The Other Side of the Desk: Former Welfare Recipients Who Now Work for "The System."

Authors

Cheryl Cheek, Pennsylvania State University
Kathleen W. Piercy, Utah State University

Abstract

Within the framework of identity theory, twenty female former welfare recipients who are currently human service workers discussed how their past experiences affected current service provision and their views of the welfare system. Semi-structured interviews were used, and data were coded and analyzed using the multistage process designed by McCracken (1988) for long interviews. Respondents discussed how their experiences made them more empathetic towards their clients and gave them insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the past and present welfare systems. Results show support for identity theory by showing how past identities affect present ones.

Recommended Citation

Cheek, Cheryl and Piercy, Kathleen W. (2001) "The Other Side of the Desk: Former Welfare Recipients Who Now Work for "The System."," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 28: Iss. 3, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.2747
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol28/iss3/9