The psychologization of humanitarian aid: skimming the battlefield and the disaster zone

Abstract

The psychologization of Humanitarian aid. Skimming the battlefield and the disaster zone. AbstractHumanitarian aid‖s psycho-therapeutic turn in the 1990s was mirrored by the increasing emotionalisation and subjectivation of fundraising campaigns. In order to grasp the depth of this interconnectedness, this paper argues that in both cases what we see is the post-Fordist production paradigm at work; namely, as Hardt & Negri put it, the direct production of subjectivity and social relations. To explore this, the therapeutic and mental health approach in humanitarian aid is juxtaposed with the more general phenomenon of psychologization. This allows us to see that the psychologized production of subjectivity has a problematic wasteproduct as it reduces the human to homo sacer, to use Giorgi Agamben‖s term. Drawing out a double matrix of a de-psychologizing psychologization connected to a politicizing de-politicization, it will further become possible to understand psycho-therapeutic humanitarianism as a case of how, in these times of globalisation, psychology, subjectivity and money are all interrelated.

Anti-poaching’s politics of (in)visibility: Representing nature and conservation amidst a poaching crisis

“…Moreover, and drawing on insights concerning fundraising for humanitarian (De Vos, 2011;Omaar & de Waal, 2007) and environmental issue more broadly (Sullivan, 2016), tackling issues of corruption, legal systems, park-people relations, and decades of conservation-related injustices are likely deemed too complicated to resonate with a wide audience and are thus not presented. The result is the normalization of a threatened nature whose primary, if not only, salvation is a security-focused conservation practice aimed at neutralizing the "poacher.…”

“…Tourists and visiting donors experience a simplified version of the realities of anti-poaching produced through carefully planned and curated visits. Similarly, while spectacular and violent images and stories of poaching online are a way in which to draw attention to real problems and an important cause, the strategy is reminiscent of the familiar strategies of "disaster" or "famine" pornography where simple narratives and graphic images are used to provoke an emotional response, and ultimately donations (De Vos, 2011;Omaar & de Waal, 2007). Focusing on environmental films, Sullivan argues the "false framings of nature" based on the use of sensational and extreme images produces "affective registers" that are as important as the words and images used in garnering support (2016,(751)(752)(753)(754).…”

“Fake Happiness”: Counseling, Potentiality, and Psycho‐Politics in China

“…A related process is the political misuse of psychology when, for example, it becomes entangled with power mechanisms and turns the political field into a psychological domain ripe for psychological or psychotherapeutic intervention (cf. De Vos ; Gordo and De Vos ; McLaughlin ; Rose ). In the SMH examples presented above, I am engaging psychologization as the later kind of process transforming social and political problems into personal dilemmas or psychological issues.…”

Predicting positive organizational behavior based on structural and psychological empowerment among nurses

“…Yet there has been less attention to the capabilities and positive aspects of employees’ behavior. With the emergence of the positive psychology subject area, the policy of making optimal use of positive capacities, attitudes, and human resource capabilities was introduced [ 4 – 6 ].…”