As a result of disciplinary power, we are all docile bodies.
Foucault describes that disciplinary power uses self-policing to enforce rules. This discipline has the ability to create docile bodies. A docile body is a malleable body that can be changed into something else. It can be exposed, used, completely transformed and improved through discipline.
Being considered a docile, controllable body is not exactly comforting. Yet, we are all a docile body to at least one person in our lives; our boss. No matter the job, in some way or another you are trained into the type of employee that your boss or company needs. As they mold you into the employee they want, you learn the boundaries of your position. Similar to how students learn the rules of the classroom, you learn the rules of your workplace. Disciplinary power is used to turn you into a docile body. A result of the self-policing form of power, your boss won’t have to stand over your shoulder every day to make sure the office rules are followed. You will be a good little employee, follow the rules you were taught and regulate your own actions.
Docile bodies can be created and controlled in space and time. In my experience, time is the most controlling aspect over a docile body in the workplace. Foucault’s control of activity (time) centers on five key points, there has to be: a time-table, a temporal elaboration of the acts, specific and memorized gestures, body-object articulations and the actions must be exhaustive. As a docile body, there are set hours that you work. There is a time-table for your activity, the clocking in and clocking out aspect of a job. When you’re on the clock, you are under the control of your boss. Off the clock, and the time is yours. As for the temporal elaboration of acts, you cannot control the hours that you work. You are assigned a shift and expected to be there for that set amount of time. If your shift is from 4:00 to 10:00pm, you cannot just show up or leave whenever you want. You are under the control of your boss and the schedule.
During your shift, you have certain tasks that need to be completed in a specific timeframe. These tasks are what Foucault considers specific gestures that become memorized. As a server if you are expected to wait on tables, cash in tips, and complete side work by the end of your shift; you are going to learn to get those tasks done in the allotted time. As time goes on and you master your skills, the time it takes to complete your ‘task list’ should be reduced.
As with any job, there are certain things that become engrained in you. Say, for example, you are a secretary. Every time you answer the phone, you have a specific script to follow. The first few times you do it, it seems awkward and unnatural. But, as you work more and more it becomes second nature. This is what Foucault would consider body-object articulation. You learn certain gestures or motions that eventually become muscle memory, so the task no longer requires extra thought to complete it.
Finally, actions must be exhaustive. To get as much done as possible, in the least amount of time, we multitask to be overly productive. An individual that can multitask is the dream employee. These employees bring companies the most money in the shortest amount of time. This notion of productivity is present in every single company. In order to make the most profit, employers need employees that maximize their time and are overly efficient. As such, the ability to multitask is a great control of many employees (docile bodies) and great job security.
Docile bodies are created through disciplinary power. Disciplinary power regulates individuals through self-policing, allowing for the control of large masses of individuals without the need of force or one-on-one attention. Docile bodies are seen in most, if not all, jobs in America. The most controlling factor of docile bodies in the workplace is the control of activity (time). Time keeps employees in line and motivates them to be excessively productive. As we all know, time is money; and in America, money is the product of squeezing as much out of as little time as possible.
Foucault, Michel. [1975] 1995. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage. Selections: “Docile Bodies” (135-169); “Panopticism” (195-228).
http://www.biometrictimeclock.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Clocking_In.jpg
Foucault describes that disciplinary power uses self-policing to enforce rules. This discipline has the ability to create docile bodies. A docile body is a malleable body that can be changed into something else. It can be exposed, used, completely transformed and improved through discipline.
Being considered a docile, controllable body is not exactly comforting. Yet, we are all a docile body to at least one person in our lives; our boss. No matter the job, in some way or another you are trained into the type of employee that your boss or company needs. As they mold you into the employee they want, you learn the boundaries of your position. Similar to how students learn the rules of the classroom, you learn the rules of your workplace. Disciplinary power is used to turn you into a docile body. A result of the self-policing form of power, your boss won’t have to stand over your shoulder every day to make sure the office rules are followed. You will be a good little employee, follow the rules you were taught and regulate your own actions.
Docile bodies can be created and controlled in space and time. In my experience, time is the most controlling aspect over a docile body in the workplace. Foucault’s control of activity (time) centers on five key points, there has to be: a time-table, a temporal elaboration of the acts, specific and memorized gestures, body-object articulations and the actions must be exhaustive. As a docile body, there are set hours that you work. There is a time-table for your activity, the clocking in and clocking out aspect of a job. When you’re on the clock, you are under the control of your boss. Off the clock, and the time is yours. As for the temporal elaboration of acts, you cannot control the hours that you work. You are assigned a shift and expected to be there for that set amount of time. If your shift is from 4:00 to 10:00pm, you cannot just show up or leave whenever you want. You are under the control of your boss and the schedule.
During your shift, you have certain tasks that need to be completed in a specific timeframe. These tasks are what Foucault considers specific gestures that become memorized. As a server if you are expected to wait on tables, cash in tips, and complete side work by the end of your shift; you are going to learn to get those tasks done in the allotted time. As time goes on and you master your skills, the time it takes to complete your ‘task list’ should be reduced.
As with any job, there are certain things that become engrained in you. Say, for example, you are a secretary. Every time you answer the phone, you have a specific script to follow. The first few times you do it, it seems awkward and unnatural. But, as you work more and more it becomes second nature. This is what Foucault would consider body-object articulation. You learn certain gestures or motions that eventually become muscle memory, so the task no longer requires extra thought to complete it.
Finally, actions must be exhaustive. To get as much done as possible, in the least amount of time, we multitask to be overly productive. An individual that can multitask is the dream employee. These employees bring companies the most money in the shortest amount of time. This notion of productivity is present in every single company. In order to make the most profit, employers need employees that maximize their time and are overly efficient. As such, the ability to multitask is a great control of many employees (docile bodies) and great job security.
Docile bodies are created through disciplinary power. Disciplinary power regulates individuals through self-policing, allowing for the control of large masses of individuals without the need of force or one-on-one attention. Docile bodies are seen in most, if not all, jobs in America. The most controlling factor of docile bodies in the workplace is the control of activity (time). Time keeps employees in line and motivates them to be excessively productive. As we all know, time is money; and in America, money is the product of squeezing as much out of as little time as possible.
Foucault, Michel. [1975] 1995. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage. Selections: “Docile Bodies” (135-169); “Panopticism” (195-228).
http://www.biometrictimeclock.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Clocking_In.jpg