The Reification of the Notion of Subculture in Public Welfare

Perceptions of clients by professional helpers.

“…. This disillusioning experience might make a worker bitter and callous, or induce him to leave the job, and even those who did not have either of these extreme reactions tended to change their orientation to clients, (p. 348) A similar process, involving increasing frustration and cynicism among social workers as the result of their experience, has been depicted in several impressionistic reports (Jacobs, 1968;Wasserman, 1970Wasserman, , 1971.…”

“…Several commentators have noted that this relationship is inherently manipulatory in that the client is dependent for vital support on the caseworker's decisions and there are considerable advantages to the client in concealing income or exaggerating liabilities (because this serves to increase the level of benefits received). It has been noted in studies of welfare agencies that social workers come to regard the clients as manipulators, swindlers, or liars (Blau, 1960;Jacobs, 1968); it would seem likely that this occurs because the social workers make personalistic attributions about the causality of the clients' behavior. Another example concerns social workers' perceptions of clients in child abuse cases.…”

“…A considerable amount of literature (e.g., Blau, 1960;Finch, 1976;A. D. Green, 196,6;Jacobs, 1968;Wasserman, 1970Wasserman, , 1971 has described the strain and frustration that ensue as the social worker attempts to find a balance between adhering to administrative requirements (sometimes thereby evoking protests and criticism from clients) and modifying established procedure to provide more assistance to clients (sometimes thereby evoking criticism or discipline from agency superiors).…”