Volume 9, No. 1, Art. 3 – January 2008

The Case Perspective in Professional Praxis and in its Reflexive Self-Appraisal: Some General Considerations based on an Empirical Example from the Field of Family Mediation

Kai-Olaf Maiwald (Germany)

Abstract: In this article it is argued that developing a specific case perspective is of crucial importance for professions. The argument proceeds in two steps: First, the structural elements that are associated with the use of the term "case" are explicated and an explanation is offered why a reference to cases is characteristic for professions. Second, a problematic empirical example from the context of family mediation illustrates that a case perspective structures both the professional praxis of interacting with a client as well as the reflexive self-appraisal of this praxis. It will, furthermore, be argued that the absence of such a case perspective has precarious implications for the praxis of intervention as well as for reflecting about this praxis.

Key words: case, case perspective, professional action, mediation

This contribution is only available as a full text in the German language. German text

Volume 9, No. 1   Table of Contents

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© 2008 Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research
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