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Ann Mari Sellerberg

Ann Mari Sellerberg

Professor emerita

Ann Mari Sellerberg

The Modern Poor: On the Sociological Position of Social-Aid Clients

Author

  • Ann Mari Sellerberg

Summary, in English

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.

Department/s

  • Sociology

Publishing year

1975-10-01

Language

English

Pages

375-381

Publication/Series

Sociological Focus

Volume

8

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Routledge

Topic

  • Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)

Keywords

  • Public assistance
  • Social work
  • Social welfare
  • Public sociology
  • Social issues
  • Poverty
  • Social control
  • Nothingness
  • Employee motivation
  • Teleology

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0038-0237