Eighty percent of office workers report experiencing stress due to human relationships. According to the survey, workplace relationship conflicts rank as the second most common source of conflict after family disputes. Despite this widespread issue, s...
Eighty percent of office workers report experiencing stress due to human relationships. According to the survey, workplace relationship conflicts rank as the second most common source of conflict after family disputes. Despite this widespread issue, societal attention and discussion on the topic remain minimal. This paper focuses on the often-overlooked mental health challenges faced by office workers, exploring the nature of social relationships and proposing a literary therapy approach for their restoration. Workplace relationships possess distinct characteristics compared to family-based-relationships. To better understand social relationships, this study delves into the concept of “social story-in-depth” within literary therapy theory. The notion of “social story-in-depth” originated from reflections on humans as social beings. However, previous research has lacked consistency due to varying perspectives among scholars and has tended to focus more on the relationship between individuals and society rather than on social human relationships themselves. Recognizing the need for a new conceptualization of “social story-in-depth”, this study thoroughly examines both early literary therapy theories and subsequent discussions by scholars. Early literary therapy theories framed social relationships as "child story-in-depth." However, through her research, Kim Su-yeon proposed the potential for development from “couple story-in-depth” to “social story-in-depth”, suggesting that both emphasized "the desire of the world." Yet, asserting that “social story-in-depth” prioritize the desire of the world is problematic, as society primarily operates based on principles. Therefore, considering consistency with early literatherapy theories, this study proposes a new definition of “social story-in-depth” as "a situation where principles exist in the world, but members also possess desire." As Literatherapy is grounded in “story-in-depth” theory, it promotes a deeper “story-in-depth” understanding of life. While early literatherapy focused on relationship-centered “story-in-depth” analysis, Shin Dong-heun viewed the origin or ultimate essence of life as "existence," establishing a dual system of “story-in-depth” analysis with existence and relationships as two axes. This contributed to a deeper “story-in-depth” understanding of the "human-literature" connection. However, relationship conflicts can stem not only from existential characteristics but also from desires and actions. By examining various social relationship theories and conflict theories, this study identified the causes and analytical elements of relationship conflicts. It was found that existential characteristics and desires underlie relationship conflicts, and that relationships are formed and conflicts arise within the power structures of society. In addition to theoretical examination, this research explored diverse aspects of workplace relationship conflict through the collection of real-world cases and interviews. An analysis of two case studies, Yeon-a and Ru-mi, confirmed that another "self,” recognizing personal characteristics and the social environment of the workplace, forms social relationships. Social psychologist George Herbert Mead stated that social behavior involves both a subjective "I” and an objective "me”. Drawing on this theory, this study hypothesized that “self-story-in-depth” are not a single entity but rather three interconnected layers: a personal layer "I”, a relational layer "me”, and a social layer "we”. Focusing on human relationships, it was confirmed that existence, desire, and the social environment influence relationships. Accordingly, analytical elements were presented as opposing terms. Based on this derived framework for analyzing relationship conflicts, folktales were analyzed to explore their therapeutic applicability. Folktales, as layered literature, have been orally transmitted for a long time, embodying the experiences and thoughts of many people. Their inherent openness and polysemy allow for a “story-in-depth” connection with the real-world problems faced by office workers. The folktale <The Two Travelers> illustrates relationship conflict stemming from superiority and inferiority complexes, while <The Servant Who Disgraced the Nobleman> depicts relationship conflict due to distribution issues, allowing for an understanding of differing perspectives. <The Honest Son-in-Law and Father-in-Law> addresses relationship conflict caused by double standards, and <King Seongjong's Wisdom> examines issues of punishment and tolerance from a leadership perspective. The analysis of these folktales confirmed the usefulness of the proposed concept of social “story-in-depth” and the effectiveness of the relationship conflict analysis framework. Literature enables readers to engage in reflective activities, making judgments and self-reflecting within the work. This fosters a vivid experience of self-understanding, understanding of others, and understanding of the world. The aforementioned folktales can undoubtedly be utilized for psychological counseling and therapy for office workers, and are also highly applicable to workplace education for the prevention of human relationship conflicts.