Perceptions of Tattoos in Future Romanian Social Workers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore an uncharted topic in Romanian social work literature: the social perception of tattoos in future social workers. Romanian and international research literature is briefly reviewed to get an understanding of social perceptions about tattoos as they are associated with marginalized groups traditionally served by social workers, such as victims of human trafficking, people deprived of liberty, and people with substance abuse. We then aim to explore social work students’ perceptions about tattoos, and the attitudes elicited by such perceptions in encounters with social work beneficiaries. An exploratory research project was conducted with social work students in their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year of study at the West University of Timisoara, Romania regarding students’ social perception of tattoos.