"Att vara medkännande men inte gå sönder" : En kvalitativ studie om emotionellt arbete hos socialarbetare inom ideella kvinnojourer och kommunala verksamheter

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of identifying any forms of emotional management strategies in social workers who work with battered women. The study focuses on social workers who work within municipal activities and non-profit women's shelters to identify any differences between the different organizations. The study implemented a qualitative method and we used semi-structured interviews to collect data. Eight social workers participated and were interviewed for the study. The result shows that the work with battered women can be perceived as emotionally stressful. As a result, it is possible to identify emotional management strategies in the emotional labour of the social worker. The respondents agree that collegial support as well as a good working environment are important strategies to deal with the emotions that arise at work. The result also shows strategies such as taking a role in meetings with battered women. The role is partly based on expectations, and partly functions as a protection for the social workers' own feelings. The strategies identified are relatively similar between the organizations. It is thus difficult to draw any conclusions about differences in the emotional management strategies based on the associated organizations.