A Qualitative Study on Meaninglessness Formation Contexts among Nurses

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student of sociology, Social Sciences Faculty, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Cooperatives and Social Welfare, Social Sciences Faculty, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Cooperatives and Social Welfare, Social Sciences Faculty, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

10.22055/qjsd.2023.18458

Abstract

Meaninglessness is generally argued as a major consequence of alienation, which brings concerns about how meaning is made in the social construction of bureaucratic organizations. A grounded theory method was employed to explore meaninglessness formation context among nurses in public hospitals in Yazd. Through theoretical and purposeful sampling, 20 nurses in public hospitals in the city were selected to participate in in-depth interviews. The theoretical sampling process continued until data saturation was obtained. The collected data were analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. The results yielded 16 main categories (e.g., paperwork, phobia from reporting, distorted communication between companion/patient, impression management crisis and vertical gender emotional labor, experience of emancipatory emotions, vertical system management, problematic of social relations etc.), a core category (organizing of meaninglessness among nurses), the paradigmatic model, and the theoretical schema. The findings indicated that nurses' meaninglessness mainly stemmed from the graded bureaucratic structure in the hospitals and is constantly reproduced in different domains. Nurses' resistance through action/reaction strategies ultimately leads to the normalization of meaninglessness among them.

Keywords

References

Afrasiabi, H., Madahi, J. (2016). “Representation and explain the role of leisure in smoking among students”, Journal of Social W and De Plan. (7)26, 179-216. (Persian).
Afshani, S. A., Ruhani, A., Kiani deh Kiani, H. (2019). Exploring Job Powerlessness among Nurses Journal of App Sociology, 31(2), 2-18. (Persian).
Afshani, S., Ruhani, A., Ebrahiminia, S. (2018). “Subliminal Exploration from Beautiful Body to Physical Hazards among Middle-Class Women in Mashhad”, Quarterly of Social Studies and Research in Iran, 7(2), 311-339. (Persian). 
Alavitabar, H. (2015). “The meaning of life”, Isra Hikmat, 7(3), 187-202. (Persian). 
Amirkafi M, karevani A. (2018). “The effect of organizational justice and organizational identity, organizational commitmen”, S Problems. 9(1), 51-29. (Persian).
Ardichvili, A. (2009). “The relationship between meaning of working and socioeconomic transformations: The case of post-communist Russia”, Advances in Developing Human Resources, 11(2), 218-234.
Bailey, C., & Madden, A. (2019). “We’re not scum, we’re human”: Agential responses in the face of meaningless work”, Scandinavian Journal of Management, 35(4), 1-11.
Coser L, Rosenberg B. (2012). Sociology Theory a book or reading. Tehran, Ney Publications. (Persian).
Craib, Y. (2017) Classical Social Theory. Tehran: Agah Publishing. (Persian).
Demirtas, O., Hannah, S. T., Gok, K., Arslan, A., & Capar, N. (2017). “The moderated influence of ethical leadership, via meaningful work, on followers’ engagement, organizational identification, and envy”, Journal of Business Ethics, 145(1), 183-199.
Dinili, T. (2014) Classical theories of sociology. Tehran: Ney Publishing. (Persian).
Ghafouri kale, S., Mohseni tabrizi, A. (2018). “An evaluation of the quintuple relationship between alienation and life satisfaction (studied adualt Residents of Tehran)”, Social Science Quarterly, 12(40), 97-124. (Persian).
Hakimi, I. (2020). “The Role of Proactive Personality on Job Engagement by Mediating Work Meaning”, Positive Psychology Research, 6(2), 35-48. (Persian).
Hatice, N. Keles & Mine, A. F. (2016). “The effect of the meaningfulness of work on job satisfaction, job stress and intention to leave”, Global Journal of Business, Economics and Management: Current Issues. 6(3), 61-69.
Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Iman, M., Moradi, A. (2017). “The Investigation Effect of Social Alienation in the Social Responsibility the case of Kermanshah Oil Company Employee’s”, Journal of Applied Sociology, 28(3), 123-152. (Persian). 
Jena, L. K., Bhattacharyya, P., & Pradhan, S. (2019). “Am I empowered through meaningful work? The moderating role of perceived flexibility in connecting meaningful work and psychological empowerment”, IIMB Management Review, 31(3), 298-308.
Keles, H. N., & Findikli, M. A. (2016). “The effect of the meaningfulness of work on job satisfaction, job stress and intention to leave. Global Journal of Business”, Economics and Management: Current Issues, 6(2), 61-69.
Kianpour M. (2012). “Emotion management experience in the medical care system: A Case Study in Toronto”, Journal of App Sociology, 12 (10), 25-52. (Persian). 
Kim, T., & Allan, B. A. (2020). “Underemployment and meaningful work: The role of psychological needs”, Journal of Career Assessment, 28(1), 76-90.
Levitt, C. (2016) Max Weber and Karl Marx. Tehran: Qoqnoos Publishing. (Persian).
Lysova, E. I., Allan, B. A., Dik, B. J., Duffy, R. D., & Steger, M. F. (2019). “Fostering meaningful work in organizations: A multi-level review and integration”, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110, 374-389.
Malekian, M. (2003). “For no reason meaningless”, Criticism and comment, 8(31-32), 77-94. (Persian).
Meszaros, I. (2001). Marx's alienity theory. Tehran: Markaz Publishing. (Persian).
Newman W L. Social research methods: qualitive and quantitative approaches. 6th ed. Tehran, termeh Publishers. c2006; 54. (Persian).
Öz, S. D., Karadas, A., & Baykal, U. (2023). “Emotional labour behavior of nursing students: A qualitative study”, Nurse Education in Practice, 66, 1-12.
Ritzer G. (2014). Contemporary sociological Theory. Tehran, sales publishing. (Persian).
Rostami, Y. (2018). “Schopenhauer on the Meaning of life: An Evaluation”, Philosophy of Religion Research, 16(1), 109-126. (Persian).
Seeman, M. (1975). “Alienation studies”, Annual review of sociology, 1(1), 91-123.
Seeman, M. (1959). “On The Meaning of Alienation”, American Sociological Review, 24(6), 783-791.
Singh, N., & Rangnekar, S. (2016). “Relationship between meaningful work and organizational trust: a study of techno-managers in the Indian power sector”, Proceedings of Glogift, 16, 247-255.
Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (2019). Basics of qualitative research, techniques and stages of producing grounded theory. NeyPublishing. (Persian).
Tummers, L. G., & Knies, E. (2013). “Leadership and meaningful work in the public sector”, Public Administration Review, 73(6), 859-868.
Van Selm, M., & Dittmann-Kohli, F. (1998). “Meaninglessness in the second half of life: The development of a construct”, The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 47(2), 81-104.
Wu, X., Li, J., Liu, G., Liu, Y., Cao, J., & Jia, Z. (2018). “The effects of emotional labor and competency on job satisfaction in nurses of China: A nationwide cross-sectional survey”, International journal of nursing sciences, 5(4), 383-389.
Yalom, E. (2018). Existential Psychotherapy. Tehran: Ney Publishing. (Persian).
 
 
Quarterly Journal of Social Development (Previously Human Development)
Volume 17, Issue 4 - Serial Number 68
Vol. 17, No. 4, Summer 2023
September 2023
Pages 1-34

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics