Medicalising deviance, social control and social work

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DEL DIRITTO
Author/s Daniele Scarscelli
Publishing Year 2015 Issue 2015/1 Language Italian
Pages 28 P. 37-64 File size 198 KB
DOI 10.3280/SD2015-001002
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In recent decades, the process for treating a non-medical problem as though it were a medical problem, a process that goes by the name of "medicalisation", has expanded so significantly in our society that there are now all sorts of fields of human experience that are interpreted in the light of the medical paradigm. Non-medical problems that are defined and treated as though they were emotional disturbances or illnesses include many that come under the heading of the activities of social workers. The article focuses on a question of vital importance for the social worker’s institutional and professional mandate: in what way does the medicalisation of deviance influence how social control is exercised? In particular, attention is called to the differences between a clinical approach aimed at "correcting" deviants and an understanding approach aimed at "re-evaluating" them, in Matza’s terms

Keywords: Medicalisation - Deviance - Social control - Social work - Empowerment

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Daniele Scarscelli, Medicalizzazione della devianza, controllo sociale e social work in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL DIRITTO " 1/2015, pp 37-64, DOI: 10.3280/SD2015-001002