Fewer people are willing to cooperate in surveys, especially in urban areas. People have become much more selective in what they consider worthwhile becoming involved in and are wary of traditional forms of social engagement. This is a tall order, brought about by the shift in the objectives of the welfare state so eagerly embraced in the seventies. The agents of the welfare state mandated to achieve this are the providers of human services. But big brother is no longer trusted.
Public life is perceived as an alienating force.
Work, public life, politics and social services, are devouring threats preventing people from being themselves. Providers of human services share in this mistrust. These are trying times for the professional workers in human services who, often motivated by great idealism, have to endure public criticism, have a sense of failure and end up on the great heap of burnout cases. In order to function at the interface of public and private life one needs to adopt a professional attitude. Such an approach resolves a number of borderline conflicts, but has its own logic which is incompatible with a holistic goal like the provision of happiness.