Original 1989 Article: ‘A Strengths Perspective for Social Work Practice’

Abstract

Dichotomies pervade human life. In trying to cope with complex realities, human so- cieties have created stark divisions between the good and the bad, the safe and the unsafe, the friend and the enemy. It is a curious fact that greater attention invariably is paid to the negative poles of the dichotomy: to the bad, the unsafe, the enemy. This pull toward the negative aspects of life has given a peculiar shape to human en- deavors and has, in the case of social work and other helping professions, created a profound tilt toward the pathological. Because of the subtle ways in which this bias is expressed, its contours and consequences must be examined to set the stage for a different perspective. The strengths perspective is an alternative to a preoccupation with negative aspects of peoples and society and a more apt expression of some of the deepest values of social work.