Neoliberalism, healthism and moral judgements: a psychosocial approach to class

Abstract

This article explores how a psychosocial approach to class can shed light on the ways in which neoliberal governmentality works through moral judgements and how different emotions within a ‘regime of judgements’ are rooted in class relations.First, I look at sociological arguments about health in terms of the risk logic of healthism and theories about the neoliberal imperative of moral value display in order to build a theoretical framework on a key feature of neoliberalism: the field of moral judgements. Second, I look at psychosocially oriented class theories, which specify morality and respectability as key features of class.I then illustrate the theoretical points through two empirical cases consisting of two very different mothers, involved in their six-year-old children’s start in the final preschool class. Two theoretical concepts unfold in dialogue with the cases and the psychosocial approach: habitus’ emotional implications and class consciousness understood as a sense of being judged. I show how, for the privileged middle-class mother, judging is associated with a feeling of entitlement and moral superiority, while the less privileged mother seems to feel a judgemental gaze, and is thus uncomfortable and nervous in relation to moral judgements of respectability.The article concludes that the psychosocial potential lies in exploring both how class morals currently shape subjectivity and how the emotional implications of this are drivers of the ways in which neoliberal governmentality relies on moral judgements related to healthism, risk and responsibilisation.

‘Am I that bad?’: Middle‐class moralism and weight stigma towards parents of children with higher weight

“…We use this theoretical framework to view class as a social dynamic, which is (re‐)produced and negotiated discursively (Ortner, 1991; Skeggs, 1997; Trautner, 2005). This implies that class manifests itself on the basis of how parents become judged as respectable, or as having the right kind of knowledge or taste (Aamann, 2020; Lawler, 2005b: 797).…”

“…Throughout the article, we view the discursive constructions of obesity in light of poststructuralist cultural theory (Hall, 1993;Rose, 1999) combined with a Bourdieusian class perspective (Bourdieu, 2010;Skeggs, 2004a). It is rather seldom that social class theory is employed in studies of health inequality in Nordic research, apart from a few qualitative studies of healthcare consultations (Aamann, 2020;Aamann & Dybbroe, 2018). These studies point out how class seems to be a decisive factor in achieving an adequate dialogue between patients and professionals.…”

Militarizing politics of recognition through the Invictus Games: post-heroic exalting of the armed forces

“…The attraction of the Invictus Games for the custodians of military identity is also that it promotes healthism (Aamann 2020 ), with the problems and solutions related to veteran health comprehended at the level of the individual, their personal networks and the recognition provided by the public. Healthism in the Games draws on contemporary neoliberal discourses around emotional positivity as the basis of empowerment.…”

Subjektiv ulighed

“…Sådanne moralske imperativer bruges også til at definere og kategorisere klassetilhørsforhold, som Aamann har vist i sit studie af, hvordan mødre fra lavere sociale klasser oplever at blive moralsk dømt ud fra deres engagement i deres børns skolestart (Aamann, 2020).…”