Participation has become an omnipresent buzzword in social work. However, participation has turned into a hollow formula: what is actually meant when participation is discussed or written about is hardly recognizable anymore. Bringfriede Scheu and Otger Autrata derive a fundamental understanding of participation and explain it: participation is to be defined as the shaping of the social and as an influence on a subjective whole. This leads to new perspectives for social work in both disciplinary and professional terms.