The Unconscious at Work: Individual and Organizational Stress in the Human Services

by Anton Obholzer

Working in the human services has always been stressful, and the current massive changes in the organization of these services in Britain and elsewhere have added to the stresses inherent in the work. The Unconscious at Work explores the difficulties experienced by managers and staff in a wide range of care settings, and investigates the unconscious processes that add greatly to the stress inevitable in caring work.
The authors, all past or present members of the Tavistock Clinic Consulting to Institutions Workshop, make use of ideas from psychoanalysis, open systems theory, Bion's work with groups, and group relations training. Drawing on their experience of consulting to individuals, teams and organizations, they distil what they have learned about institutional processes, and present this in an accessible and practical way. Each concept is introduced in as non-technical a way as possible, with examples from practice to make them recognizable and useful to the reader. Individual chapters develop themes relating to work with a particular client group or in a particular setting - including hospitals, schools, day centres, residential units, therapeutic communities and community care agencies. They also explore aspects of work organization - for example, the supervisory relationship, facing cuts and closure, and intergroup collaboration. In each situation the authors describe both the difficulties for which consultation was requested and their own feelings and thoughts while consulting to these institutions.
The Unconscious at Work is designed for people managing and working in the human services, and it offers readers new ways of looking at their own experiences of stress at work. It will greatly increase their understanding of the processes which can undermine effectiveness and morale, and will also be of value to consultants, trainers, and students of organizational behaviour.

Genres: Psychology, Professional Development, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 1994

Reviews

[Rod MacLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and it had a huge impact on my work and understanding how organisations work. Brilliant and I suspect timeless

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in beautifully clear language that is pleasantly free of jargon. Had to read it as part of studies many years ago, but now choose to read it for its rewarding insights into organisational mindsets, and by extension the mindsets of individuals.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language is a product of its time - but this book has been absolutely gamechanging for my working life - highly recommend to anyone working in public services