The Rise of the Therapeutic State (The City in the Twenty-First Century Book Series)

Assuming that "marginal" citizens cannot govern their own lives, proponents of the therapeutic state urge casework intervention to reshape the attitudes and behaviors of those who live outside the social mainstream. Thus the victims of poverty, delinquency, family violence, and other problems are to be "normalized." But "normalize," to Andrew Polsky, is a term that "jars the ear, as well it should when we consider what this effort is all about." Here he investigates the broad network of public agencies that adopt the casework approach. Assuming that "marginal" citizens cannot govern their own lives, proponents of the therapeutic state urge casework intervention to reshape the attitudes and behaviors of those who live outside the social mainstream. Thus the victims of poverty, delinquency, family violence, and other problems are to be "normalized." But "normalize," to Andrew Polsky, is a term that "jars the ear, as well it should when we consider what this effort is all about." Here he investigates the broad network of public agencies that adopt the casework approach. 'The Rise of the Therapeutic State interprets the development of social policy from a perspective that has often been noted but never elaborated in such a sustained manner. The author has made a forceful normative argument about the contradictions between the therapeutic approach and democracy.' Andrew J. Polsky. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [225]-281) And Index.