Coping Processes in an Emerging Profession: Narratives of Social Workers in China

Abstract

Coping is a concern for both social work academics and practitioners, but its process has rarely been studied. This study investigated the coping processes utilized by social workers to remain in the profession in China. Forty-nine social workers were individually interviewed, followed by three focus groups convened to review the results. The findings showed that Chinese social workers presented an apparent coping habitus of reconciling structures and individual agency. “Outside-in” and “inside-out” processes were interconnected to elaborate their coping practices. Furthermore, the “inside-out” process was a strength-oriented coping practice and aimed to improve personal agency, and was treated as the primary coping process; while the “outside-in” process was a resource-based coping practice and regarded as a secondary solution to garner resources and support from external stakeholders. The implications for government, policy, research, social work practice, and education are discussed.