A Tale of Two Perspectives: Defensive or Developmental?
| DOI | 10.1177/026455057602300309 |
| Author | Martin Davies |
| Date | 01 September 1976 |
| Published date | 01 September 1976 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
A
Tale of Two Perspectives:
Defensive or Developmental?
MARTIN DAVIES
University of East Anglia
&dquo;THROUGHOUT his life, man is fighting a rear-guard action against death&dquo;,
commented Enoch Powell recently in one of his wiser, though still
gloomy, moments. So too, the same philosopher might add, is society
constantly fighting a rear-guard action against its own destruction. Hence
its felt need for restrictions on freedom, defence against any disturbance,
control and vigilance to protect the status quo. Set against this scenario
is the developmental perspective: the view that all change is potentially
beneficial, that even retirement and old age offer new opportunities for
growth, and that the future achievements of man-in-society will far out-
shine any yet seen. The two positions are not mutually exclusive. Both
can claim possession of some truth, and all men and institutions
incorporate elements of each, though in differing proportions.
It is the lot of the probation officer to encompass both in an unusually
explicit manner: he is expected to operate developmentally (and his
professional commitment and personal inclinations probably encourage
him to do so) within an institution-the penal system-which is primarily
concerned to maintain the established order. It is a remarkable achieve-
ment to have held the two perspectives in balance so successfully for so
long. How likely is it that the Probation Service will continue to do so?
The evidence is not wholly reassuring, and the risk of drifting into a
closed system model, tied down to routine surveillance, concerned only
with procedural efficiency and formal relationships is always present.
In a recent study of long-serving probation officers’ there was
unanimous agreement that the work of the Service was changing:
20 per cent thought it was changing for the better
30 per cent thought it was changing for the worse ,
19 per cent thought it was changing for both better and worse
31 per cent thought that it was changing but did not specify how
In such a volatile situation, there is little wonder that the administra-
tion of the Probation and After-Care Service poses problems. Manage-
ment craves for certainty because of the need to budget, to plan, to
predict and to control; one of the expressed objectives of applied
research in the public sector is to reduce the area of uncertainty in
management, and yet it is management which precipitates at least some
of the changes in any...
To continue reading
Request your trial