goal of social work.docx

goal of social work.docx

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goalofsocialwork

3

GoalandfunctionsofSocialwork

▌Preview

Socialworkisaltruisticandconcernedwithhelpingothers.However,thereareotherhelpingprofessions,liketeaching,clinicalpsychology,orcounsellingwhich,likesocialwork,alsoworkforhumanbetterment.What,then,arethedifferencesbetweensocialworkandthesehelpingprofessions?

Onemainfeaturewhichdistinguishessocialworkfromtheothersisitspurposeorgoal.Asasocialworkstudentitisthereforemostimportantforyoutoknowthegoalofsocialwork,asitwillguideyouinattainingtherelevantknowledgeandskills.Itisalsoimportantforyoutocarryoutthemissionofsocialworkinthefutureandtoidentifywiththeprofession.

▌Objectives

Afterworkingthroughthisunit,youshouldbeableto:

●conceptualizeenhancingsocialfunctioningasthegoalofsocialwork;

●identifythebuildingblocksoftheconceptofsocialfunctioning;

●recognizetheimportanceofconvertingbroadergoalsintomorespecificgoals;and

●identifythethreefunctions-namelyremedial,preventive,anddevelopmentalfunctions-ofsocialwork.

Introduction

Youmayhaverealizedfromitshistoricaldevelopmentthattherehasbeenmuchdiversityasthesocialworkprofessionhasevolved.Somesocialworkersidentifiedthemselvesascaseworkers,whileothersidentifiedthemselvesasgroupworkersorcommunityworkers.Werethesepractitionersofthesameprofession?

Whatwastheircommonbaseofpracticeiftheywereofthesameprofession?

Throughout,peopleinthefieldtriedtoconsolidatethegoalofthisprofession,andthiseffortisbestrepresentedbyBarlett'sTheCommonBaseofSocialWorkPractice（1970）.

LEARNINGACTIVITY

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Beforeyouproceed,putdownwhatinyouropinionthegoalofsocialworkis.

Youmayhaveputdowndescriptionsasgeneralas"helpingpeopletohelpthemselves"or"advancingsocialjustice",orasspecificas"organizingrecreationalandeducationalactivitiesforpeople"or"organizingpeopletofightfortheirowninterests".Whateveryouwrotedown,youaremostprobablyrightindescribingpartofthegoalorsomeoftheactivitiesintendedtoachievethegoalofsocialwork.However,isthereageneralizationwhichcanhelpustohaveacoherentunderstandingofalltheseseeminglydiscretegoalsandactivities?

"Socialfunctioning"istheconceptwhichhasdevelopedtoarticulatethegoalofsocialwork.

Enhancingsocialfunctioningasthegoalofsocialwork

Insimpleterms,thegoal.ofsocialworkistoenhancethesocialfunctioningofpeople."Socialfunctioning"referstothewayindividualsorcollectives（families,associations,communities,andsoon）behaveinordertocarry.outtheirlifetasksandmeettheirneedsintheirenvironmentorlifesituationsandmeettheirneedsintheirenvironmentoflifesituations.hisimpliesthattheprimaryconcernofsocialworkersisthefunctioningofpeopleinrelationtotheirsocialenvironment.Peoplecanfunctionatdifferentlevelsofsocialfunctioning.Thelevelof"socialfunctioningofanindividualdependsonhisabilitytocopewithlife'sdemandsandtosatisfyhisneedsinhisenvironment.Forinstance,youareenjoyinggoodsocialfunctioningwhenyoucancopewiihthedemandsfromdifferentlifesituationssuchasbeingastudent,amemberofthefamily,andafriendofyourpeers.Beingabletocopewithdemandsmeansthatyouareleadingasatisfyinglifewhichisrelativelyfreeofdistress.Ontheotherhand,poorsocialfunctioningindifferentlifesituationswillcreatedistress.Manypeoplewhoseekouthelpcanbedescribedassufferingsocialdysfunctioning.Foramorethoroughunderstandingoftheconceptofsocialfunctioning,wehavetofurther

explorelifetasks,needs,andtheenvironment,whicharethebuildingblocksofsocialfunctioning.

Lifetasks

Thesearethecriticalanddemandingsituationsthatconfrontpeoplethroughtheirlifetransitionsandenvironmentalchanges.Whataresomeofthelifetransitionsandenvironmentalchangeswearereferringto?

Lifetransitionsaremostevidentwhenpeopletakeupnewroleswhichproducenewsocialexpectationsofthem.Fromthedevelopmentalperspective,therearemanylifetransitionsasapersongrowsup.Forinstance,babieshavetolearntocontroltheirtoiletbehaviours.Intheirearlychildhood,childrenhavetolearntomanipulateobjects,towalk,andtotalk.Whentheyenterschool,theyhavetoadapttotheacademicdemands,discipline,andsociallifeinschool.Failureinanyaspectwillcausedistresstothechildrenthemselvesortothepeoplearoundthem.Then,whentheybecomeold,theyoftenhavetoadjusttopoorhealth,tochangeslikeretirement,thedeathofaspouse,oreventheirownimpendingdeath.Alongthisdevelopmentalpath,thereareanumberoflifetransitionsanddifferentlifetaskswillemergeatdifferentstages.Yourothercoresubject,"HumanGrowthandDevelopmentI",willequipyoumorewiththisknowledge."Environmentalchanges"referstochangesofboththesocialandphysicalenvironments.Movingtoanewtownwhereyouarefarawayfromyourformersocialcircleandworkplace,beingsackedbecauseofeconomicrecession,orchangingtoanewjobareallexamplesofenvironmentalchangeswhichcanbedemandingandstressfulanddisturbyoursocialfunctioning.Withtheselifetransitionsandenvironmentalchanges,newdemandsontheabilityofpeopletocopewiththechangeswillemerge.Notalllifetransitionsorchangescausedistress,assomemaynotbeverydemandingorthepeopleconcernedmayhavetheabilitytomasterthesituations.Criticalchangesinlifebringaboutstressbuttheyalsoprovidepotentialforgrowth.Onlywhenpeoplefailtocopewiththechangesortomaketheenvironmentlessdemandingwillstressordistressbegeneratedandthusaffecttheirsocialfunctioning.

LEARNINGACTIVITY

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Whataresomeofthelifetasksthatarerequiredofyouatyourstageoflife?

Listtheminthespaceprovided.

AsstudentsintheDiplomaforSocialWorkcourse,youmayfacesimilarlifetasksasyourclassmates,butsometasksareuniqueasyoumaycomefromratherdifferentbackgroundsandbeconfrontedwithdifferentsituations.Allofyouhavetofaceacademicdemandslikewritingtermpapers,attendingseminars,andsittingforexaminations.Moreover,unlikeclassesinsecondaryschool,thiscoursedemandsmoreactiveparticipationlikeseminarpresentationsandself-learningbyworkingthroughthislearningpackage.StudentswhoareweakinEnglishmayfinditdifficulttoreadsomanymaterialsinEnglish.Youmayhavewantedtoregisterinothercoursesbutfailed,andnowyouhavetofacethefrustrationandreadjustyourpersonalplan.Marriedmaturestudentsmayfaceconflictingdemandsaswivesormothers,husbandsorfathers,andatthesametimeasstudents.Doyoufindyourselfcopingwellwithalltheseenvironmentaldemands?

Ofcourse,thelifetasksrequiredbybeingastudentarenottheonlyonesthatyouarefacing.

Needs

Itisimpossibleforapersontoleadasatisfyinglifewithoutreasonablefulfilmentofneeds.The,pointwewanttomakeisthatsatisfactionofone'sneedsiscrucialforsatisfactorysocialfunctioning.Socialworkisbasicallyaresponsetoneed.TheearlyconcernofsocialworkactivitiesinHongKongwastosatisfythephysiologicalneedsofthepeople,aspovertywasthegreatestsocialproblematthattime.Bynow,socialworkisaddressingthediverseneedsofpeople,whethertheyarepsychological,social,orevenspiritual.Whentheirneedsarenotsatisfied,peoplebecomedisturbed.Somepeoplemayfeelsad,threatened,orfrustrated,whileothersmayadoptineffectiveorevensociallyunacceptablewaysofsatisfyingtheirneeds.Forinstance,somepeopleseekasenseofsecurityorincreasedself-esteembyfightingandsubduingothers,orbystealinginfrontoftheirpeers.Forillustration,wewillciteMaslow'shierarchyofneedsasexamplesofsomeofthebasicneeds,butwewillnotexaminehistheoryindepth.ThefollowingarethefivebasichumanneedspostulatedbyMaslow:

Physiologicalneeds

Theseneedsaredirectlyrelatedtosurvival.Theyincludefood,water,oxygen,andrest.

Safetyneeds

Peoplewillfeelsecureandfreefromdangerwhentheseneedsaremet.Theseneedsincludephysicalsecurity,stability,order,anddependency.

Belongingnessandloveneeds

Theseareneedsforaffiliationandaffection.Peopleseekaffiliationtosocialgroupslikefriendsandfamily.Whentheneedsofbelongingnessandlove

arenotsatisfied,peoplewillbeupsetbyfeelingslikeostracism,rejection,friendlessness,androotlessness.

Esteemneeds

Theseneedscanbedifferentiatedintoself-esteemandesteemfromothers.Theformerinvolvesdesiresforcompetency,mastery,andachievementforself.Thelatterincludesdesiressuchasrecognition,appreciation,andreputationfromothers.

Self.-actualizationneeds

Theseneedsaredefinedasthedesiretobecomewhatoneidiosyncraticallyis,tobecomeeverythingthatoneiscapableofbecoming.Forexample,peoplearemotivatedtoenrichtheirownlivesbyrealizingalltheirpotential,bybeingspontaneousandactingcreatively.

LEARNINGACTIVITY

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UsethefollowingcharttoreflectonyourownlevelofneedfulfillmentaccordingtoMasiow'sscheme.Bycompletingthisexercise,youmaylearnsomethingaboutyoursocialfunctioningintermsofneedssatisfaction.Inthedescriptionbox,putdownafewstatementstodescribeyourstateofneedsatisfactioninthatneedcategory.Forsatisfactionrating,youcanfollowthisscale:

1=totallyunsatisfied;2=generallyunsatisfied;3=slightlyunsatisfied;4=sl