Fanny Holt

About Fanny Holt

Education

• B.A. Behavioral Sciences (Social Sciences), Department of Psychology, University of Lund, 2011-2013
• M.A. Sociology, Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg, 2013-2015
• Research assistant in Project “Emotions in Court”, Department of Sociology and Work Science, 2014-2017
• PhD Programme, Department of Social Work, September 2017-present.

PhD Project

My Research interest lies in emotions in organizations, specifically professional emotions in the Swedish social services.

Project Background and Purpose

The situation in the Swedish social service has been described as particularly problematic. Overwhelming caseload, staff turnover, stress related illnesses and high sick leave rates have been reported in almost every service district in the country. Somewhere between the ethical principles and core values of the profession and the bureaucratic, time pressured and budgetary constrained reality, tensions seem to rise.

The purpose of the PhD project is to contribute to an understanding of social workers’ emotions and emotion management in relation to the situation in the Swedish social services. The thesis is based on a combination of ethnographic methods: interviews, observations and shadowing, combined with text analysis of central documents such as legislation, regulatory documents and ethical guidelines.

Research Questions

Research questions include: Which emotions emerge and has bearing on everyday practice, and what happens when these emotions “clash” due to contradictory demands?; Which emotions are collectively and individually sanctioned within the organization and why?; What are the emotional regimes in the social services, how are these maintained, and when are they rebuffed, opposed, and reshaped?