The Social Psychology of Work
- Author:
Micnaei Argyie
Allen Lane The Penguin Press, ?2.95
For the majority, work is mainly a source of income. And although a surprisingly high proportion are satisfied, or even very satisfied, with jobs which provide little intrinsic reward; most, in fact, expect little beyond the pay-packet. The minddeadening tedium of the assemblyline, the dull monotony of machineminding, the lack of any opportunity to use more than a part of potential skill and ability is the lot of all but a fortunate few. (Yet few complain.) Small wonder that sociologists have seen the dehumanising effects of work as a major source of alienation in contemporary society. And it is with such issues as the organisation of work, its meaning and satisfactions, that Michael Argyle’s book is concerned.
Although the discussion of mental health and work is relegated to an appendix, it is one of the more interesting and challenging sections of the text. Despite the publicity given to executive stress, what is less well known is that mental health declines sharply as we go down the skill and status hierarchy.
Researches show mental health to be very poor among semi-skilled factory workers on production lines. This is attributed not to any physical or mental strain, but to the lack of opportunity to use abilities. Lowgrade work causes lowered selfesteem and feelings of failure and inferiority.
The discussion of the extent to which leisure can compensate for unfulfilling work is disappointing and fails to take account of much recent work. It can at least be argued that work which treats people as zombies makes zombies ?watching the ‘box’ out of apathy and boredom. And the possibilities of rehumanising work through job enlargement, job enrichment and automation perhaps, deserves a much more extended discussion.
The brief thumb-nail sketches of work in Israel communities, Yugoslav worker democracies and Japanese paternalist factories raise fascinating issues which are barely explored in a few sentences. Indeed, the virtue of the book is also perhaps its chief weakness. As an objective, scholarly survey and packaging of a vast amount of research, it is impressive. And, as such, it will be a godsend to students. But the wider audience for whom it is also intended may find they lack the motivation to persevere.
Stephen H. Cotgrove
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