The New Left and the Human Service Professions

Authors

Robert J. S. Ross, Clark University

Abstract

There are three characteristics of the New Left which had impact on social and human service professionals. Egalitarianism produced distrustof orthodox professional detachment from and power over poor and minority persons. The movement also gave expression to guilt, for some, over their "privileged" backgrounds. The New Left's decentralist views about power produced an orientation to local insurgency: the organization of neighborhood and community activist organizations. In combination, for those influenced by the movement and entering the professions, a characteristic type of new professionalism arose: advocacy for the interests and organizations of the oppressed. Illustrations of this process are found in city planning and the academic disciplines, as well as other traditional and social service professions.

Recommended Citation

Ross, Robert J. S. (1977) "The New Left and the Human Service Professions," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 4: Iss. 5, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1191
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol4/iss5/2