Pride and Shame in Child and Family Social Work: Emotions and the Search for Humane Practice

Description

What role does emotion play in child and family social work practice? In this book, respected author and registered social worker Matthew Gibson reviews the role of shame and pride in social work, providing invaluable new insights from the first study undertaken into the role of these emotions within professional practice. The author demonstrates how these emotions, which are embedded within the very structures of society but experienced as individual phenomena, are used as mechanism of control in relation to both professionals themselves and service users. Examining the implications of these emotional experiences in the context of professional practice and the relationship between the individual, the family and the state, the book calls for a more humane form of practice, rooted in more informed policies that take in to consideration the realities and frailties of the human experience.

Matthew Gibson is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Birmingham.

"This very timely book makes a highly original contribution to the literature on pride and shame in organisations. Based on detailed empirical work, it has the potential to encourage the development of new and more sophisticated vocabularies and inform the design of more congruent and humane systems." Susan White, University of Sheffield "This insightful book shines new light on the too often undervalued role that pride and shame have in social work practice and represents a milestone in the efforts to create a more authentic and humane social work system." Alessandro Sicora, University of Trento "This eagerly awaited book more than delivers. It is a very thoughtful and sophisticated analysis of an area of great importance and should support much needed changes in children's social care." Brigid Featherstone, University of Huddersfield