Inter-expressive Action: In Connection with Action Theory and Caregiving

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  • 表情を交わし合う相互行為
  • 表情を交わし合う相互行為--行為論およびケアとの関連において
  • ヒョウジョウ オ カワシ アウ ソウゴ コウイ コウイロン オヨビ ケア ト ノ カンレン ニ オイテ
  • 行為論およびケアとの関連において

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In this paper I would like to propose the notion of inter-expressive action, to enable the study of care work and emotional labor. Inter-expressive action is defined as human interaction in a face-to-face social relationship through the mediation of non-verbal expression. Such action assumes, in particular, a characteristic of interSUbjectivity. By exchanging expressions, we can pick up on the emotions of others, and the SUbjectivity of each co=unicative partuer can resonate, enabling us to recognize each other not as mere objects but as human beings with homotypic subjectivity. The human services of emotional labor and care work above all are accompanied by this interexpressive action, because the services come into existence in face-to-face social relationships. Indeed, care workers often say that they gain job satisfaction from seeing the joyful expressions of clients. Also, a nurse caring for a patient in a vegetative state said in an interview that she had experienced a turning point in care when she recognized a momentary change in her patient's facial movement as an expressive signal. The notion of inter-expressive action might be connected with sociological action theory. Weber, like Schutz, took some notice of a specific role of expressions in face-to-face relationships. Habermas insisted that notions of inter-subjective action would be needed for action theory. I would like to emphasize here that, with the notion of inter-expressive action, we could develop the argument of emotional labor. The theory of emotional labor as argued by Hochschild failed to study face-to-face relationships because it implicitly adopted a type of action based on objective-subjective distinctions. With the notion of inter-expressive action, we can understand that human services involve simultaneous dual relationships: one is a face-to-face relationship and the other is an anonymous relationship, such as between a customer and seller.

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