Les apprenti-e-s face aux contraintes en formation professionnelle en alternance : entre souffrance et plaisir

This paper focuses on the Swiss dual system of vocational education and training (VET), on the basis of the results of a study on VET dropouts. The adopted theoretical framework and method of analysis is the psychodynamic of work, which makes it possible to stress the specific constraints of a system that is closely related to the world of work. The various forms of suffering evoked by apprentices, as well as the strategies implemented to cope with it, are highlighted. The analyses also stress the pleasure young people can experience in VET. Between pleasure and suffering, these elements make it possible to consider both the assets and the shortcomings of this education system.     

Maternal and infant characteristics connected to shared pleasure in dyadic interaction

The aim of the study was to analyze which maternal factors (depressive symptoms, effect of life events, maternal sensitivity and structuring) and infant characteristics (temperament, social withdrawal symptoms, interactive behavior, genotype, gender) contribute to shared pleasure (SP) in parent–infant interaction. Participants were 113 mother–infant dyads. The mothers filled in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, and the Life Events Questionnaire. The dyads were videotaped in a free-play situation, and the videos were analyzed using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale and the Emotional Availability Scales. The infants were genotyped for four genes involved in emotion regulation. The occurrence and duration of SP (SP-MD) in mother–infant interactions were analyzed from the videotapes. Higher maternal sensitivity and depressive symptoms, better infant responsiveness, and the infant having the GG variant of the gene tryptophan hydroxylase isoform 2 (TPH2) -307 were associated with the occurrence of SP. Lower level depressive symptoms, better maternal structuring, and greater infant involvement were associated with the longer duration of SP. Those dyads where the mother and infant were best able to read each other's positive cues and to respond to them were more likely to experience mutual positive affect, as seen in SP.