'To Be Oneself' or 'To Please Oneself'? Therapeutic Technologies, Emotions, and Inequality in Contemporary Russia

Abstract

In the modern world, therapeutic discourse and psychotherapeutic practices play an increasingly important role in processes of subjectivation. This article explores how different approaches to emotion management affect social interactions and career trajectories within diverse social and institutional contexts. Based on two cases – the practices of the young professionals working in the cultural sector, and the activities of consultants from the direct sales company Mary Kay – the article shows that the therapeutic project offers a variety of emotional regimes that spread across different social, economic, and cultural environments. The article analyzes techniques of self-analysis and the modes of emotional expression in demand among educated urban middle-­class groups. These therapeutic techniques, based on reflexive self-interpretation, emotion recognition, and the search for one’s 'authentic' self, are juxtaposed with the practices of positive thinking exemplified by Mary Kay. The article also examines the issue of the stratifying role of emotional competencies. The self-improvement work in the context of Mary Kay network marketing is especially meaningful to small town women with limited resources and opportunities for social mobility. They view emotional work and positive thinking as key tools for achieving success. In contrast, representatives of the metropolitan educated classes tend to master the skills of self-reflection and the ability to speak the language of 'complex feelings.' Given the increasing importance of emotional competencies for social mobility and the maintenance of class differences, this article raises the question of emotional stratification in contemporary Russian society.