The intersection of social work and the arts: Gleanings from creative writers and social workers on spirituality, eros, and creativity for knowledge and practice

The vision of social work as both art and science (e.g., H. Goldstein, 1990) has often been eclipsed by efforts of social work to define official knowledge according to "hard scientific" models. This technical rationality dichotomizes experiences of mind-body, and disregards spirit. But calls for arts' inclusion have yet to stimulate a sustained research program; no empirical work exists in social work directly inquiring into committed artists' experiences as a basis for enhancing social work knowledge and practice---the central objective of the present study.; Taking creative writing as exemplary art, this inquiry gathered artists' and social workers' accounts of key constructs related to the arts---spirituality, eros and creativity---and proposed an "arts infused" approach for social work. A phenomenological-hermeneutic methodology (M. van Manen, 1997), with purposive sampling, was used. The first group of participants included 15 creative writers and 2 teachers of creative writing and the second group, 12 "arts-inclusive" social workers and 3 social work researchers, all of whom participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews (N = 31). All were experienced, credentialed or published in their respective areas.; Participants' rich accounts illustrated the arts' intersection with social work, suggesting integrated, nondual epistemologies and nonconventional linguistic categorization. The arts-inclusive social workers drew on their complex experiences illustrative of the limits and benefits of such inclusion. Participants invoked a reconceptualization of "self," "subjectivity," "authenticity," "relations and "communication" and "voice." Some participants spoke of spirituality, eros and creativity as merged in respect of the oneness of life, creator and created aspects, and everyday relating, transformation and healing. Eros was generally defined as the passion and desire for connection that also fueled the artist's experience and vitality in social workers and clients. Creativity, pursuing new truth, drew upon spirit and eros in disrupting routines or subjugation (cultural suppression of spirit, eros and creativity). Many spoke of how the arts, spirituality and eros foster social work's critical and community practice. The proposed arts infusion approach to knowledge and practice calls upon an enlarged view of human reality for social work within an ongoing ethic of care.