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Emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners

Emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners This paper examines the emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners in Japan, using Hochschild’s emotion work theory. It examines two different sets of social interactions within a broader symbolic interactionist analysis of sequential interactions between the social movement and state forces of social control, using data from a long-term field study. First, the relation of potential supporters with their broader social milieu may reinforce the commitment to provide social support as a political act, alter the commitment of those with other motivations, or deter a parent from maintaining any relationship at all with an imprisoned child. Second, the emotional dynamic of the relationship of supporters with prisoners changes over time. Because of the severe isolation of the prisoners, the loyal supporter may eventually become the target of the prisoner’s frustration and anger. Supporters may suffer from caregiver burnout and withdraw from the relationship. Conversely, continuing unconditional support from someone who listens without judging may enable the prisoner to entertain doubts and disengage from the movement. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Contemporary Japan Taylor & Francis

Emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners

Steinhoff, Patricia G.
Contemporary Japan , Volume 31 (2): 18 – Jul 3, 2019
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Emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners

Abstract

This paper examines the emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners in Japan, using Hochschild’s emotion work theory. It examines two different sets of social interactions within a broader symbolic interactionist analysis of sequential interactions between the social movement and state forces of social control, using data from a long-term field study. First, the relation of potential supporters with their broader social milieu may reinforce the commitment to...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2019 German Institute for Japanese Studies
ISSN
1869-2737
eISSN
1869-2729
DOI
10.1080/18692729.2019.1627024
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper examines the emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners in Japan, using Hochschild’s emotion work theory. It examines two different sets of social interactions within a broader symbolic interactionist analysis of sequential interactions between the social movement and state forces of social control, using data from a long-term field study. First, the relation of potential supporters with their broader social milieu may reinforce the commitment to provide social support as a political act, alter the commitment of those with other motivations, or deter a parent from maintaining any relationship at all with an imprisoned child. Second, the emotional dynamic of the relationship of supporters with prisoners changes over time. Because of the severe isolation of the prisoners, the loyal supporter may eventually become the target of the prisoner’s frustration and anger. Supporters may suffer from caregiver burnout and withdraw from the relationship. Conversely, continuing unconditional support from someone who listens without judging may enable the prisoner to entertain doubts and disengage from the movement.

Journal

Contemporary Japan – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jul 3, 2019

Keywords: Emotions; Japanese interaction patterns; New Left social movements; feeling rules; prisoner support; emotion work

References

  • From Japan’s death row to freedom
  • “The door that never opens”?: Capital punishment and post-conviction review of death sentences in the United States and Japan
  • Emotion work, feeling rules, and social structure
  • Proxy justice: families of offenders in contemporary Japan
  • A dissection of intimacy: A study of ‘bipolar posturing in Japanese social interaction–Amaeru and Amayakasu, indulgence and deference
  • Portrait of a terrorist: An interview with Kozo Okamoto
  • Finding happiness in Japan’s invisible civil society
  • The remains of the movement: the role of legal support networks in leaving violence while sustaining movement identity