The Modern Poor: On the Sociological Position of Social-Aid Clients
(1975) In Sociological Focus 8(4). p.375-381- Abstract
- The social-aid institution has been analyzed almost exclusively from a social problems approach, aiming at the understanding of social aid clients as a social problem. This article views them from a different angle, as a sociological category occupying a unique position in society. Following Simmel, we deal here with those who are poor in a social sense, i.e., anyone receiving public assistance. It is the acceptance of social assistance which makes clients into a specific sociological stratum. The specific kinds of rules and roles involved in any society's public assistance system are thus seen to produce the sociological position of the clients. With goal-motivated assistance, clients tend to be by-passed. With relationship-motivated... (More)
- The social-aid institution has been analyzed almost exclusively from a social problems approach, aiming at the understanding of social aid clients as a social problem. This article views them from a different angle, as a sociological category occupying a unique position in society. Following Simmel, we deal here with those who are poor in a social sense, i.e., anyone receiving public assistance. It is the acceptance of social assistance which makes clients into a specific sociological stratum. The specific kinds of rules and roles involved in any society's public assistance system are thus seen to produce the sociological position of the clients. With goal-motivated assistance, clients tend to be by-passed. With relationship-motivated assistance, the increasing formalization of modern society has made clients and practioners equal in one important sense—both are subordinated to the same rules and regulations. (Less)
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https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/f816d2dc-e6da-48ce-84cb-e92391793cc5
- author
- Sellerberg, Ann Mari LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 1975-10-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Public assistance, Social work, Social welfare, Public sociology, Social issues, Poverty, Social control, Nothingness, Employee motivation, Teleology
- in
- Sociological Focus
- volume
- 8
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 7 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84996205589
- ISSN
- 0038-0237
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f816d2dc-e6da-48ce-84cb-e92391793cc5
- date added to LUP
- 2023-07-13 15:32:28
- date last changed
- 2023-07-14 04:00:35
@article{f816d2dc-e6da-48ce-84cb-e92391793cc5,
abstract = {{The social-aid institution has been analyzed almost exclusively from a social problems approach, aiming at the understanding of social aid clients as a social problem. This article views them from a different angle, as a sociological category occupying a unique position in society. Following Simmel, we deal here with those who are poor in a social sense, i.e., anyone receiving public assistance. It is the acceptance of social assistance which makes clients into a specific sociological stratum. The specific kinds of rules and roles involved in any society's public assistance system are thus seen to produce the sociological position of the clients. With goal-motivated assistance, clients tend to be by-passed. With relationship-motivated assistance, the increasing formalization of modern society has made clients and practioners equal in one important sense—both are subordinated to the same rules and regulations.}},
author = {{Sellerberg, Ann Mari}},
issn = {{0038-0237}},
keywords = {{Public assistance; Social work; Social welfare; Public sociology; Social issues; Poverty; Social control; Nothingness; Employee motivation; Teleology}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{10}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{375--381}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Sociological Focus}},
title = {{The Modern Poor: On the Sociological Position of Social-Aid Clients}},
volume = {{8}},
year = {{1975}},
}