Social Workers and the Sociological Sense of Social Problems: Balancing Objectivism, Subjectivism, and Social Construction

Maria Appel Nissen

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.14

Authors

Maria Appel Nissen Aalborg University, Denmark

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.14

Keywords:

Social Problems, Social Work, Knowledge, Objectivism, Subjectivism, Constructionism

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the intricate relations between objectivism, subjectivism, and constructionism. I explore the construction of social problems in everyday professional practice as a valuable source for addressing and reflecting on differences in perceptions of knowledge. Using data from a study of how Danish social workers perceive social problems, the article shows how social workers’ perceptions of social problems reveal a sociological sense of social problems that renders possible both ontological assumptions, as well as epistemological reflections on the objective, subjective, and social constructionist dimensions of social problems. The social workers are constructing a model of social problems and how they are reproduced, as well as epistemological reflections on the uncertainty of knowing the “reality” of social problems. Those constructions are not formulated strictly in line with scholarly approaches but rather stem from experiences of working with social problems. The article proposes that we can learn something from this in terms of reimagining social constructionism. I propose that social constructionists should cultivate a sociological sense of the practical perceptions and approaches to solve social problems in society.

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Author Biography

Maria Appel Nissen, Aalborg University, Denmark

Maria Appel Nissen is a Ph.D. Sociology (2005), Associate Professor in Theories in Social Work at Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Denmark. Her research is characterized by an overall interest in the social construction of various forms of knowledge in social work practice—in particular, sociological knowledge, knowledge of social problems and of human beings. Currently, she is leading a research project on Views on Human Nature in Social Work (2014-2017, funded by the VELUX foundation), a Master in Knowledge Based Social Work, and is a member of the board of European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA).

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