Saints or Sinners? The Image of Social Workers From American Stage and Cinema Before World War II

Abstract

Films and plays produced before World War II portrayed young social workers as fallen angels and older social workers as spinsters or misguided-mother types—images influenced more by political ideology, the audience factor, and attitudes toward women than by any actual knowledge of the profession. A deconstruction of the archetypes, which linger today, can help the profession enhance its identity and esteem and challenge social workers to circulate new stories about themselves in the popular media.