Social Constructionism Turned Into Human Service Work

Margaretha Järvinen; Gale Miller

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.13

Authors

Margaretha Järvinen University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Gale Miller Marquette University, U.S.A.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.13

Keywords:

Applied Constructionism, Constructionist Activism, Statements/Counterstatements, Narrative Therapy, Oppressive vs. Liberating Stories, Expert Knowledge

Abstract

Studies of applied constructionism are opportunities for scholars to explore how social constructionism is a resource used by claims-makers in describing and justifying their orientations to professional practice. The present paper expands sociological constructionism by analyzing applied constructionism in social problems work in Copenhagen, Denmark. Based on interviews with staff members in narrative drug treatment, we explore two themes: the relationship between dominant and liberating narratives and the position of expert knowledge in narrative therapy. Our guiding framework is Ian Hacking’s inquiry into the Social Construction of What? and Kenneth Burke’s dialogic approach of comparing statements to counterstatements. The purpose of the paper is to link academic studies of the social construction of realities to applied constructionists’ principles in addressing social problems. We do this by describing narrative therapists’ critical reflections on their own work, suggesting that these reflections are not only useful when it comes to developing narrative therapy but also for the advancement of academic constructionism.

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Author Biographies

Margaretha Järvinen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Margaretha Järvinen is a Professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research areas include: alcohol and drug research, symbolic interactionism, qualitative methods, meetings between clients and the social welfare system, youth studies. Among her latest publications are: Turning Troubles Into Problems. Clientization in Human Services (edited with J. F. Gubrium [2013]), “Cannabis Careers Revisited. Applying Howard S. Becker’s Theory to Present-Day Cannabis Use” (with S. Ravn [2013]), and “Selections of Reality: Applying Burke’s Dramatism to a Harm Reduction Program” (with G. Miller [2014]).

Gale Miller, Marquette University, U.S.A.

Gale Miller is a Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences, Marquette University. He has longstanding research interests in the sociology of troubles and social problems, social theory, and institutions. His research has focused on how troubles and problems are defined in human service institutions, such as work to welfare programs and solution-focused brief therapy. His current research deals with individuals and families coping with such enduring crises as having a family member imprisoned for sex offenses in the United States, as well as solution-focused brief therapy.

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