The Love Theorist

After a lecture on power, human rights and ethics, a social work student said: “social workers have no power!” He said it as an unequivocal truth and many other students agreed with him. This came as a surprise to me and we had a discussion about it then and there in class. This podcast explores power as an idea and practice, mainly in a professional context.It identifies the various ways social workers and other helping professionals can feel powerless, in their personal lives and in their professional roles. For example, a workplace culture that is toxic, unsupportive and possibly where social workers are subjected to bullying, can undercut their resilience and ability to exercise their power as is required in fulfilling their role. Power tends to be thought of as “someone has all the power and I have none!” and variations on this theme. And this way of thinking in itself can make a lot of sense when someone is feeling powerless.At the same time if we think of power as being constituted in a myriad of ways along a continuum this can give us more room to move and seek ways of being empowered. On one end of the power continuum is love as power – eg acts of gentle loving kindness as a type of power at the heart of all helping professions’ caring mandate. At the other end of the continuum is violence as power – eg assault, wars, harassment, coercive control. Legal use of power as per legislation such as the Mental Health Act, falls on the continuum along the violence end of the continuum. This is the case even though it is professionally and legally sanctioned to force a person to have a mental health assessment and possibly treatment against their will, in some very specific circumstances.These kinds of reflections bring the conversation to the main point that no matter how dire the situation, or how powerless we can feel in our professional work, we can always act (ie use power) to be kind, respectful and caring. This always matters and is perhaps even the most important aspect of professional use of power that isn’t given enough credence. We may not be able to help in the way the person wants for a range of reasons, but we can always validate, acknowledge, listen, and be kind. This is love as power at work. At the same time we shouldn’t use acts of kindness to avoid our responsibility to be competent and of substance in what we offer to people.You can read more on this topic in my book, Broken-heartedness: towards love in professional practice, published by Revolutionaries.Let me know what you think and thank you for supporting my work, Dyann This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

The podcast is a response to contemporary media representations of people who are treated as less than human due to being seen as outsiders to mainstream society. A recent comment by an Australian politician that ‘there are no good Muslims’ is indicative of an us-versus-them dangerous dichotomy. The language that is full of untruths and unfounded generalisations is a key step in social processes of dehumanization marginalisation.I explore my own stranger within as a way of showing how I have to grapple with not accepting aspects of myself. This can make me more reactive and less respectful of people who are strange to me. I cross link this to cultural/political commentaries from several leaders who speak from different religious and political stances. These leaders provide a vital moral boundary to vitriolic and harmful political and other public statements.For example, Stan Grant who is a First Nation social commentator and practicing Christian writes that we need to heed the way we talk about human beings. Derogatory language can position people as things/ objects, somehow not fully human and thereby not deserving of respect, protection and human rights.By welcoming strangers into Australian society – migrants, refugees and asylum seekers - we can provide an active resistance against fear, misinformation, self-centredness and prejudices such Xenophobia. I suggest that recognising and accepting the stranger within is one way to become more compassionate towards other people who embody that stranger in society.Your view on this topic is welcome and in closing, I wish to acknowledge anyone who feels they are treated disrespectfully because they are a stranger. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

The podcast focuses on our individual experience of eco-guilt that occurs from recognising our part in the unsustainability of the planet. Guilt is defined as both an individual awareness of causing harm, usually to another person. And inter-related to this is eco-guilt which is the recognition of causing harm to Nature and as such being part of the global problem.The causes of unsustainability and exploitation of the planet are multi-faceted with different levels of responsibility for harm done. The concern about global warming is indicative of the broad impacts of unsustainable use of Nature where human consumption of farmed animals highlights the interconnected issues.Individuals can experience eco-guilt even though each person has a miniscule impact on the global dimensions of the issue. But the collective of human individuals is having undeniable impacts that threaten the very survival of life on the planet. But not to forget that some businesses, governments and organisations hold a greater level of responsibility for harm done to Nature. There is a link between multi-national mining companies destroying large tracts of forest and waterways to mine bauxite, the raw material for aluminium, and individuals buying cars made of aluminium.This kind of interlinked awareness is the basis for eco-guilt and can result in individuals feeling a disproportionate amount of responsibility for the collective harm occurring to Nature. I offer a self-audit of how I use Nature in ways that are not sustainable and go on to suggest how guilt implies care and care is the motivating factor in acting in small ways to make amends for harm done to Nature.This is all about making sure we don’t become overwhelmed and fatalistic and stop caring as the challenges seem so insurmountable. The invitation is to reach out and share our experiences and together to go forward to make a loving contribution to the ecosystems we live in. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

Eco-anxiety describes the deep worry we can feel when we see very distressing things happening in the world. In particular, when so called natural disasters are wreaking havoc it is a level of anxiety that seems to have no end. Eco-anxiety gives a name to this distress and the powerlessness that often comes with it. It is caused by witnessing catastrophic events such as floods, fires, landslides, cyclones and droughts. In Australia is it not unusual to have severe floods in one part of the country and out of control wild fires in another part at the same time. You know it is something impacting you when watching or listening to a disaster unfolding and you feel the heightened unease, maybe panic and often deep dread, fear and distress. Sometimes we can’t get images out of our minds of suffering animals or people crying when they have just lost everything. This is of course, understandable.I would suggest that eco-anxiety is the proper response to what we see, hear and sometimes directly experience ourselves. However, we can become over-exposed to disasters and suffering such that our bodies become highly sensitised and we may be unable to calm our nervous system and function with some sense of personal control in our lives. Behind the eco-anxiety sits the risk of losing hope that the world will be OK, that nature will recover, that people will recover and that we can still be sure the world will be liveable for us all.Doing what we can to hold hope for ourselves and sometimes for others, is something we can do on a day by day basis. It is not easy and it is not a skill that is taught. There are though, many ways to foster hope and pay it forward in acts of kindness. For example, keeping our focus on people who are making positive contributions in the world can really help us. Jane Goodall has inspired people all over the world and one of her key messages is that in the face of hopelessness, do something! She says the smallest acts of care and kindness matter. It means we are not giving up in our distress, that we still want to make a contribution in the world. That we know what we do matters.The podcast shares my thoughts about how to transform deep worry about the world by practising hope each day, in little ways, and noting here that when called upon that we stand up to be counted more substantially. I dedicate this podcast to the incredible people - volunteers, neighbours, government workers and everyday people who step up - who respond to natural disasters, often putting their own lives at risk, to help others. That we continue to care gives me hope for our world, for to not care means we lose more than we need to. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

For some time I’ve been pondering where I stand in relation to the largely cautionary media reports and research about the use of AI, such as ChatGPT. At the same time it is apparent that no amount of caution will turn back to rising tide of people needing helping who are resorting to AI. As a social worker it is important to educate myself about this development and to explore how to contribute to its discerning and safe use. It also causes me to reflect on how the traditional helping professions may be impacted, but more interestingly, what might need to change in how we offer help which so often is stigmatising and in other ways can hurt rather than help.I outline some of the pros and cons for using AI as a form of self help and self care. Some cons are: it is a pseudo connection, it is not confidential and if distressed a person may not be asking the questions that can elicit the kind of help they need. Some pros are: it’s accessible, relatively cheap, it is non-stigmatising, and the person is proactive in seeking help.I conclude with some implications for how traditional helping professions can form a partnership with people which embraces the use of AI in ways that serve them and give them the best of both ways of seeking help - both the human and non-human.You can support my work by following me on Substack, or on TikTok or Instagram. My book - Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice - provides more in depth analysis of what helps and why so much helping is harmful, as well as ways to address this issue. You can email me on [email protected] if you would like to create a podcast around today’s topic or other topics offered in this podcast series. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

This podcast shines some light onto the troubling issue of workplace violence which can take many forms, and for our purpose today, I call bullying. The continuing harm caused by workplace bullying suggests it is a complex phenomenon that is multi-causal, involves multiple actors and targets, can be direct or indirect and not recognised as occurring or proactively addressed in trauma organised and trauma causing workplaces. I outline my early theorising about bullying by identifying the two key factors of desirability and threat. These factors exist on a continuum from high to low levels that intersect and create a grid whereby we can map the kinds of characteristics that workers who might get bullied have in each grid. [See the map map below]. The grid quadrant occupied by the classic target of bullies is described and alongside that the 3 other grid quadrants identify other potential targets.While the Grid describes workers’ behaviours and characteristics it is important to note that the issue of bullying is about power and abuse of power by the person who is acting in bullying ways or failing to stop it occurring. The Grid does not show the characteristics and behaviours of people who bully as it deserves its own attention. At the same time I would suggest that a focus on individuals’ behaviours can belie how authoritarian management and toxic workplace cultures are not only about individuals. The Target Threat/Desirability Grid is best considered a partial explanation of the reasons why bullying happens. In short, the Claras, Veras, Cathys and Sams of the workplace are not the reasons why bullying happens. But to the extent that their experiences holds a mirror to the causes, the Grid has some value. A draft mud map of the Grid:Do let me know what you think.I explore the issue of workplace violence on TikTok and Instagram and expand on it and the need for a love ethic informed approach in my book - Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice published by Revolutionaries. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

Love is an action and in professional helping, or when helping a friend or family member, it involves a range of capacities and values. This podcast focusses on the key ability of the non-judgmental attitude. In social work, a seminal text on the casework relationship by Felix Biestek (1957) was where I learnt about this professional attitude. However, lately I’ve been pondering whether I have actually helped anyone during my career and how hard it is to even bear this thought. I went back to Biestek’s ideas to clarify a long held belief in this idea of the non-judgmental attitude to see if I could improve my understanding of its relevance all these years later. It has remained puzzling to me how we do a lot of judging and evaluating in helping yet are meant to be non-judgmental.The podcast refers to relevant parts of Biestek’s book which provides a still useful definition and some insights into why it matters and how it is similar to acceptance. Interestingly, he defines acceptance in turn as a ‘special kind of love’ and thereby makes the link for me between the non-judgmental attitude and acceptance as love informed skills. I outline some ways to practice from a non-judging approach such as non-judgmental listening; self and societal awareness to ensure biases and prejudices don’t unwittingly seep into our interactions, and; understanding the socio-political and economic factors. These factors can create circumstances not of a person’s choosing and not under their full control to change. Thus, to judge the person by blaming or shaming them can cause a lot of harm and detract from our intentions of helping. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

If you are a fan of BTS this podcast is for you. If you have never heard of BTS - check it out to find what a BTS scholar and social worker have in common. We trace the ways we have influenced each other and our respective understandings of love from quite different antecedents and influences. Both of us sharing a passion and enjoyment of BTS as fans has enriched our writing and social media pieces and our understanding of love in a capitalist world where celebrity is mass produced but it can still provide messages of hope and the importance of self love.Many new subscribers have come to this podcast on the recommendation of The BTS Theorist. So it seems timely to make the links more explicit and perhaps to inspire some of my longer term subscribers to check out BTS - especially their music from the ‘love yourself era’. We discuss social work and BTS, and explain how BTS showed me how to speak up about the importance of love in social work in ways I had previously been reluctant to do. A big shout out to all ARMY’s today as it is ARMY day - BTS is lucky to have you all as their fans! You can find Wallea’s essays and other posts by googling The BTS Theorist, or accessing it via Substack, and by following her on Instagram. Thank you so much Wallea for your time and ideas today!! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

My co-author, Dilip Karki, and I are excited to share our recent published research article with you. In many ways it distils evidence of why love matters in social work and how love is needed for justice to matter. I introduce the publication by sharing some of my backstory to how love became such a big focus of my research and teaching for more than two decades. Early on the idea of a love ethic in social work education was recognised when I gained the award of a Doctor of Philosophy from Edith Cowan University in 2002. Since that time I’ve adapted the idea in applied research of various kinds and in turn this has inspired me in my current efforts to build a theory of love. These podcasts record my thinking, who inspires me and why love is both an ethic and set of actions needed when it is absent in situations of violence and injustice.I detail the main points of the article and share how a systematic literature review was undertaken to find 16 articles in social work journals that explored love in practice and in theory development. Dilip and I wanted to know what the current state of argument and research is on love in social work and whether it could inform an anti-oppressive (pro-justice) ethical positionality. While it is an emerging field of scholarship, the selected articles show how important love was in their work. In one article, their country’s government (Norway) has legislated for love to be used in working with young vulnerable people. In another, it was found that the young research participants were asking for love from the social workers as they had so little experience of it in their lives. Cautions were also offered regarding the risk of an overly emotional interpretation of love devoid of its broader promise of enabling a power analysis underpinning discrimination and oppression.We argue that with all the viewpoints considered it could be useful to think of love as an ethic, in the tradition of bell hooks’s seminal writing, providing a guide for further dialogue and scholarship.If you would like to access a copy of the published article, please use this link:https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjsw/bcaf113/8166617Let us know what you think or drop us a note if you have questions or would like me to elaborate more on any points or the overall research project.Thank you for your time and interest. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

The real cause of burnout in the workplace can be summarised as failures of responsibility in the human services. These failures of responsibility by many actors in positions of authority in a hierarchy of service delivery have multiple unintended, and nevertheless seriously harmful, consequences. Burnout of front line workers is the most concerning symptom of systems’ failures. A system fails when the collectivity of all responsible actors are either acting in inadequate ways or failing to act when it is their responsibility to do so. Failures of responsibility create a cascading series of losses and harms down the hierarchy such that people can be situated as the weakest link and the problem. I’m using the words ‘weakest link’ from Sandra Bloom’s important writing on trauma-causing workplaces, and here caution us not to interpret it as us being weak. Rather it is a systemic manifestation of problems largely beyond our control. The weakest link can get located in our person because we might be least desirable to the powers that be, or the least important, or the least agreeable, one way or another we will be at the bottom of the pecking order, where it is ultra hard to be safe and to be heard.The podcast outlines a number of ways to resist burnout in these kinds of workplaces. For example - get support; monitor your self talk; support others (behind the scenes); stand your ground; trust your senses; recognise patterns in the workplace and be cautious in trusting smiling faces. All these resistance strategies have some cautionary notes so do check out the podcast for more details.Burnout is experienced personally but it is in a workplace which makes it professional ie work related, legal, organisational ie occupational health and safety, and ultimately a societal issue.You can read more about organisational violence and other issues that can cause us to feel burnout and morally injured in my book - Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice. Available form the publisher - https://www.revolutionaries.com.au/books/p/bhAnd by following me on TikTok and Instagram.Thank you for your support and interest. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com