-regulation, or a limited ability to perceive or regulate negative affects. These emotional states pose a considerable challenge to the professional relationship and the actions of the caregivers. In addition, they must regulate their own emotions, which are influenced by interaction with clients, transference processes and individual characteristics. The emotions experienced range from basic affects to complex, situation-specific reactions.

There is little empirical data on how professionals perceive and regulate these emotions and what support they would like to receive in order to effectively manage their emotional labour.

The doctoral study addresses this desideratum and combines psychological concepts of emotion regulation with sociological theories,  in particular Hochschild's approach to emotion work, in order to capture both the individual and structural dimensions of these emotional processes.

The research questions focus on the nature of the emotions experienced and expressed, the perception and assessment of one's own regulatory skills, verbal and nonverbal communication in emotional exchanges, and strategies for self-care and resilience. The study also aims to find out how organisational factors such as workload, time management and resources influence emotional labour and what support options are available to professionals to make their emotional work more effective.

Methodologically, the work is based on a qualitative research design. Through guided interviews, group discussions and participatory observations, the subjective experiences of the professionals are to be recorded and evaluated on a theoretical basis.

The aim is to develop practical recommendations that improve support for professionals, strengthen their resilience and highlight the emotional challenges involved in social psychiatric work. This should lead to a lasting improvement in the quality of care in social psychiatry and provide targeted support for professionals working in this field in their emotional work.

References

Kommission Sozialpädagogik (Hrsg.) (2018). Wa(h)re Gefühle? Sozialpädagogische Emotionsarbeit im wohlfahrtsstaatlichen Kontext. Weinheim, Basel: Beltz Juventa.

Müller, B. (2018). Gefühle, Emotionen, Affekte. In: Otto, H.-U., Thiersch, H., Treptow, R., Ziegler, H. (Hrsg.). (2018). Handbuch Soziale Arbeit. Grundlagen der Sozialarbeit und Sozialpädagogik. (6. Edition), pp. 452-459. München: Ernst Reinhardt Verlag.

Stephan, A., Walter, H. (2003). Natur und Theorie der Emotion. Paderborn: mentis Verlag.