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Self in Work as a Social/Cultural Construction

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Social Constructionism in Vocational Psychology and Career Development

Part of the book series: Career Development Series ((CADE,volume 4))

Abstract

I don’t feel that it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning. (Foucault as cited in Martin, 1988, p. 9) The purpose of this chapter is to provide a Foucauldian discourse analysis perspective on the social and cultural construction of the self in relation to work, with special emphases on discourse, technologies of the self and power, and narrative.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cleveland, United States of America

    Graham B. Stead

  2. University of Pretoria, South Africa

    Terri M. Bakker

Authors
  1. Graham B. Stead
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  2. Terri M. Bakker
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern Queensland, Australia

    Peter McIlveen

  2. Cleveland State University, USA

    Donna E. Schultheiss

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© 2012 Sense Publishers

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Stead, G.B., Bakker, T.M. (2012). Self in Work as a Social/Cultural Construction. In: McIlveen, P., Schultheiss, D.E. (eds) Social Constructionism in Vocational Psychology and Career Development. Career Development Series, vol 4. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-080-4_3

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