BJSW Advance Access published online on September 26, 2008
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn132
Beyond Homo Economicus: Recognition, Self-Realization and Social Work
Stan Houston is a senior lecturer in social work in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast. Before entering higher education in 1997, he worked in the area of child and family social work for around 20 years, firstly as a practitioner, then as a manager and finally as a trainer. His major interest lies in the application of critical social theory to research and practice.
Correspondence to Dr Stan Houston, The School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, 6 College Park, Belfast BT7 1LP, UK. E-mail: s.houston{at}qub.ac.uk
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Abstract |
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This paper builds on Ferguson's important contribution to the debate on personalization in social work that appeared in the British Journal of Social Work in 2007. Whereas Ferguson approached the topic through the lens of political philosophy, the account below draws on critical social theory to examine not only the nature of personalization, but also its supportive pillar of individualization. In particular, Axel Honneth's critique of individualization in modern society is presented before setting out his ideas on the need for self-realization through inter-subjective recognition. The implications of Honneth's position are then considered in terms of four interrelated dimensions of social work practice, namely: (i) social work as symbolic interaction; (ii) social work as care; (iii) social work as respect; and (iv) social work as validation. It is argued that this constellation of practices poses a direct and necessary challenge to a social work of personalization.
Keywords: Personalization, individualization, recognition, social work