Incorporation and Individualization of Collective Voices: Public Service User Involvement and the User Movement’s Mobilization for Change

Eriksson, Erik

doi:10.1007/s11266-018-9971-4

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…It could further risk diluting the critical edge of the service user movement, through limiting the ability to function as a protest movement and constitute a counterpart to government authorities (cf. Näslund, Markström, and Sjöström 2017;Eriksson 2018;Böhm, Dinerstein, and Spicer 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delivering experiential knowledge: repertoires of contention among Swedish mental health service user organisations

Näslund

Sjöström

Markström

2019

Nordic Social Work Research

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The aim of this article is to map the field of Swedish mental health service user organisations (MHSUOs) with a focus on organisational characteristics, positions and relationships. This mapping enables us to discuss these organisations' repertoires of contention and their connections to governmental actors. Annual reports, organisational by-laws, and financial reports were collected for each of the 12 MHSUOs and the two network organisations that were included in the study. The empirical material was analysed according to the organisations' size, activities, target groups, relationships and main knowledge base. Developments towards professionalization and hybridisation are evident within the field, and repertoires of contention are focused on advocacy and educational activities, with organisations providing experiential knowledge as a service to external actors. We further discuss how close ties to governmental actors and a consensus-oriented approach is related to risks of failure in recognising the conflicts that social mobilisation presupposes. It is crucial to strengthen MHSUOs independence, financial and otherwise, in order for these organisations to remain responsive to demands from the collective of service users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delivering experiential knowledge: repertoires of contention among Swedish mental health service user organisations

Näslund

Sjöström

Markström

2019

Nordic Social Work Research

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“…User involvement was conceptualized in terms of "joint efforts", "collaboration", and "mutual understanding"; creating a sense of a common "we". This consensus rhetoric reinforced the ideational and emotional bonding, and encouraged user representatives to accept or adopt the standpoints of the welfare organizations (see further on these processes in Eriksson, 2018). For many (but not all) user representatives, the more time they spent with(in) the welfare organizations (i.e.…”

Section: Bondingmentioning

confidence: 94%

Four features of cooptation

Eriksson¹

2018

Nordisk välfärdsforskning | Nordic Welfare Research

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The article draws on a three-year ethnographical study investigating how "service user involvement" was constructed (i.e. understood, implemented, and performed) within two large Swedish welfare organizations-a county-based psychiatric organization and a municipal social service administration (see Eriksson 2015). When analyzing the interactions between the user movement and the welfare organizations, a relationship much like cooptation (Selznick, 1949) was revealed. The article outlines four characteristic features of this coopting relationship: (1) The bonding between the parties, incorporating the user representatives in the organizations and their institutional logic; (2) The organizational framing of the user involvement activities; setting the initial rule for how to act/speak, where to act/speak, when to act/speak as well as what to speak about; (3) The organizational control exercised as the activities took place, directing the discussions and interaction to align with the interests of the welfare organizations; and (4) The resistance exercised by user representatives, enabling them to influence the organizations and contribute to change. Together, these four features disclose service user involvement as a "sanctioned resistance": At the same time as the institutionalized service user involvement controls and constrains the way service user representatives act and pursue their goals, it gives them a possibility to challenge the welfare organizations from within. However, the influence that is permitted can be understood as adjustments within the prevailing institutional logic, rather than changes that transformed the organizations in more profound ways.

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“…However, the so-called 'crisis of representation' triggered a debate on who has the right to speak for marginalised groups, and was followed by a pluralisation of knowledge claims, where speaking from experience gained new status (Voronka 2016). Experiential knowledge can, however, be formulated in different ways and some have described how service user influence is increasingly focused on sharing individual experience (Eriksson 2018). This is reflected in the way service providers today, through employment relationships, can bring in experiential perspectives directly from selected individuals, unaffiliated with service user movements (Alm Andreassen 2018).…”

Section: Enhanced Status Of Experiential Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Collective Deliberations and Hearts on Fire: Experiential Knowledge Among Entrepreneurs and Organisations in the Mental Health Service User Movement

Näslund

2020

Voluntas

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Previous research has shown that experiential knowledge plays an important role for service user movements and has also discussed ambiguities in the definition of this type of knowledge. This study contributes to clarifying how experiential knowledge is understood within the service user movement. Through semi-structured interviews, it explores how Swedish mental health service user organisations (MHSUOs) and service user entrepreneurs (SUEs) regard the role of experiential knowledge for their endeavours. The study shows that SUEs and MHSUOs view experiential knowledge as complementary to established medical and expert knowledge. Both groups further reflect on the functions of individual and collective dimensions of experiential knowledge. Emotions are important in conveying experiential knowledge, although emotional commitment can be short-lived. The study discusses challenges for SUEs and MHSUOs in developing strategies to manage risks tied to strategic essentialism, and also in maintaining a critical standpoint towards established service providers.

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Incorporation and Individualization of Collective Voices: Public Service User Involvement and the User Movement’s Mobilization for Change

Cited by 17 publications

References 35 publications

Delivering experiential knowledge: repertoires of contention among Swedish mental health service user organisations

Delivering experiential knowledge: repertoires of contention among Swedish mental health service user organisations

Four features of cooptation

Collective Deliberations and Hearts on Fire: Experiential Knowledge Among Entrepreneurs and Organisations in the Mental Health Service User Movement

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