2408-932XResearch Result. Social Studies and Humanities2408-932X10.18413/2408-932X-2026-12-1-0-74117RESEARCHES<strong>Anatomy of addiction: The functional role of occupational stigma&nbsp; </strong><strong>in managing collective anxiety</strong><strong>Anatomy of addiction: The functional role of occupational stigma&nbsp; </strong><strong>in managing collective anxiety</strong>ShcheglovAlexey K.ShcheglovAlexey K.alex.sbt@mail.ruLysenkoElena M.LysenkoElena M.lem280662@mail.ruD.F. Ustinov Baltic State Technical University "VOENMEH"202612100

This article investigates the affective and structural determinants underlying the low status of critical infrastructure professions. Drawing on historical data (specifically the role of sanitation in the demographic transition) and crisis analysis (the COVID-19 pandemic), the study demonstrates the marked discrepancy between the functional significance of this labor and its public recognition. The authors argue that stigmatization serves as a societal defense mechanism against a high degree of dependence on agents who lack fiduciary obligations, in contrast to the institution of medicine. Consequently, stigma is interpreted as a technology for managing collective anxiety, enabling society to displace the awareness of its own vulnerability to the periphery of public attention.

This article investigates the affective and structural determinants underlying the low status of critical infrastructure professions. Drawing on historical data (specifically the role of sanitation in the demographic transition) and crisis analysis (the COVID-19 pandemic), the study demonstrates the marked discrepancy between the functional significance of this labor and its public recognition. The authors argue that stigmatization serves as a societal defense mechanism against a high degree of dependence on agents who lack fiduciary obligations, in contrast to the institution of medicine. Consequently, stigma is interpreted as a technology for managing collective anxiety, enabling society to displace the awareness of its own vulnerability to the periphery of public attention.

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