“Psytizens”, or the construction of happy individuals in neoliberal societies

How to navigate a pandemic: Competing discourses in The Australian Women's Weekly magazine

“…Therapeutic and self-responsibilising discourses were prominent in the first two thematic categories, whereas the third category (the smallest of the three) focused on broader structural issues impacting on women and society. In the context of dominant cultural expectations of happiness, ‘normative subjectivity is mainly defined in emotional and psychological terms and practices, and characterized by the demand for emotional rationality, authenticity, and flourishing, or permanent self-improvement’ (Cabanas, 2018, p. 192). These demands constitute the key competencies of ideal neoliberal selfhood, exemplified in those articles coded as ‘finding the silver lining’ and ‘making lifestyle choices’.…”

“…This reveals the way in which self-improvement projects are entangled with neoliberal imperatives of entrepreneurship: an intertwining of ‘consumer acts and emotional life’ (Illouz, 2018, p. 7). Significantly, in the AWW , the ‘know-how’ of craft-based activities, along with psychological practices of positive thinking, hold out the ‘promise of helping individuals turn the symbolic value of their happiness into an emotional and economic asset’ (Cabanas, 2018, p. 183).…”

“…In ‘The power of isolation’ ( AWW July 2020), Australian television stars share the ‘lessons they’ve learned during self-isolation,’ the article header affirming and reinforcing the instructive nature of the pandemic. As Cabanas (2018, p. 184) and others argue, happiness-based techniques demand the ability to turn negative events into positive experiences (Favaro & Gill, 2019; Illouz, 2008). Of the early lockdowns, television presenter Grant Denyer observes: ‘I’ve spent more time with my family in the last months than I have for years … It was magical.…”

“…As Cabanas (2016, p. 467) argues, the ideal subjectivity in neoliberal societies is individualist and consumerist; it ‘renders citizens as clients whose full functionality as individuals is tied to the pursuing, consuming, and development of their own happiness’. Neoliberalism produces a powerful set of imperatives that define a particular ‘structure of feeling’ (Cabanas, 2018; Williams, 1977) which, as Orgad and Gill (2022, p. 17) argue, calls on women ‘to disavow a whole range of experiences and emotions – including insecurity, neediness, anger, and complaint – while displaying others such as “positive mental attitude” or “inspiration.”’ This is a cultural climate in which not being happy is the sign of a flawed individual (Cabanas, 2018) not fulfilling their ‘responsibility to be happy for others’ (Ahmed, 2010, p. 9).…”

“…As Cabanas (2016, p. 467) argues, the ideal subjectivity in neoliberal societies is individualist and consumerist; it 'renders citizens as clients whose full functionality as individuals is tied to the pursuing, consuming, and development of their own happiness'. Neoliberalism produces a powerful set of imperatives that define a particular 'structure of feeling' (Cabanas, 2018;Williams, 1977) which, as Orgad and Gill (2022, p. 17) argue, calls on women 'to disavow a whole range of experiences and emotionsincluding insecurity, neediness, anger, and complaintwhile displaying others such as "positive mental attitude" or "inspiration."' This is a cultural climate in which not being happy is the sign of a flawed individual (Cabanas, 2018) not fulfilling their 'responsibility to be happy for others' (Ahmed, 2010, p. 9).…”