Humanistic Social Work – The THIRD WAY in Theory and Practice


Book Description

This book represents a new stage in the author’s project to contribute at the development of the humanistic social work theory and methodology, with special attention paid to the professional/ practitioner (social worker, caregiver, psychologist, etc.), to his psychological-spiritual and humane qualities and conducts in practice. * In the PART I is presented THE HUMANISTIC SOCIAL WORK PROJECT – the author’s initiative, started in 2009, with the assumed aim to enhance the effective presence of the humanistic values, theories and practices in contemporary social work, a theoretical, axiological and methodological framework, a heuristic laboratory, a philosophical, scientific and professional forum wherein it can be set, what could be called, the theory, axiology and methodology of the Humanistic Social Work. * PART II, HUMANE AND SPIRITUAL QUALITIES OF THE PROFESSIONAL IN HUMANISTIC SOCIAL WORK is the basic body of the paper, and is composed predominantly of three chapters. The Chapter 1, Humanistic Social Work - The Third Way in Social Work Theory and Practice, is devoted to present, theoretically, the concept, doctrine and specific of humanistic social work, with emphasis on its main sources, values, theories, practices and methods, to circumscribe, philosophically and doctrinally, Humanistic Social Work as the third way, alongside Traditional/ Conventional Social Work and Radical/ Critical Social Work, in the contemporary social work practice and theory, with the assumed claim to imposing even as dominant in the future. The Chapter 2, Humane Personality and Soul – Personal-Psychological Sources of the Professional’s Humane and Spiritual Qualities, shows what might be called, in the author’s view, the personal-psychological sources of the professional’s humane and spiritual qualities in humanistic social work practice, mainly the soul (as the main component of the psychological-ontological sphere of the humane personality), with the sub-spheres: affective (social) soul, spiritual soul (mystical, playful, aesthetic, moral, intellectual) and humane soul. It is not negligible nor the role of the axiological-moral/prosocial sphere, or of the motivational-energetical sphere. In the Chapter 3, Humane and Spiritual Qualities of The Professional in Humanistic Social Work Practice - effectively is reached the content of the topic proposed by the book’s main title, approaching so the theme regarding the humane and spiritual qualities of the professional starting from the category of ”humane personality of the professional”, and insisting on the necessity to define it in connection with the spiritual-humanistic mode/ way of representation and approach of the customer. * The PART III of the book, IDEAS, FRAGMENTS, ELEMENTS OF SOME NEW TEXTS (in working) IN THE HUMANISTIC SOCIAL WORK PROJECT, includes three works, in preparation, to whom is working to appear, in the near future, within the project, respectively “Humanistic Social Work: The Third Way in Social Work Theory and Practice”, “Humanistic Social Work Practice” and “Humanistic Social Work: Humane Personality and Humane Relationships – Basic Resources of Practice”. * The paper ends with some CONCLUSIVE CONSIDERATIONS, where it is inferred the key conclusion that, operating into the sphere of human relations, the main purpose of the professional’s activity, with his humane and spiritual qualities, is that to transform them in HUMANE relationships. To this end, his qualities represents essential personal-professional resources that can facilitate the change, that can humanize the troubled social relationships, the dehumanized, dysfunctional microcommunity, This new environment will impose,




HUMANISTIC SOCIAL WORK – The THIRD WAY / FORCE in Theory, Practice and Politics. Core Qualities, Skills and Conducts of the Practitioner


Book Description

This book is a new appearance of the author – Petru Stefaroi – within ”The HUMANISTIC SOCIAL WORK Project”. In particular, in this work the author affirms and supports the thesis according to which – as in psychology and psychotherapy the idea, thesis and formula Humanistic Psychology/Psychotherapy as the Third Way or Force is regularly promoted and used – it is the case and the time as in the field of social work to operate with the formula Humanistic Social Work – The Third Way or Force in Social Work. The third way in practice, as a method, and the third force in theory, as a doctrine. If in psychology and psychotherapy the third way/force was established by reference to psychoanalysis and behaviorism, in social work the third way is established by reference to Traditional social work and Critical social work. This third way in social work is imposed, in the author's opinion, by prioritizing the concept of personality, bringing this doctrine, method and practice of social work closer to psychology and psychotherapy, to humanistic psychology and psychotherapy. But, the author specifies in the paper that humanistic psychology and humanistic psychotherapy, on the one hand, and humanistic social work as theory and practice, on the other hand, are distinct scientific and practical fields, not only by the object of intervention but also by methodology and specifics of practice. The aspect is well highlighted in the way it is structured and formulated his ”The HUMANISTIC SOCIAL WORK Project”, established as an initiative with the assumed aim to enhance the effective presence of the humanistic and personalistic values, theories and practices in social work, which usually are stated as fundamental and essential in different programs, strategies and policies but less present, in fact, in the specialized literature, in the faculties' curricula, or in the practice of the professionals and services. To this end, the project is designed as a philosophical-theoretical, axiological and methodological framework, a heuristic laboratory, a philosophical, scientific and professional forum where it can be set what might be called the theory, axiology and methodology of humanistic social work. The project’s concept starts from the idea that humanistic social work is not, however, a distinctive form of social work/ welfare but rather an ontology/ epistemology, that generates a reaffirmation/ restatement of the fundamental/ constitutional humanistic values of social work, incorporating, in the same time, in a (relative) new coherent and unitary theory, all what penetrated in social work in the last decades from humanistic psychology and psychotherapy, microsociology and humanistic sociology, human rights philosophy/ movement, and, especially, what was established as humanistic method in the contemporary social work practice and literature. The core aspect of the humanistic social work paradigm, theory and practice is determined by the way/ mode (humanistic) are represented the client and professional, considering the humanequalities/ resources of the client and professional the critical epistemological and methodological value of the this type of social work. One can say that the specific theory of humanistic social work is a conglomerate of theories, paradigms, orientations, but which have some crucial ideas as vectors: the person/ client as personality, as human being, with sentiments, soul, desires, sufferings, needs of love, needs of happiness and accomplishments; emphasis on personality and compathetical micro-community as basic resources of practice; positive, optimistic and appreciative expectation in practice; person-centered and microcommunity-centered approach in evaluation and intervention; concentration on the future and not on the past; the human rights, social justice; a humanistic perspective on the practitioner and his conducts in practice.




PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL WORK: Philosophical Bases, Models and Sources for a Humanistic Social Work 2023 HARDCOVER EDITION


Book Description

This edition comprises, brings together, incorporates, synthesizes some of the author's works, books, articles, chapters, ideas, fragments, in print and electronic form, with themes, topics, ideas that address the relation between philosophy and social work/ welfare/ policy, with emphasis on the humanistic paradigm/ approach, published in academic format, between 2011 and 2023. No new sections were introduced, but the bibliography was partially updated, bringing to attention relevant titles that appeared after the previous edition. In the book it is analyzed the complex and delicate relationship between philosophy and social work/welfare, between the philosophical system of concepts and ideas and the theory/axiology of social work/welfare, especially from a humanistic perspective, bringing face to face, on the one hand, the great branches or sub-domains of philosophy, respectively ontology, ethics, social philosophy, personology, and, on the other hand, the great sub-domains or issues of social work/welfare, respectively the way of representation the client and the social problem (difficult situation, risk situation, vulnerability, resilience, etc.), the system of constitutive values and principles, the way of representation of the professional and the specific practice/methodology, etc. The relation between philosophy and social work is, no doubt, biunivocal. philosophy encompasses, in its purpose and history, the "social" issue/dimension, in its broader human sense, especially with the preoccupations in the sphere of ethics and social philosophy, but also of the existentialist-humanistic and humanistic-personalist philosophies, as the, social work, as general theory and axiology, cannot be conceived without a consistent philosophical representation. Both the system of fundamental values and the mission or methodology of social work/welfare are, most often, stated in the terms of an explicit applied social, ethical and humanistic philosophy, even if not always this aspect it is highlighted in an assumed way. An important observation that must to be done is that the author does not proposes in his book (and nor does it accomplish) an exhaustive, profound and complete approach and exposure of the relation, connection - from a humanistic point of view - between philosophy and social work/welfare, between their sub-domains, but only he brings into attention this subject, this theme, very little approached in the literature in relation to its indisputable importance. Regarding the destination of this paper, its design, content and bibliography are made in such a way that to be useful both to the academic community, to students and teachers in philosophy and social sciences and practices, and also to the professional community, to social workers, psychotherapists, educators, social managers, etc.




The HUMANISTIC APPROACH in Psychology & Psychotherapy, Sociology & Social Work, Pedagogy & Education, Management and Art: Personal Development and Community Development SECOND EDITION


Book Description

The purpose of this book – "THE HUMANISTIC APPROACH IN PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHOTHERAPY, SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK, PEDAGOGY & EDUCATION, MANAGEMENT AND ART: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT" (Second Edition) – is to achieve an investigation as exhaustive and comprehensive as possible on the presence of the humanistic approach, with an emphasis on the dual-humanistic valences, in a wide range of social and human fields, thus bringing before the reader – as an alternative to the modular, strictly monodisciplinary approaches – a multidisciplinary and complex approach, thus putting almost all the most important social & human disciplines and practices under a single humanistic/ dual-humanistic ”umbrella”, and presented in a single book. The Chapter 1 highlights the diversity of approaches in the social and human domains, focusing on three great approaches: mystical-spiritual and religious, strictly scientific, and humanistic. In Chapter 2, the sources and models of the humanistic orientation are explored, identifying in this sense, with priority, Humanism and philosophical influences such as criticism, ontology, humanistic philosophy, and same oriental-spiritual practices. This chapter highlights also the contribution of phenomenology, existentialism, personalism, gestaltism, neo-Marxism, the Frankfurt School, secular humanism, the human rights movement, postmodernism, feminism, and complex and emergent systems theories. Chapter 3 focuses on the humanistic/ dual-humanistic approach in psychology and psychotherapy.. The basic principles of the humanistic approach to the human psyche were highlighted, as well as the dual-humanistic approach to personality and behavior. Chapter 4 discusses the humanistic/ dual-humanistic orientation in sociology and social work, highlighting the characteristics of social humanism and their different postures in the field of sociology and social work. Chapter 5 brings to the reader's attention the humanistic approach to pedagogy and education, emphasizing the specificity of child/student center education and the characteristics of the dual-humanistic approach in pedagogy/ education. Chapter 6 addresses the issue of humanistic management, emphasizing how this approach generated a significant change in work organizations, focusing on people, employee development and their well-being. Chapter 7 discusses the humanist approach in art, theater and film, highlighting the characteristics of humanistic aesthetics and humanistic theatrology/ filmology. Chapter 8 brings other disciplines into the discourse, such as medicine, politics, religion, technology & science, ecology and economy, highlighting how the humanistic approach influences these fields and brings a dual perspective between person-centeredness and human/ social solidarity. Chapter 9 presents some of the characteristics of the humanistic/dual-humanistic approach to personal development, focusing on the formation of a strong, humane and complete personality. Chapter 10 discusses the humanistic approach, especially through its dual-humanist valence, in community development, emphasizing how it, as philosophy, culture and politics, can contribute to the formation of a strong and humane/ solidary community, with the inclusion of the goals and values of personal development/fulfillment and the happiness of their members. Regarding the usefulness and addressability of this edition, of this book, the design, content and bibliography are made in such a way as to be useful both to the academic community, to students and to teachers, and to the professional community, to psychotherapists, educators, managers, social workers, artists, medical practitioners, politicians, etc. The work being unique in its way because it brings together under the ”umbrella” of a humanistic approach the most important social & human sciences and practices, it is, of course, also addressed to readers interested in such a perspective.




HUMANISTIC PERSONOLOGY: A HUMANISTIC-ONTOLOGICAL THEORY OF THE PERSON & PERSONALITY. Applications in Therapy, Social Work, Education, Management, and Art (Theater) 2023 PAPERBACK EXPANDED EDITION


Book Description

This Expanded 2023 Edition of the book entitled HUMANISTIC PERSONOLOGY: A HUMANISTIC-ONTOLOGICAL THEORY OF THE PERSON & PERSONALITY. Applications in Therapy, Social Work, Education, Management, and Art (Theater), completes the range of domains brought to attention and represented from the perspective of humanistic-ontological orientation with new domains, namely medicine, politics, technology & science, ecology, and economy – work/project which, as stated in previous editions,presents an ontological-humanistic theory/ model for the formation, development, functioning, education, and therapy/ counseling of the human personality & person, offering a philosophical (ontological) alternative to the prevailing contemporary psychological, biological, and cybernetic models in both literature and practice. To this end, the process of personality/ person formation is described as a successive and simultaneous creation and establishment of internal autonomous "BEINGS"/ onto-formations. These internal beings/ onto-formations, such as the organism, the self, the soul, the ego, the mind, the consciousness, play a dynamic-ontological and functional specific role in the composition and the functioning of the personality/ person. The personal profile, the personality traits, the behavior, the human being as a whole, are depicted as the outcomes of inner dynamic relationships and ontological confrontations among these internal beings, which are energetically and antagonistically charged. Through this daring project and through these innovative elements, the theory/ model presented in an improved form also in this edition can represent a significant contribution, not only to elucidating and explaining the complex processes of personality/ person formation, development, functioning, and therapy, but also to represent these processes – including by invoking the Aristotelian and Platonic concepts of transubstantiation and body-soul (matter-spirit) dualism – in relation to profound philosophical (ontological and metaphysical) categories such as human being, human essence, human nature, and human condition, bringing the discourse, currently located mainly in the sphere of psychology, in the sphere of philosophy, ontology and ethics as well, the formation and development process not leading – from the perspective of the model adopted in the project – only to the formation of personality and adaptive behavior, but also to the formation, in a holistic view, of the person as a whole, of the person as a HUMAN BEING. Some of the most significant fragments/ ideas: ”The essence of the humanistic-ontological conception regarding the person/ the human personality is given by the idea that these are ontological products of some gradual and stadial processes held with the crucial contribution of the concrete/ contextual/ contingent socio-human, cultural and institutional factors where the person grows and lives. Very important are therefore the personal-human factors...” ”In our ontological-humanistic model of formation, beingness and functioning of the person/ personality - of the human being - we will speak, therefore, about characteristics, properties, processes, principles such as onto-formatization, persomization and promergence, emergence and imergence, transmergence and telegence, conmergence and sinmergence, about stages of evolution, formation, development, establishment of the personal ontological-psychological formations, of the person as a whole, such as of contact, of acquisition/ accumulation, of structuration/ centralization, of constitution/ holistization, of establishing/ networking, and finally of ontification/ fulfillment, and about ontological-subjective humane and spiritual experiences/ feelings that represent ”substances", motivational-energetical sources and resorts of forming of the personality/ person’s onto-formations and spheres...”




HUMANISTIC PHILOSOPHY : Humanistic and Pro-Humanistic Ideas, Values, Orientations, Movements, Methods, and Representatives in Philosophy, Science, Society, and Social Practices HARDCOVER EDITION


Book Description

As a sub-discipline, part of (general) Philosophy, Humanistic Philosophy is focused on, and brings in attention, especially, the category, the value-concept of Human Being, with the meaning of agency, individuality, subject, the person with the attribute of freedom and self-determination, the respect for the human as individual, as a Person, in opposition to the approaches that represent the individual human being as a simple statistical element into a social structure, system, mechanism, in history and/or society.In the second meaning, crucial concepts, syntagms, and ideas-values that are bring in attention, when we speak, therefore, of (general) philosophy as a humanistic discipline are Anthropo-Centrism and Person-Centered Approach in the general process of philosophical knowledge and investigation. Essentially, philosophy as a humanistic discipline, through all its branches, orientations, schools, and methods, is an ethics of the phenomenon, process and act of knowledge in general, and of the philosophical knowledge in particular, an ethics of the human, of the man, of humanity, and, especially, ultimately, a philosophy of the human as a goal, values, ideal, principle of all the processes, acts of knowledge and action, epistemologically and methodologically speaking. *** Regarding the Destination of this book, its design, content and bibliography are made in such a way that to be useful both to the academic/ scientific community, to students, teachers and researchers, and also to the professional community - artists, educators, managers, social workers, psychotherapists, health professionals, human rights activists, activists in the political sphere, etc.




Philosophy and Social Work


Book Description

In this book it is brought to attention and is analyzed the complex and delicate relationship between philosophy and social work/welfare, between the philosophical system of concepts and ideas and the theory/axiology of social work/welfare, especially from a humanistic perspective, bringing face to face, on the one hand, the great branches or sub-domains of philosophy, respectively ontology, ethics, social philosophy, personology, and, on the other hand, the great sub-domains or issues of social work/welfare, respectively the way of representation of the client and of the social problem (difficult situation, risk situation, vulnerability, resilience, etc.), the system of constitutive values and principles, the way of representation of the professional and the specific practice/methodology, etc. The relation between philosophy and social work is, no doubt, biunivocal. philosophy encompasses, in its purpose and history, the "social" issue/dimension, in its broader human sense, especially with the preoccupations in the sphere of ethics and social philosophy, but also of the existentialist-humanistic and humanistic-personalist philosophies, as the, social work, as general theory and axiology, cannot be conceived without a consistent philosophical representation. Both the system of fundamental values and the mission or methodology of social work/welfare are, most often, stated in the terms of an explicit applied social, ethical and humanistic philosophy, even if not always this aspect it is highlighted in an assumed way. An important observation that must to be done is that the author does not proposes in his book (and nor does it accomplish) an exhaustive, profound and complete approach and exposure of the relation, connection - from a humanistic point of view - between philosophy and social work/welfare, between their sub-domains, but only he brings into attention this subject, this theme, very little approached in the literature in relation to its indisputable importance. Regarding the destination of this paper, its design, content and bibliography are made in such a way that to be useful both to the academic community, to students and teachers in philosophy and social sciences and practices, and also to the professional community, to social workers, psychotherapists, educators, social managers, etc.




Modern Social Work Theory, Fourth Edition


Book Description

This masterly text is a classic in its field and will be a reliable companion throughout the course of your studies and your career as a social work practitioner. In this substantially reworked and updated fourth edition of his best-selling text, Malcolm Payne presents clear and concise evaluations of the pros and cons of major theories that inform social work practice, and comparisons between them. Modern Social Work Theory is now more accessible and comprehensive than ever, offering: the most complete coverage of social work theory, from classic perspectives to the very latest ideas, including a new chapter dedicated to strengths, narrative, and solutions approaches; a host of brand new case examples showing how theories can be applied to everyday practice; new analysis of the ethical dimensions of different social work theories and what common values they share; Pause and Reflect questions to encourage you to draw on your own experience and develop your thinking; and updated Example text sections which summarize the most current thinking and help bridge the gap between introductions to each theory and more specialist writing.




The Humanistic Approach in Psychology & Psychotherapy, Sociology & Social Work, Pedagogy & Education, Management and Art:


Book Description

In this book is realized a brief presentation of the main orientations and features of the Humanistic Theory and Method in the major socio-human sciences, domains and practices. As construction, structure and content this book cumulates, incorporates, synthesizes and develops in a new, original and unitary work a number of the author’s previous works consecrated to the humanistic approach and method in some socio-human sciences and practices, especially in Psychology and Psychotherapy, Sociology, Social Work, Education and Management, published up to the end of 2012, both in print and electronic format. In the process of realization of this works, including of this book, was taken into consideration and was consulted the universal "social" and "therapeutic" literature of humanistic orientation, with the two main directions – existential/positive and spiritual/ontological/humanitarian, or the one that describes it or refers to it. Essentially, the Existential/Positive Orientations represent and approach, in theory or practice (therapy, education, social work etc.), the Person and Personality through traits (objectives) like high level of personal and social autonomy, free will and high capacity/ ability for self-determination, high level of personal development, high resilience, high capacity to control the emotions, high degree of awareness, self-knowledge, high self-esteem, high level of interpersonal development, adaptability, mature personality, activism and initiative, assertiveness, etc., while the Socio-Human (Micro-)Community is represented through features such as high autonomy, strong organizational culture, high socio-human functionality, high cohesion, unity, solidity, adaptability, resilience, resistance to crisis and challenges, good management, etc. The Ontological/Spiritual Approaches/Theories promote core concepts (and objectives of the intervention) such as spiritual-humane personality and humane/good community, spiritual-humane development of the person and humane-cultural development of the community. These paradigms highlight and promote Personality traits and qualities such as spirituality, virtue, humanness, altruism, empathy, love, faith, etc. Regarding the theoretical representation of the Community these approaches/theories highlight ideas and features as people-centered community, the dominance of the inter-personal relationships of attachment, love, respect, the dominance of the practices and customs of mutual helps, social/group/community solidarity, harmony, unity, inter-personal congruency, socio-human, inter-personal, community functionality, socio-human, moral and cultural integration/ cohesion. *** Regarding the destination of this paper, its design, content and bibliography are made in such a way to be useful both to the academic community, to students and teachers, and also to the professional community, to psychotherapists, educators, managers, social workers, artists, etc.




Humanistic Social Work


Book Description

"In this exciting new book, Malcolm Payne draws on core principles of social work to articulate a new humanistic practice for the twenty-first century. Humanistic Social Work: Core Principles in Practice presents a profession that aims at positive fulfillment in social relationships, exploring and reconciling artistic, creative, and spiritual avenues with evidence-based practice approaches and postmodernist understandings of human growth and knowledge development. Showing how practitioners can embody flexible, skilled, and knowledge-based responses to the complexities of human individuality, Payne reorients the aims of social work as an accountability to clients' individual self-fulfillment, enabled by community and social development. Humanistic Social Work is a reaffirming treatise on the strengths rather than the deficits of the individual, the innovations rather than the imperfections of the social work profession."--Publisher's website.