实践研究的两种可能:治愈与关顾的选择

Two Possibilities in Practice Research:Cure or Care

本文只带着一个简单的目的:说明若要理解社会工作知识,就要回到实践,回到历史。本文希望再次理解一下“社会”这个词语的历史意义,然后检视这种“社会”的真义又是否能够帮助勾画出社会工作的工作范围及权责。本文指出,“社会”存在于“国家”与“国人”之间、“公共”与“私人”之间,它有自身运作的逻辑及法则。这个历史发展,可称为“社会的发明”(the invention of the social)。社会工作本质存在着两种取向:“关顾”(care)及“管控”(control)。这两种取向互相矛盾,却又无法回避。社会工作者是通过一种“非官方形态”(informality)(或非正式性)与案主或受助人建立关系。社会工作者进入案主的日常生活中,希望通过建立一种“关顾”(care)的关系,以得到案主的信任,令案主接受社会工作者的意见。社会工作者在处理介入时,亦以“商议”(negotiation)作为重要手段。为加强社会工作的客观性及合法性,科学为本的“治愈”(cure)功能却成为主调,社会工作学者大量引用社会科学知识帮助社会工作塑造专业形象。自20世纪80年代开始,社会工作的“治愈”功能又再受到挑战。有学者希望发展及采用“实践研究”证明社会工作的介入效果。在这方面,“关系为本论”和“批判实在论”的努力得到关注;与此同时,亦有“诠释论”和“人文关顾论”推广“人文关顾”在社会工作中的原义,要以研究实践的成果重拾社会工作的“关顾”本质。本文的目的是希望社会工作重视这四个理论背后的实践使命。

This article only carries a simple purpose:Explain that if you want to understand social work knowledge,you must return to practice and return to history.This article hopes to understand the historical significance of the word“social”again,and then to examine whether the true meaning of this word can help to outline the scope of work and powers and responsibilities of social work.This paper points out that“society”exists between“nation”and“civil domain”.Between“public”and“private”,it has its own logic and rules of operation.This historical development has been called“the invention of the social”.According to this interpretation,there are two orientations in the essence of social work:“care”and“control”.These two orientations are contradictory,but they cannot be avoided.Social workers establish relationships with clients or recipients through“informality”(or informality).Social workers enter the daily life of the client and hope to gain the trust of the client by establishing a“care”relationship,so that the client can accept the opinions of the social worker.Social workers also use“negotiation”as an important means when dealing with interventions.In order to strengthen the objectivity and legitimacy of social work,the science-based curing function has become the main theme and more scientific research findings from social sciences have been employed to strengthen the professional images of social work.In recent decades,however,the“cure”function of social work was challenged.In response to this,some commentators hoped to develop and adopt“practical research”to prove the intervention effect of social work.In this respect,the efforts of“relationship-based theory”and“critical realism”have received attention.At the same time,there are also“hermeneutical perspective”and“humanistic care”that put forward the meaning of care in social work.These efforts regain the essence of“care”in social work.The purpose of this paper is to hope that social work pays attention to the practical mission behind these four theories.