Research on social work participants, cultures and contexts, including comparative research

Recognition is a key concept in this paper. According to the social philosopher Alex Honneth three forms of recognition exist: love, legal rights and solidarity. Recognition is viewed as an ethical standpoint as well as an... [ view full abstract ]

Recognition is a key concept in this paper. According to the social philosopher Alex Honneth three forms of recognition exist: love, legal rights and solidarity. Recognition is viewed as an ethical standpoint as well as an efficient element in social work practice. In addition, arguments are being made that recognition should be a foundation for citizenship, which is to say for a human, democratic and just society. Bearing this in mind, the paper discusses how practices based on recognition can be developed in the social work offices. Findings in a local study indicate that recognition can be a precondition for user participation, especially because recognition is a requirement for the user’s self-confidence, self-respect and self- esteem which in turn strengthens the individual’s conditions for participation. In this way all the three forms of recognition are important if user participation on an individual basis is to take place. On a structural level, user participation recognition can be about practices based on recognition as part of how the institutions meet and treat their users.
Keywords: recognition, service user, strengthening of participation, structural level