‘Moral Positioning’ and occupational socialization in the training of hairdressers, secretaries and caterers

Hilary, Dickinson and Michael, Erben (1984) ‘Moral Positioning’ and occupational socialization in the training of hairdressers, secretaries and caterers. Journal of Moral Education, 13 (1), 49-55. (doi:10.1080/0305724840130108).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper examines the occupational socialization of hairdressers, secretaries and caterers. It introduces the term moral positioning to analyse aspects of this socialization. Moral positioning refers to a stance which minimizes the economic/instrumental aspects of an occupation, instead emphasizing moral cues and social skills. We argue that the adoption of such a stance is a distortion of the real situation, where economic and instrumental considerations are of great importance. An active development of an awareness of one's social position is precluded. Instead a specific and narrow range of values and interpretations are called on, related to the task in hand; and that these values are utilized as a guise to organize economic practices by way of a perversion of moral imperatives into bureaucratic forms.

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