Reframing “Dirty Work”: The Case of Homeless Shelter Workers

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research in a homeless shelter, this article examines how caseworkers navigate an occupation that is often physically and morally trying, and at times, objectionable. Given this context, we examine the ways in which caseworkers identify and define "dirty work," often seen as a source of occupational degradation, according to two main typifications: the physical and the moral. Building on Erving Goffman's frame analysis, we examine the definitional and interactional strategies actors use to transform unpleasant first-order realities to more valued, meaningful, or workable second order realities, by keying particular frames of meaning. These involve framing dirty work through (1) a professional lens, (2) humanism and egalitarianism, (3) a negotiated interpretation of institutional rules, and (4) the use of humor. We conclude by reflecting on the constructed nature of dirty work, and the importance of framing strategies in the sociology of occupations, suggesting that a more generic application of these ideas may be useful across a number of other social contexts.

Framing the Purchase of Human Goods: Cosmetic Surgery Consumption in Capitalist South Korea

“…Put differently, referents within natural frames are ontologically and morally naturalized as a matter of fact. Torelli and Puddephatt (2021) go further in their qualitative study of caseworkers in a homeless shelter to illustrate the invocation of natural frames as a way to rationalize relational conflicts in their "dirty work." They find that caseworkers excuse aggressive client behavior with the acknowledgment that "it was not 'the caseworker' that the client was upset with, but the 'system,'" (p. 324) theorized as the Goffmanian (1974) use of natural frames to justify behavior in place of "social" frames that assign moral responsibility.…”

“…These two frames adopt the qualities of Goffman's (1974:22) natural frames that “identify occurrences seen as undirected, unoriented, unanimated, unguided, ‘purely physical.’” Put differently, referents within natural frames are ontologically and morally naturalized as a matter of fact. Torelli and Puddephatt (2021) go further in their qualitative study of caseworkers in a homeless shelter to illustrate the invocation of natural frames as a way to rationalize relational conflicts in their “dirty work.” They find that caseworkers excuse aggressive client behavior with the acknowledgment that “it was not ‘the caseworker’ that the client was upset with, but the ‘system,’” (p. 324) theorized as the Goffmanian (1974) use of natural frames to justify behavior in place of “social” frames that assign moral responsibility. It is important to recognize that what makes frames natural is not that social conflicts do not exist, but that they reclassify such conflicts and distinctions into natural phenomena and absolve actors of moral blame.…”

“…Indeed, though such "pattern[s] … [are] not followed fully … [they] serve as a model, a detailed pattern to follow, a foundation for form" (Goffman 1974:41;c.f. Fine 1983;Torelli and Puddephatt 2021). So pressing and capillary are these myriad pressures that they buttress a single "definition of the situation," a single reality of urgency to seek alternative pathways to achieving instrumental capital gains; an impulse "upheld by active efforts, and defended against breakdowns and rival definitions" (Collins 2004:24) to make this shared reality effectively real for its participants and transform the prospect of cosmetic surgery into a microinteractional ritual with prospect for capital gains.…”

Challenging the ‘dirty worker’—‘clean client’ dichotomy: Conceptualizing worker‐client relations in dirty work

“…Regarding dirty relationality which results from interaction with clients' bodies, several studies support Torelli and Puddephatt's (2021) observation that workers in some dirty work occupations deal with matter that is literally dirty-'people, vomit and unpleasant odours' (p. 318). As they explain, caseworkers in homeless shelters: '.…”

Developing Grounded Theory Systematic Approach for Public Policy Researches

“…Constructivist GT introduced by Charmaz and Bryant focuses on searching for patterns and explanations in the process of making comparisons and interpretations out of communications (Bryant, 2002; Bryant & Charmaz, 2007; Charmaz, 2014). For more details on this GT variant, refer to Torelli and Puddephatt (2021) as an example.5. Postmodern situational GT introduced by Clarke widens the span of GT research from actors and their perspectives to artifacts, practices, and discourses.…”