Sociological Perspectives for Health and Social Workers
Repstad, Pål: Sosiologiske perspektiver for helse- og sosialarbeidere
As its title suggests, this book is aimed at health and social workers. But its target group should not be defined too narrowly. Examples are garnered largely from the daily contact health and social workers have with patients and clients, but clearly there could be material here for social security officers, clerics, teachers, politicians, planners - and for that matter - anyone who has occasional contact with welfare services and systems, whether as a patient or in some other capacity. This probably covers the majority of us.
The book introduces central, fundamental sociological concepts and perspectives and describes sociological trends. Throughout, the general material is adapted to the themes and circumstances under which health and social workers must operate. Material is selected with an eye to the kinds of sociological themes that are most relevant to welfare state personnel. The book ends with a discussion of sociology's role in society, emphasising its potential value for workers in the health and social sector.
Sociology?s penchant for contemplation, classification and analysis, and its predilection for viewing things from several perspectives, can sometimes feel frustrating and unsatisfactory for someone searching for clear, practical rules of thumb. Sociology?s purpose is to foster a deeper understanding rather than to give unambiguous practical advice. For this reason the author attempts to introduce a sociological framework that can be applied to the working situations practitioners find themselves in. This is an easily accessible introductory work that stimulates further thought.
About the author: Pål Repstad is reader in social science at Agder College as well as professor II of religious sociology at the University of Oslo?s Faculty of Theology. Repstad has written several books and articles on social science, especially in the fields of religious sociology, social policy, social science method and research ethics.
Publisher: Universitetsforlaget AS 2004
ISBN: 82-15-00382-6
233 pages, hardback
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| Language | Foreign publisher |
|---|---|
| Swedish | Studentlitteratur |
