Unemployment ‘being rebranded as a psychological disorder’

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Unemployment 'being rebranded as a psychological disorder' Unemployment is being rebranded as a psychological disorder, according to a new analysis involving researchers from Durham University and Birkbeck, University of London The study shows that an increasing range of interventions are being introduced to promote a 'positive' psychological outlook or leave claimants of welfare to face sanctions. It suggests that psycho-policy' interventions in Government workfare programmes - mandatory unpaid labour under the threat of benefit sanctions - are coercive and punitive. Ill-defined and flawed concepts such as 'lack of motivation' and 'psychological resistance to work' are being used to allocate claimants to more or less arduous workfare regimes, the paper argues. The team asked people to given written accounts of their lived experience of workfare which showed the impact of psychological coercion, including unsolicited emails extolling 'positive thinking' to 'change your attitude' exercises.