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Macropsychology for Decent Work: Sustainable Livelihood

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Macropsychology

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) epitomize a macro-perspective on work as they apply to all societies regardless of their economic, political, or geographic considerations. From this perspective, work is no longer just about being efficient for the benefit of an employing organization (meso-level) or indeed about individuals “coping” with organizational stressors (micro-level). More fundamentally, it serves as a means to meet individuals’ daily aspirations for a decent quality of life and work life. A key concept that centrally bridges – and theoretically connects – these three levels of analysis (macro, meso, micro) is sustainable livelihood. Originally developed with respect to low-income rural communities, it resonates with most workers (and students) today. This chapter illustrates how the concept of sustainable livelihood is relevant to macropsychology and can be a figure-ground reversal in conventional work psychology. Like donning a reversible jacket, a focus on sustainable livelihood adds a fresh perspective, new ideas, and real solutions for specific global humanitarian challenges. It requires for work psychology to consider the macro-level in addition to micro- and meso-level issues. With specific reference to SDG-8 (Decent Work for All), we outline in this chapter how macro-policy related to income (working poverty, income inequality), labour mobility (from precarious informality to inclusive diversity), and the future of work afford work psychologists prime opportunities to contribute towards decent work for all.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The inverse care law originally posited that provision of medical and social care is inversely related to need. That is, those who need resources the least consume the most. In this case, workers who need the help of work psychologists the most receive the least help, while elites experience personal coaching and collaborations to enhance the productivity of low paid workers.

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Acknowledgement

on sustainable livelihood based on, and draws from, courses on which we collectively teach, research, and consult, sustainable livelihood. Accordingly, we wish to thank the many students, staff, and researchers who have freely and invaluably contributed to the course, and thereby to this chapter, across South Africa, New Zealand, and a range of countries, economies, and cultures. Kia ora Koutou!

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stuart C. Carr & Darrin J. Hodgetts

  2. School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Palmerston, New Zealand

    Johan Potgieter

  3. School of Management, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ines Meyer

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  1. Stuart C. Carr
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  2. Darrin J. Hodgetts
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  3. Johan Potgieter
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  4. Ines Meyer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stuart C. Carr .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland

    Malcolm MacLachlan

  2. Department of Psychology and Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland

    Joanne McVeigh

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Carr, S.C., Hodgetts, D.J., Potgieter, J., Meyer, I. (2021). Macropsychology for Decent Work: Sustainable Livelihood. In: MacLachlan, M., McVeigh, J. (eds) Macropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50176-1_9

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