'Professional Inefficacy is the Exact Opposite of the Passionate Social Worker': Discursive Analysis of Neoliberalism within the Writing on Self-care in Social Work. Issue 1 (2nd January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stuart, Heather
• Is Part Of: Journal of progressive human services. Volume 32:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 16
• Publication Date: 2021-01-02
• Subjects: Attrition -- burnout -- discourse analysis -- managerialism -- neoliberalism -- self-care; Social service -- United States -- Periodicals; Radicalism -- United States -- Periodicals; 361.97305
• DOI: 10.1080/10428232.2020.1790715
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1042-8232

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Social work experiences notable rates of burnout and subsequent attrition. In the social work academic and practice-based literature, self-care strategies are proposed as a means of mitigating the effects of workplace stress and feelings of emotional exhaustion. However, the neoliberal self-care discourse intended to alleviate feelings of distress may in fact be exacerbating professional burnout. Yet discourse analysis allows for a critical examination of neoliberalism's discourse of social worker self-care.