A hermeneutic approach that attempts to understand the complex ecology of interacting meanings of events in any person-situation configuration is central to social work. Examples from social work practice in a hospital setting are used to illustrate how practitioners use naturalistic and interpretive modes of inquiry. A parallel between such practice and ethnographic research is drawn to highlight important issues for social work, including the validation of interpretation and the need for reflexivity.
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Dorothy Scott (1989) studied this question.
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