Historias de viver o serviço social
AUTOR(ES)
Maria de Fatima de Campos Françozo
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO
1996
RESUMO
The present investigation deals with aspects of the lived professional experience of social workers, in order to grasp the reasons behind choosing to become and to remain a social worker and also the framework of professional frustations and pleasures. Thus, a qualitative research tool was chosen, namely life histories, and social workers were interviewed in order to gather data. The subjects were women, who graduated between the 50s and the 90s in schools of social work in Brazil, and whose practice, present or past, involves direct contact with clients (specifically, in public or private organizations where they developed programs in such areas as family, health, community, rehabilitation and so on). Certain psychoanalitycal concepts (steming mainly from the work of Melanie Klein) were related to themes, such as institutions, groups and the professions in order to gain an understanding of the lived professional experience of social workers. It is alsoimportant to notice that the sociological explanation of woman s social condition has a strong bearing in explaining such an experience. The influences which lead to the choice of social work as a profession can be characterized by the desire to "be practical," by the image of energetic individuals within the profession, by opportunities of carrier advancement, by religious and/or family influences, and by the feeling of not being able to pass examinations in other undergraduate schools or to pay for a more expensive professional training in other undergraduate schools. Behind all of these lies the feeling of being helpful, which can be related to a tendency to reparation. Expressions of frustation in the interviews are linked to situations in which some form of social injustice is perceived, to poor working conditions (low payment, lack of recognition, interferences, etc.), and to problems in professional relationships. Some of these situations can be explained in terms of an impossibility of fulfilling a desire for reparation. Some reasons were offered to explain pleasant professional situations: uvea professional experiences which were translated in personal development, in the establishment of personal ties and the acquisition of skills; the development of dynamic activities, as well as teaching. The perception of having contributed to solving a difficult situation or of personally contributing to a program or activity were also positively appraised. Also the contact with clients and their recognition were quoted. Those are rewarding situations from which social workers derive the feeling of having created something which is positive for the clients and for themselves. Woman s social condition is also important in shaping the lived professional experience: concessions, difficulties and reconciliations in the life of housewives are a major source of constraints for women s professional projects in general, and for social workers in particular. Thus, the way in which social workers deal with choices, frustations and pleasures in the profession are related not only to the objective conditions in the external world, but also to subjective aspects of the inner world
ASSUNTO(S)
assistentes sociais - orientação profissional serviço social assistentes sociais - entrevistas serviço social - estudo e ensino
