One of the main criticisms is that it is too political. It bears the risk that focusing on collective action might be at the expense of individual’s immediate needs. The argument is that the social work mandate is to help people with the day-to-day problems, and not change the system. There is also the risk that in adopting such an approach, social workers can become
paternalistic (Hutchinson and Otedal, 2014). We must be mindful, as Humphries (1997) warned, we (as university students, educators, researchers and practitioners) are implicated in power, and that our very aspiration to liberate can reproduce patterns of dominance and subordination.
To avoid this: 1) Work with – not only for people; 2) Politicization and acute awareness of the Self; 3) Engage in individual and collective advocacy; 4) Embrace human rights and social justice at all levels.
The dynamics of internalized oppression: Race, gender, class/capitalist hegemony
