Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers

This paper analyses the connection between a punitive educational orientation and different negative prejudices in the context of group-focused enmity. While punitiveness is a very rough and undefined term, it is the subject of lively debate within social work. Here, punitiveness is often understood...

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Main Authors: Johanna Pangritz, Wilhelm Berghan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Social Work & Society 2020-05-01
Series:Social Work and Society
Online Access:http://132.195.130.183/index.php/sws/article/view/1614
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author Johanna Pangritz
Wilhelm Berghan
author_facet Johanna Pangritz
Wilhelm Berghan
author_sort Johanna Pangritz
collection DOAJ
description This paper analyses the connection between a punitive educational orientation and different negative prejudices in the context of group-focused enmity. While punitiveness is a very rough and undefined term, it is the subject of lively debate within social work. Here, punitiveness is often understood as a move away from the former welfare state ideal by giving preference to harsh punishment rather than practices of resocialization. The results of a quantitative survey (n = 178) of future street-level bureaucrats in the social field show that a punitive educational orientation is positively related to prejudices. This has implications for theorizing on the role of punitiveness in intergroup conflict and especially for practical social work, as it devalues certain social groups that are addressees of social work through punitive practice. This also includes assumptions about citizenship, as statements are made about who belongs and who does not.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1613-8953
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publishDate 2020-05-01
publisher Social Work & Society
record_format Article
series Social Work and Society
spelling doaj-art-2c07ceda6c5e4227a9bf8178fc871b3a2025-08-20T03:58:32ZengSocial Work & SocietySocial Work and Society1613-89532020-05-01181Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work GatekeepersJohanna PangritzWilhelm BerghanThis paper analyses the connection between a punitive educational orientation and different negative prejudices in the context of group-focused enmity. While punitiveness is a very rough and undefined term, it is the subject of lively debate within social work. Here, punitiveness is often understood as a move away from the former welfare state ideal by giving preference to harsh punishment rather than practices of resocialization. The results of a quantitative survey (n = 178) of future street-level bureaucrats in the social field show that a punitive educational orientation is positively related to prejudices. This has implications for theorizing on the role of punitiveness in intergroup conflict and especially for practical social work, as it devalues certain social groups that are addressees of social work through punitive practice. This also includes assumptions about citizenship, as statements are made about who belongs and who does not. http://132.195.130.183/index.php/sws/article/view/1614
spellingShingle Johanna Pangritz
Wilhelm Berghan
Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers
Social Work and Society
title Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers
title_full Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers
title_fullStr Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers
title_full_unstemmed Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers
title_short Punitiveness and Devaluation among Social Work Gatekeepers
title_sort punitiveness and devaluation among social work gatekeepers
url http://132.195.130.183/index.php/sws/article/view/1614
work_keys_str_mv AT johannapangritz punitivenessanddevaluationamongsocialworkgatekeepers
AT wilhelmberghan punitivenessanddevaluationamongsocialworkgatekeepers