ABSTRACT
The two preceding chapters have dealt with topics that could be termed ‘domestic’ from the point of view of social work. In this and the following chapter the frame of reference will be wider. Social work has often been called a science or an art, and various attempts have been made to distinguish social work from friendship and from analytical therapy. We may not easily be able to grasp the generic and specific aspects of social work or see the significance of settings: we all have some kind of a concept of science, art and friendship. The form of this chapter follows that of the two previous chapters, an attempt to discern the different ways in which social work and science or art have been linked, followed by a discussion of the main issues.
