• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.465-497
• /
• 2013

This paper criticizes the ontological and epistemological dichotomy in social sciences including social welfare and probes into Critical Realism as an alternative paradigm. Many theories for social welfare have adhered to dichotomous ontological standpoint, 'agency' vs. 'social structure', and Eco-system approach have occupied dominant position to integrate this dichotomy. These theoretical standpoint have had great influence on social work practice. On the other hand, dichotomous epistemological standpoint which is constituted of different views of phenomena, 'positivism' and 'constructionism', have had great influence on social work research and practice. These dichotomous ontological and epistemological approach have a limit to reveal qualitative nature of the relationship between agency and social structure, to ponder the deeper reality, the mechanism of stratified reality, and the reality being independent of agency. Replacing these approaches, Critical Realism unfold the theoretical potential as an alternative paradigm for social welfare through the discussion on stratified realty(the empirical, the actual, and the real), intransitive/transitive dimension, double hermeneutics in these dimensions, and the conditions for conceptualization, duality of structure and practice, transformation model of agency and structure.