Disguised compliance or undisguised nonsense? A critical discourse analysis of compliance and resistance in social work practice

Abstract

<jats:p>This article examines how the term ‘disguised compliance’ first emerged and developed into the popular catchphrase that is used in practice today. Using critical discourse analysis, we explore how language affects practice and how social workers draw on a predetermined concept to rationalise concerns relating to parental resistance. We contend that concepts such as disguised compliance are misleading as they do not improve social workers’ abilities in detecting resistance or compliance. Instead, we argue that social workers should be cautious when using popular mantras which, on the surface, appear effective in describing parents’ behaviours but, in reality, conceal concerns relating to risk, accountability and blame. This study differs from the current literature that advocates social workers should be aware of disguised compliance by shifting the emphasis away from the behaviours of parents and towards acknowledging the power such discursive activities can have on practice.</jats:p>

A theoretical model on how firms can leverage political resources to align with supply chain strategy for competitive advantage

“…Extended typology of political actions (Oliver & Holzinger, 2008) actions allow firms to circumvent regulations or laws (legally or illegally) while seeking to avoid the suspicions of governmental authorities (Harris & OBrien, 2020;Leigh et al, 2020). For example, firms may find regulatory loopholes to avoid paying duties on imported products or may disguise or distort information required by the authorities, for example, by incorrectly labeling the country-of-origin on imported products.…”

Parental Non-Engagement within Child Protection Services—How Can Understandings of Complex Trauma and Epistemic Trust Help?

“…The issue of 'non-engagement' appears in different guises within descriptions of work with parents in child protection, and parental reluctance to engage with state services has been examined from a variety of perspectives. However, inconsistent and shifting use of language adds to the complexity [12,27]. For example, 'resistant', 'hard to reach', 'disguised compliance' are all concepts that, though different, share to varying degrees the notion of parents who are resistant to working collaboratively with services [10,12,27,28].…”

“…However, inconsistent and shifting use of language adds to the complexity [12,27]. For example, 'resistant', 'hard to reach', 'disguised compliance' are all concepts that, though different, share to varying degrees the notion of parents who are resistant to working collaboratively with services [10,12,27,28]. Indeed, the manner in which 'colloquial terms' [27] become embedded in professional discourse can lead to practice that serves to further entrench suspicion and power imbalances between parents and professionals.…”

Hostile relationships in social work practice: anxiety, hate and conflict in long-term work with involuntary service users

“…The statutory social workers recognised that Roberta seemed different -as Susan put it, 'she's a changed woman' -but their narrative remained negative, that she was manipulative, hadn't really changed and that it was 'disguised compliance'. This use of the notion of disguised compliance was highly problematic because it placed the service user in a lose-lose position where they could never prove their sincerity or worthiness as a parent (Leigh et al, 2019). The social worker and manager were very annoyed by what they saw as the independent social worker's overly positive assessment, implying that tough questions about Roberta's anger and alleged violence had been avoided.…”