ABSTRACT
Phantasy and the caseworker We have already (in Chapter 1) looked at the caseworker's feelings about herself and her client. Let us now consider the worker's changing perception of herself, her work and her colleagues. One week, for instance, she may feel that she possesses outstanding ability, that she has scored brilliant successes, and that her colleagues do not accord her the recognition that is her due. Such phantasies about herself are likely to affect the way she holds herself, the confident way she walks, her whole manner and expression. At another time, the same caseworker may feel that she is a failure, no help to anyone, not worthy of the confidence others place in her. At yet another moment in time she may feel reasonably satisfied with 20
herself and her situation. These views, although contradicting one another, must all be pa-rt of a composite picture which the caseworker has of herself. Most of us are subject to such mood swings, though the frequency and extent of change varies from one individual to the other. Variations in one's experience of oneself can appear without change in external circumstances.
