AUTHORITY IN SOCIAL CASEWORK.

The article attempts to examine the concept of authority in relation to social casework. The possibility of applying sociological concepts to social casework for the purpose of building up a systematic and acceptable body of theory have not been fully explored. There have been dissidents, particularly within Great Britain, who have exposed the weaknesses inherent in the psychoanalytic approach. Much criticism centers upon the concept of the unconscious, a pivot of Freudian based casework theory, the logical corollary of which is a denial of the possibilities of making rational and responsible choices. An outcome of the development of these ideas is that casework is now frequently regarded as arising entirely out of the relationship between the client and the worker. Other criticisms hinge upon the adoption by caseworkers of an attitude of moral neutrality that is concomitant with a belief that "adjustment" to established social norms, social relationships and economic circumstances is the objective of "treatment." It has been hoped to show that the solution of a client's problem may well depend upon a renunciation of, or a change in, the norms of his own sub-culture, the more skilful management of personal relationships, or the alleviation of other environmental pressures, all of which involves both the making of value judgments and the assumption that the client is capable of rational behavior.