Humiliation in(of) social work (on the example of ageism and elder abuse)

The terms such as: humiliation, discrimination, domination, privileges, symbolic power, violence come from the dictionary of critical pedagogy. Researchers such as P. Freire, H. Giroux, P. McLaren, Z. Kwiecinski, L. Witkowski and T. Szkudlarek reveal the mechanisms of manipulation and abusive practices in the field of education, which create/ maintain/ develop social inequalities and discrimination. They pay attention to the fact that school (and state) systems neither fulfil the needs of individuals or society, nor allow to speak for groups representing different ethnic origin, religion, beliefs etc. Similar mechanisms are present in the field of social work, social policy and its institutions. A critical perspective is not permanently present in the theories of social work. Therefore, it seems appropriate to elaborate on this subject and emphasize a number of traps, danger mechanisms of domination and discrimination in social care, due to the nature of this institution, which bears the marks of a total institution. One can speak in this context about discriminatory practices against specific groups (eg. against seniors), but also reach the meta-narrative perspective and analyze the new academic discipline, which is social work.Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu2385