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Conflict Theories And Social Work Education, Norman N. Goroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

How one defines the world has consequences for one's actions in the world. Sociology has attempted to utilize the scientific method to help human beings understand their social world. However, in the process of its development, sociology has reflected the ideological bias of its practitioners. (Mills, 1943). Irving Zeitlin (1968, pp. vii) claims "Much of classical sociology arose within the context of a debate - first with eighteenth-century thought of the Enlightenment, and later with its true heir of the nineteenth century, Karl Marx."

The central theme of this paper is that social work education makes extensive use of conflict …

Systems Theory, Robert D. Leighninger Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Systems Theory has generated a lot of excitement in the last decade. It has also spawned more than its share of pitchmen, enough so that it is in danger of being discredited before its genuine potential in many fields of practice has been fairly tested. Wearing the double halo of Science and Corporate Efficiency conferred by its association with the aerospace industry and the Pentagon, it has been enthusiastically offered to Federal and State governments (Chartrand, 1971; Hoos, 1969 & 1972) as well as private individuals and organizations as a way of solving complex social problems like mass transit, crime, …

Interactionist Theory, Human Behavior Social Work And Social Work Education, Ralph Segalman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Much explanation of human behavior is based on assumptions about animal behavior. Two major contemporary theories, Behaviorism and Freudianism place major emphasis upon the human being as animal. Many middle-level theories have no reference to man's distinctive social characteristics. However, social explanations of behavior do have a heuristic advantage in the study of human functioning and "social pathology."

Structural Functional Theory, Social Work Practice And Education, Joe Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The theoretical framework of structural functionalism in sociological theory does not consist of a single, unified, and consistent exposition. Different writers make different emphases, use somewhat different terminolog, and include different phenomena under a variety of similar terms. Rather than attempt to deal superficially with a wide variety of theorists writing out of this perspective, we will focus primarily on the central concepts in the work of perhaps the most eminent proponent of this approach in current sociological work - Talcott Parsons - and, in turn, discuss the relevance of this framework for social work education and practice.

The Perpetuation Of Institutional Racism Through Ethnic And Racial Minority Content In The Curriculum Of Schools Of Social Work, James E. Herrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The author asserts that the effect of assimilation of ethnic and racial minority content into the curriculum of schools of social work may perpetuate institutional racism.

Social work education as well as the purpose of the profession itself are viewed as basically one of helping people adjust and accommodate to the dominant and racist institutions of our society. Consequently, the author argues, incorporation of ethnic and racial minority, content into curriculum that serves such a function is likely to serve ends to which it was not intended.

Five suggested areas of change in the mission of social work education are …

Creative Restitution: A Study Of Differential Response Patterns, John T. Gandy, James H. Bridges

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Creative restitution offers considerable potential to the field of criminal justice. The concept is of historical significance for it has been an important element in a variety of cultures. Yet, the notion of restitution or permitting an offender to make amends is not a significant element in our society. This paper explores the responses of a variety of populations to creative restitution. A number of findings were of significance including strong support for and acceptance of the concept by diverse groups.

The "Science" Of Social Policy: Max Weber Revisited, Asoke Basu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Science documents two sources of knowledge--sense and reason. Further, according to Kant, "The nature of the outer empirical world is not known, what becomes known is that which is perceived." Human constructs represent outer reality. They do not express reality directly as it is in original nature. The aim of the social scientist can never be to eliminate the relative perspective of social reality. It is to understand and explain it within a larger cultural framework. The nature of this task brings the social scientist "close" to defining the social reality within a broader cultural praxis. Any policy--essentially, a set …

Job Seeking Patterns Of Vocational Rehabilitation Clients, Sandra Marie Schneider

Dissertations and Theses

Two hundred and seventy-three clients whose cases had been closed by the Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Division (OVRD) between March 1, 1976 and February 28, 1977 were interviewed by telephone. They were asked to identify the different methods they had used during their job search, whether they had obtained a job while being served by OVRD, whether they were presently employed, and if employed whether the job was the same or different from the one they had obtained while being served by OVRD. They were also asked to identify the sources of the lead which led to their jobs. Friends or …

Attitudes Of Income Maintenance Line Workers In The State Of Oregon About The Causes And Amelioration Of Poverty, Gene Lamar Stutzman

Dissertations and Theses

It has been of some interest to the profession of social work that eligible persons underutilize or fail to use social services and benefits to which they are legally entitled. A number of different reasons have been cited in the social work literature and otherwise generally accepted within the ranks of the social work profession as possible or probable causes of underutilization or lack of use. The variety of reasons includes client lack of knowledge about programs, lack of motivation on the part of eligible clients to apply for benefits and services, client unawareness about legal recourse in securing services, …

Community Assessment Scales: The State Of The Art, John F. Else, Samuel E. Walker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Community development activities are founded on the assumption that citizens have some concept of a "good community" toward which they want to move. Attention needs to be given to how community developers can determine citizen values and attitudes about the type of community that they want. Community assessment scales (CAS's) have been used as one means of measuring community attitudes and desires.

This paper explores the state of the art of the development and use of CAS's. The conclusions are that there has been only minimal use of CAS's and that there are many conceptual and methodological problems with the …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 5, No. 3 (May 1978)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Community Assessment Scales: The State of the Art - JOHN F. ELSE & SAMUEL E. WALKER - pp. 299
• Models of Poverty and Planned Change: A Frame Work for Synthesis - DAVID S. WALLS - pp. 316
• Maintaining Goals in a Mutual-Benefit Association - JAMES R. HUDSON - pp. 327
• Living and Acting in an Altered Body: A Phenomenological Description of Amputation - MARY JO DEEGAN - pp. 342
• Blacks in the American Criminal Justice System: A Study of Sanctioned Deviance - TERRY JONES - pp. 356
• Systemic Perspectivism: A New Basis for Evaluative Research - RICHARD …

Systemic Perspectivism: A New Basis For Evaluative Research, Richard A. Ball

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Evaluative research has not kept pace with developments in the theory of social planning and the philosophy of science. If evaluation is to contribute to social planning, evaluators must recognize that planning is a political process. The method of systemic perspectivism may be able to provide a means of combining the virtues of general systems theory with a perspectivistic view of objectivity, allowing for a transactive planning which involves the public.

Models Of Poverty And Planned Change: A Framework For Synthesis, David S. Walls

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recent discussions of planned social change have organized interventive strategies into models which identify underlying philosophical assumptions, value orientations, and political perspectives. Two papers published in 1965 can be taken as the beginning of this model-building discussion: Richard Walton proposed a dichotomy between attitude change and power strategies, and Roland Warren outlined a continuum from collaborative through campaign to contest strategies. In the subsequent literature, three publications stand out as major formulations of models of planned social change. What is particularly striking is that each develops a trichotomous typology of change strategies. Jack Rothman (1968) formulates the Locality Development, Social …

Maintaining Goals In A Mutual-Benefit Association, James R. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mutual benefit associations have been frequently found to confront two major problems: membership apathy and oligarchical control. The organization presented in this paper solved those two problems in unique ways. First professionals employed by the organization were kept in subordinant roles when key policy decisions were made by the lay board. Secondly, the organizational structure did not match the reward structure, i.e., salaries of supervisors were often lower than those of the professional staff. Finally, the organization operated on the principle that each of its programs should be taken over by other organizations and were successful frequently enough with this …

Living And Acting In An Altered Body: A Phenomenological Description Of Amputation, Mary Jo Deegan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Adults with recent amputations are often perceived as suffering from post-operative depression and phantom limbs. These states are frequently seen as failures in "adjustment" since there are often few physiological involvements which curtail daily functioning. This perspective is seen as compatible with major American values of pragmatism, individualism, and a mechanistic medical model. We suggest here that problems in daily living and the phantom limb are not "mental" aberrations but rather reflections of a radically altered lived experience. The performance of the actor is significantly changed and can be discussed as a function of changed experience, and style. This persppctivedraws …

Blacks In The American Criminal Justice System: A Study Of Sanctioned Deviance, Terry Jones

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Almost since the beginning of Black history in America there have been differences of opinion as to what the role of Blacks should be in reference to the criminal justice system. In the beginning these differences centered around the issue of cooperation or resistance to the slave system and a criminal justice system that guaranteed slavery durante vita. Now, while the issue is no longer slavery, Blacks continue the debate over cooperation versus resistance to the criminal justice system. What should the role of Blacks be in reference to the criminal justice system? Can Blacks be of greater assistance to …

The Labeler As An Influence On Labeling Outcomes, Wallace J. Gingerich

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Focusing upon labeling processes at the level of interpersonal relations, this paper points out the general inattention to the labeler as an influence on labeling outcomes. In addition, recent empirical findings suggest not only that labeler variables may be associated with outcomes, but that different labelers are influenced in different ways by different factors in their interpersonal labeling. Consequently, an effort is made to incorporate knowledge from social perception theory into the labeling perspective in order to enhance our understanding of interpersonal labeling processes. Several labeler related variables which might be expected to influence labeling outcomes are suggested.

The Worker/Client Relationship: Relevant Role Theory, Carlton E. Munson, Pallassana Balgopal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The historic concept of "friendly visitor" has blurred the distinction of professional and personal in worker/client relationships. Current social trends and social problems as well as recent theory applications in practice have made these distinctions harder to identify and maintain. Role theory can be used to analyze behavioral indicators of objective and subjective components of relationship.

Social Welfare Interest Groups: An Underutilized Resource, Fred Barbaro

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper addresses the need for increased political activity by the professional social work community in order to enhance its own status and to promote the growth of the social welfare institutions required by our clientele. It is not a polemic but an attempt to bare the relationship between social welfare bureaucracies and the political system. The results of a study on interest group behavior are reported. Social workers, as an interest group, can be more effective in advancing the goals of the profession if they have a better understanding of the political process and thereby maximize the impact of …

Interagency Conflict, Power, And Sanctioning Systems: An Alaskan Example, Dorothy M. Jones

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The covert processes in the interagency system in Anchorage social services is the subject of this paper. The emphasis is on (1) conflicts between explicit goals of planning and rationality in social services and covert or hidden goals concerning protection of organizational jurisdiction; (2) the structure of interagency power; and (3) the socialization and regulation of member agencies' behavior. The data for the study derive from focused interviews with agency administrators and staff members and observations at community planning meetings. The major finding of the study is that the explicit goals of rationality, integration, and planning in social services are …

Paraprofessionals In Oregon: An Exploratory Study Of The Status Of Associate Degree Human Service Workers, Richard William Hunter

Dissertations and Theses

The concern in human services as to how to provide skilled manpower of sufficient training and in sufficient numbers to meet public demand has been a source of experimentation and controversy over the past decade. In recent years the rapid growth of social and mental health services has provided a multitude of programs and services for both the poor and non-poor. Traditional services of social welfare -- health care, education, housing and employment -- have been increasingly supplemented by new forms of services (e.g., community organization, youth work, recreation, and personal growth therapy), thus vastly expanding the numbers of actual …

Symbolic Interaction And Social Planning: Perspectives From The Early Years, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The principal thesis of this paper is that the inadequacies of recent efforts at social planning are essential failures of theory, rather than failures of practice. Economic, land use and social welfare planners it is suggested have all shared a common unwillingness or inability to abandon commitments to an essentially utilitarian rhetoric of reasoned behavior, wherein means are matched with ends, persons are viewed as essentially self-interested and goal-directed rational problem solvers operating on schedules of goal attainment known or predictable by the planners. Symbolic interaction theory has resources to revitalize planning theory. Selected publications by John Dewey, G.H. Mead, …

The Vanishing Sociology-Social Work Alliance: A Study In The Politics Of Professionalism, David G. Bromley, Frank J. Weed

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The undergraduate sociology-social work alliance in sociology departments has a long tradition in American colleges despite ideological differences between the two disciplines. Recently this old alliance shows signs of disintegration. This paper argues that the recent emphasis on professionalization of undergraduate social work through the use of accrediting standards coupled with the control of Federal social work training grants have placed new pressures on the old alliance. Evidence is presented which indicates that the conflict is being resolved in the direction of greater administrative specialization and autonomy for social work.

The Role Of Cultural Anthropology In The Education Of Social Service Personnel, James W. Green

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anthropology contributes to the education of social work students through its emphasis on the role of culture and of social context in the delivery of social services. Examples are provided with special emphasis on child abuse and protective services. While anthropology has traditionally been associated with the study of minorities, its role in the critique of other social work concerns is suggested.

Statewide Academic Planning For Social Work Education: A Case Study, Michael J. Austin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Statewide and regional educational planning has become a necessity in the light of budget cutbacks, mal-distribution of manpower and pressures for accountability. This case study describes one statewide planning experience and identifies implications for academic outreach, faculty organizing, faculty leadership development, educational planning, developing common language between academic and human service agencies, and projecting manpower needs.

Continuing Education And Social Work Education, Charles Guzzetta

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Growth of continuing education programs is noted. Differences between continuing education and traditional education are examined. Author argues that continuing education approaches are appropriate for social work education and should be made an integral part of programs for the preparation of social workers.

The Operation Of Professional Journals In Social Work, Duncan Lindsey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The concern of this paper is a systematic examination of one of the major social structures developed to foster the growth and regulation of the knowledge construction enterprise in social work-the professional journal. The foci of the analyses are: 1) the normative criteria of editorial board members, 2) the characteristics of the editorial judges, and 3) the factors which influence editorial decision making.

Destined To Die, Carol O'Connell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is my belief that if society were better able to cope with death, then perhaps the individual would be better prepared for his own death. Death has always been distasteful to people because it is such a frightening happening. It is such an unpleasant and painful topic that no one wants to talk about it and discussions do not easily surface. How are we ever to understand it if it is never discussed? Perhaps we will never understand it fully, but we can at least try to prepare ourselves and others.

Community Control Of Social Work Education A Historical Example, Philip R. Popple

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

From 1901 to 1924 social work education in the mid and southwest was provided by the Missouri School of Social Economy (MSSE). In 1924 the MSSE suddenly closed and was almost immediately replaced by an entirely new program, the Washington University Training Course for Social Workers. This paper explores the reasons for the demise of the MSSE, finding that it was apparently too liberal for the taste of university administrators and not responsive enough to the needs of the local practice community. The case of the MSSE provides an interesting and useful example of community control of social work education.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 5, No. 2 (March 1978)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction - pp. 150
• Community Control of Social Work Education - A Historical Example - PHILIP R. POPPLE - pp. 152
• The Vanishing Sociology - Social Work Alliance: A Study in the Politics of Professionalism - DAVID G. BROMLEY & FRANK J. WEED - pp. 168
• Professionalism and Social Work Education: Substance and Structure - LESLIE LEIGHNINGER - pp. 188
• The Role of Cultural Anthropology in the Education of Social Service Personnel - JAMES W. GREEN - pp. 214
• Statewide Academic Planning for Social .ork Education: A Case Study - MICHAEL J. AUSTIN - pp. 230
• Avoiding …