In his book, Sebastian Hempel examines how social workers in various fields of work create normative orientation patterns in their professional actions – often unconsciously, but with far-reaching consequences for the people they work with. Using group discussions and visual material, he reconstructs the normative frameworks of practice and shows how these can shape professional work. Based on an innovative, reconstructive research design, a model is developed that not only offers insights into professional logics of action, but can also serve as a tool for reflection for professionals, research and teaching.