Aspiring to survive precariat constructions of social mobility and social justice

Jones, Jonathan 2024. Aspiring to survive precariat constructions of social mobility and social justice. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis argues that neoliberal social mobility discourses are harmful to the psyche of those in precarious work and promote policies that distort phantasies of desirable goals. These discourses produce anxieties and shame, denigrate vulnerability and compel the repression of anxieties. This thesis fills a gap in the literature, exploring precariat narratives of social mobility and related anxieties using a psychoanalytic framework, focusing on unconscious responses to discourses. Psychoanalytically-informed Free-Association Narrative Interviews were conducted remotely with ten precariat workers, as the research took place during the pandemic. The research identified anxieties concerning prospects, survival, status, career motivations and in-work problems. Participants’ goals were often incompatible with employers’ agendas and dominant ‘aspiration’ discourses. Participants frequently seemed confused regarding what they wanted or needed from employment, due to defended anxieties and conflict between emotional needs and discourses that denigrate particular roles. Participants free-associated towards economic injustices. Increased welfare conditionality was a persistent theme, with participants lamenting their inability to access support and resultant distress and immobility. Many participants spoke of employers’ abuses of power. There were also free-associations concerning catastrophes and abuse. These manifested as direct fears, associations between neoliberal governance and mistreatment, or metaphors for neoliberalism. These suggested troubling impacts on the psyche produced by inconsistent discourses pressuring people to remake their psyches in contradictory ways. The findings illustrated ways in which neoliberal discourses produce anxiety but are invested in as defenses. The thesis builds the argument that these discourses cause confusion, uncertainty and distorted subjectifications, harming the psyche and impeding the pursuit of goals. The policy implications of the findings were considered and relate to supporting the precariat to sustain mental health and focus on goals, and reducing ‘incentivising’ policies.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 March 2025
Last Modified:	20 Mar 2025 15:08
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177006

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