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- Diakoners hantering av möjligheter, begränsningar och inre konflikter
DeaconDiaconal workDiaconal parishesSocial workInternal conflictsEmpowermentLiberation theologySolution focused approach
In a press release from the Swedish church it says that the pressure from people who are in need is increasing on the deacons in Sweden and that it?s getting higher each year. This study contains the search of knowledge about the deacons of the Swedish church, if they actually feel an increasing pressure and in what way, how they are handling the possible pressure from people in need, if that pressure is too high and if the deacons feel that they can assist the people seeking their help. The study also aim to provide more knowledge about the deacons experiences of the opportunities and boundaries (or obstacles) they meet in their line of work and how they handle the boundaries when/if they can?t provide the help that the people need. This is a qualitative study, using interviews as a tool to get the appropriate information to answer the questions at hand. Six deacons in different parishes in Blekinge and Skåne participated and the interviews took place at the parishes. The empirical material has been analyzed thematically. The theoretical viewpoints has been liberation theology, solution focused approach and empowerment. The analysis shows that the deacons experience an increasing pressure from the people seeking help especially from some groups in the community, especially from people feeling lonely. It shows that the deacons especially feel like the people mostly turn to them because they have a need to talk to someone, for example about their difficulties in life. It also shows that the deacons want to be sufficient, enough, and when they leave their work at the end of the day they want to feel that they?ve done everything they can to help the people in need. It also shows that they want to see the boundaries more as challenges to find new solutions. The analysis also shows that the deacons seem to use empowerment and that they have a solution focused approach in their work with the people in need. They also seem to have a viewpoint that looks like liberation theology. When the deacons experience that they have internal conflicts the analysis shows that they use different ways to deal with these. For example retreat, their faith, supervision/tutoring and a balanced free time.