Managing a moral identity in debt advice conversations

Abstract

Previous research has found that stigma can be a barrier to service use but there has been little work examining actual service encounters involving members of stigmatized groups. One such group are those with problematic or unmanageable debts. Providing advice to members of this group is likely to be particularly difficult due to the stigma associated with being in debt. Using conversation analysis and discursive psychology, this study examines 12 telephone advice conversations between debt advisors and individuals in debt. Both clients and advisors oriented to the negative moral implications of indebtedness and typically worked collaboratively to manage these issues. Clients often claimed a moral disposition as a way to disclaim any unwanted associations with debt, but could find it difficult to reconcile this with an insolvency agreement. Moreover, the institutional requirements of the interaction could disrupt the collaborative management of stigma and advisors could manage the subsequent resistance from clients in either client‐centred or institution‐centred ways. The findings suggest that the products offered by debt advice agencies, as well as the manner in which they are offered to clients, can either help or hinder debtors negotiate the stigma‐related barriers to service engagement.

Advising without personalising: how a helpline may satisfy callers without giving medical advice beyond its remit

“…the creditors)) will (Andelic et al . : 637). But when it comes to substantial advice, another extract shows the call‐taker advising the client not to include certain items in their proposed repayment budget, the instruction becomes contingent and in‐principle: we wouldn't be allowed to set aside 25 pounds for take‐away [meals] and monthly for getting our eyelashes and eyebrows done, and the creditors would see those as ehm (…) as luxuries really .…”

“…In telephone advice conversations between debt advisors and individuals in debt, reported by Andelic et al . (), expert call‐takers have licence to offer callers information on loan repayments, and the extracts given in the article show the familiar mix. We see the call‐taker using high deontic imperatives for local management of the interaction: for example, in reply to their client saying I can't stop feeling really guilty like I'm doing something really wrong , the call‐taker responds with It's – listen, just remove all emotion from this because believe me [Client's name] they ((i.e.…”

Locations for advice‐giving and the production of neutrality in divorce mediation sessions

“…Recent conversation analytic studies of advice-giving in a wide range of institutional contexts has highlighted the delicate and sensitive nature of giving advice (e.g., Andelic, Stephenson, & Feeney, 2019;Antaki & Bloch, 2020;Bergen, 2020;Davidson &Edwards-Groves, 2020 andStommel &te Molder, 2018). Previous conversation analytic studies of talk in facilitative mediation sessions has described how the interaction is organized and how mediation work is done in that context (e.g., Greatbatch & Dingwall, 1997).…”

Loneliness in Older People and COVID-19: Applying the Social Identity Approach to Digital Intervention Design

“…Stigma has its effects on service use though corroding confidence, undermine the willingness of individuals to engage and result in mistrust, miscommunication and negative intergroup encounters (Andelic et al, 2019;Ekström et al, 2013). Conversely sharing a common social identity between service provider and user can reverse these effects and foster positive therapeutic relationships.…”