Manifesto

Psychological pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential psychological damage - the causes and effects of which often extend to the organization. The sensation of psychological pain is unpleasant and so the common approach is to simply try to eliminate it. Such an approach is ineffective because: 1) psychological pain is a fact of organizational life; 2) different kinds of pain imply different kinds of harm and thus different kinds of corrective measures; and 3) sometimes pain is needed for growth. We believe psychological pain can be managed far more productively than it currently is, so our purpose is to understand the manifestation and management of psychological pain in organizations. 

Our mission, therefore, is to bring scholars together in order to develop programmatic research on how psychological pain emerges and how it affects individual and organizational functioning. This research will integrate existing theories and methodologies across multiple domains and fields, and will be grounded in organizational realities. The latter requires a continuous exchange with practitioners who will evaluate and validate the knowledge that our science develops. 

Our vision, then, is a body of useful and usable knowledge that explains: 1) When and how painful psychological sensations actually cause harm or growth (as opposed to simply assuming that something that feels bad in the moment is de facto harmful); and 2) How personal, group, and organizational resources can best be applied to effectively manage psychological pain. Such knowledge will help organizations address the instrumental and moral concerns of all those involved in psychological pain management.