Critical realism, mimetic theory and social work

Summary Scapegoating is a ubiquitous, yet pernicious, phenomenon in today’s world. It manifests innumerable ways. Social work, line with its emancipatory value-base, seeks to engage various scapegoated groups challenge the experience. In this article, authors draw on critical realism and mimetic theory elucidate causative mechanisms fuelling scapegoating. This done order heighten social workers’ insight into process empower targeted groups. Findings Mimetic highlights that scapegoating product of desire, rivalry deflection. These are deep-seated compatible realist ontology search for properties argued augments by setting it within much wider deeper context understanding. As such, emphasizes intersecting causes contingencies such as role temporal spatial factors shaping Applications workers can transform these theoretical insights sensitizing constructs when they facilitate self-directed groupwork Being theoretically informed, pose questions group members assist them make link between personal problems political issues. The aim so embrace sociological imagination act change.