The Social Construction of Normality *

Abstract

Our rapidly changing culture raises questions about standards of normality that social workers are often asked to help enforce. The author insists that we need standards to guide our communal life while also reminding the reader that normality is a mere context-dependent social construct. The article gives examples of drastically changing standards such as the changing expectations of normal sexuality or normal child rearing. Therapeutic standards, partially laid down in the Code of Ethics, are, moreover, the guidelines for social work practice, given the close interface between ethical values and clinical practice. The ambiguity of the meaning of normal and abnormal is discussed, suggesting that abnormal behavior may be required in the face of social injustices.