1. Dr.phil., assoc prof. Andris Vilks, Riga Stradins university, Latvia SUBJECTIVE DIMENSION IN SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH

2. 2. Italian sociologist Franco Ferrarotti makes a calling to get a deeper insight: - not only in the personality of the respondent, - but in the personality of the researcher as well - and to reveal his basic philosophical and sociopsychological viewpoints by self-analysis, - thus breaking the protective wall often existing between the researcher and research subject (in that way to promote an intervention).

3. a) levels of philosophical wisdom, b) presence of the socialpsychological factors in social work research. 3. When characterizing the subjective problems of social work research, one must pay attention to:

4. 4. For social work research it is necessary to classify the philosophical wisdom in certain levels: Classic philosophical ________wisdom Encyclopaedic _____wisdom Wisdom based on particular ______science Everyday wisdom

5. 5. Identification and prognosis The first level require some identification with a respondent of everyday thinking. However, the researcher has to be ready for the next step: to disassociate himself from the object up to fourth level: philosophical wisdom for formulation of social work intervention prognosis.

6. 6. The social work researcher must maintain his focus on the fact that the research object might be substituted by explanations of researcher's subjective impressions.

7. 7. Social self A specific characteristic of the social self is a type of emotion. This type could be called the awareness of possession which can be aggressive in order to gain power over the objects possessed.

8. 8. The human tries to mask himself The human also frequently tries to mask himself when thinking of the evaluation formed in others mind. The lack of such mask indicates narrow-mindedness.

9. 9. Social infection The problems regarding social self are closely related to social infection, characterized - by a rapid, unconscious, even irrational spread of various forms of behaviour, - lose of critical ability of social resistance, self-consciousness and self-control.

10. 10. The social work researcher The social work researcher must pay the most attention to the active (psychological) crowd - frequently indicated by actions of mass-media, - closely linked to the analysis of rumour in the process of a social work investigation.

11. 11. The social work researcher It is also obvious that the social work researcher - should examine himself and his position, - whether the interpretation of the research results is not affected by the socio-cultural phenomenon of rumour.

12. 12. The socio-cultural tradition The socio-cultural tradition is much more powerful than scientific logics. In such cases in Latvia, there are two options for the researchers of social work.

13. 13. Tradition of criticism One is to form ones social and professional experience in accordance with a tradition of criticism. However, social criticism: - cannot see the essence of social processes and phenomena, - cannot explain unpopular decisions of the government, cannot analyse social life in long-term, etc.

14. 14. Insight into the scientific logics The other option, is a deep insight into the scientific logics. In order to obtain a competent understanding of the societys life, one must have a serious mental and scientific insight.