Socialt arbete med våldsutövare: En studie om socialarbetares upplevelser av arbetet med våldsutövande män i parrelationer

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to explore how social workers experience of working with men with a violent behaviour towards their partners in heterosexual relationships. We also aim to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional factors that affect the professional meeting. We have interviewed six social workers, one of whom defines herself as a woman and the rest of whom define themselves as men. The interviews were conducted in five different municipalities in Sweden since two interviewees worked within the same municipality. The following theories were used to analyse the empirical data from the interviews: gender theory, Goffman’s dramaturgical theory and Hochschild’s emotion sociological theory. The conclusion is that although it is necessary to obtain a certain amount of professionalism, the term professionalism is utterly subjective. The social workers go through a constant process of emotional development and feel more secure within their professional roles with time and experience, but both time and experience make them perceive their clients’ feelings in different ways. The study also raised the question of whether the social workers’ gender affect the professional meeting according to the social workers themselves and the potential influence that the social workers’ understanding of gender roles might have on the client’s therapeutic process.