TOO LITTLE FEAR CAN KILL YOU. STAYING ALIVE AS A SOCIAL WORKER

Abstract

This paper provides a psychodynamic exploration of risk assessment of service users who might represent a danger to others and, in particular, to the social workers involved in their care and treatment. Substantive quotations from participants in a qualitative research study enquiring into experiences of fear in social work and counselling are provided and discussed in the light of psychodynamic theory. Fear is seen to be of crucial and life‐enhancing significance while not listening to the ‘survival signals’ transmitted from fear responses is shown to be potentially dangerous, even fatal. The need for workers to locate themselves accurately on the continuum of the depressive/paranoid‐schizoid position is highlighted throughout as is the need for them to appear to disturbed and disturbing service users as whole people rather than part objects. The importance of clearing a space through the fear to think about what is happening between service user and worker is emphasised and the parts played by the eyes and the emotions in this are also considered. The paper concludes with the contention that workers should aim to cultivate an attitude of appropriate fearfulness as this is a helpful albeit complex balance worth striving for.

Keywords:

• fear
• death
• risk‐assessment
• protection
• survival