Problem attribution and intervention. The interpretation of problem causations and solutions in regard of Brickmanet al.

Abstract

Typologies of problem perception are of great importance for the reconstruction of social workers' professional ideologies. The best-known typology has been provided by Brickman et al. who differentiated between a medical, moral, enlightenment, and compensatory model. The article discusses this typology on a conceptual level and indicates its central flaws. An empirical study is presented in which an alternative attempt to develop a typology is tested. The evaluation refers to a wider spectrum of perceptions of problem causes and solutions than the typology of Brickman et al. The resulting typology comprises a 'social', a 'workfare', a 'pathology', and an 'education' type.Typologien von Problemdeutungen besitzen große Relevanz fü r die Rekonstruktion der professionellen Orientierungen von Sozialpädagogen. Die bekannteste Typologie wurde von Brickman u.a. im Jahre 1982 vorgestellt, die ein medizinisches, moralisches, aufklärerisches und kompensatorisches Modell unterscheiden. Der Beitrag diskutiert diese Typologie auf konzeptioneller Ebene und verweist auf zentrale Schwachstellen. In einer empirischen Studie wird der Versuch vorgestellt, einen alternativen Weg zu gehen, um eine entsprechende Typologie zu erschließen. Das Ergebnis der Studie bezieht sich im Vergleich zu Brickman u.a. auf ein breiteres Spektrum an Problemursachen undlö sungen. Die resultierende Typologie umfasst einen 'sozialen', einen 'Workfare-', einen 'pathologischen' und einen 'Erziehungs-' Typus.

What's the problem? A problem-based approach to the reform of the Norwegian drug rehabilitation sector

“…Often, abusers have never been sufficiently socialized, and a socialization process is a necessary part of rehabilitation (see e.g. Matto, 2004;Dollinger, 2008). The leader at Tyrili elaborated on this:…”

“…The two-tiered framework proposed in our article also relates to the stage in which individuals conceive of a problem's nature and causation. However, while Dollinger (2008) empirically revealed problem perceptions in social workers' ideologies, our study aims to reveal and analyze different existing problem formulations in drug rehabilitation and illuminate how they influence subsequent problem solving. Our framework distinguishes between (1) the value dimensions of a given problem, and (2) the problem phases in which the decision makers: (i) formulate the problem; (ii) search for alternative solutions; (iii) evaluate the alternative solutions with reference to key aspects; and (iv) choose an organizational regime.…”

“…In a recent study, Dollinger (2008) proposed a typology of problem perception in social work. The two-tiered framework proposed in our article also relates to the stage in which individuals conceive of a problem's nature and causation.…”