Det (in)formella mötet som formas och formar : En kvalitativ studie om handläggare och klienters upplevelser av interaktionen i utredningsarbetet inom försörjningsstöd

Sammanfattning: The purpose with this study was to examine six caseworkers and two clients’ experiences of interaction in the investigative work of social assistance. Moreover, how the interaction between caseworkers and clients are affected by the structure of the social assistance unit. The study also wanted to show how interaction rituals contribute to the change in assessment procedure in the investigative work. The study even aimed to highlight the ways in which social exclusion occurs in investigative work from caseworkers and client’s capital and gender. Finally, the study intended to look at how caseworkers and client’s positions as superior and subordinate affect the interaction of the investigative work and what roles are shaped during their meeting and how the roles form the interaction. The questions were examined using qualitative methodology in the form of semi-structured interviews. I´ve based the paper on social exclusion processes and applied organizational sociology. The theoretical perspectives used in this thesis work is moreover Ahrne’s organization theory, Collins’s theory of interaction rituals, Goffman’s role theory, Bourdieus’ theory of distinction and capital concept and Mulinari and de los Reyes intersectionality concept. Main conclusions I could draw from the survey results and analysis are that the caseworkers and clients’ experiences tend to resemble each other in many aspects. Overall the caseworkers and clients experience that the interaction is multidimensional; however, the interaction is founded in the authority structure. The interaction is represented by the caseworker’s dominant position, where their overall superior role exists in which the underlying dual roles as helpers and personal authorities also occur. Unlike the caseworkers the clients hold a dominated position, where their overall subordinate role exists in which the underlying dual roles as clients and as individuals occur. This means that the interaction is primarily governed by the caseworkers and client’s freedom of movement is restricted. Clients welfare and their meaningfulness of everyday life including their financial situation are thereby affected by the interaction of the investigative work as a result of the interaction leading toward that the client is justified social assistance or not.