Intense routines and suffering in the formation of professional identities: a study of journalists that witnessed the transition to post-industrial era

Abstract

In this article, we aim to correlate working routines in journalism and psyquic suffering, with a view to analyze this connection as a factor in the making of journalists’ professional identities. For that, we have sought to identify these elements in the discourses of journalists that witnessed the professional changes from the XX century to the XXI century – from industrial journalism to post-industrial journalism –, that are still ongoing. We have highlighted parts of interviews carried out with six professionals who started their careers in the 1970s and 1980s, and are still working. After the analysis of their speeches, we observed that intense routines and suffering have been present through their lives. In spite of that, the romantic view of journalism is, most of the time, reaffirmed, which reinforces the sense of belonging to the professional group.

Keywords: Professional identity. Work routines. Psychic suffering.