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Social Workers' Satisfactions: Methodological Notes And Substantive Findings, Y. Meller, D. Macarov

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The use of instruments derived from industrial research to investigate the work satisfactions of social workers can lead to distortion of results. Responses from ninety-one social workers in nine agencies indicates sources of satisfactions and dissatisfactions not present in industrial settings, and -- in contradistinction to the "dual-factor" or "bipolarity" theory -- both satisfactions and dissatisfactions arising from the same source in some cases.

The most important factors affecting workers' satisfactions were the ability to achieve results, their relationships with clients, their relationship with members of multidisciplinary staffs, and presence or absence of sufficient time and resources.

The "higher order" …

Social Service Needs Of Migrants In Limbo: Israelis In New York, Josef Korazim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This is an exploratory study about the social service needs of Israeli migrants in New York City. A structured, face to face interview schedule was administered by the author to a sample of 86 intact families. The families were found to be mostly undecided regarding their stay in the United States. Their state of "limbo" was reflected in specific patterns of utilization of general and ethnic social services, and in six major areas of concern and needs: (1) a sense of social isolation; (2) the wives' low level of adjustment; (3) emotional stress due to the families' hesitancy to stay …

Holidays As Multiple Realities: Experiencing Good Times And Bad Times After A Disabling Injury, Mary Jo Deegan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Holidays are idealized as times of celebration. They are embedded in cultural symbols, family patterns, and lived experience. Because all holidays are not good times, however, the lived experience of holidays is considerably more complex than its symbolization. This ambivalence is dramatically deepened for recently disabled adults who view holidays as a specially strained time of remembrance. Past holidays are often idealized in a new way as one's biography is placed into a new embodied reality. Simultaneously, holidays remain days when one is supposed to celebrate, and often denote some celebration for the injured. The resulting experience is a melange …

A Perspective On Differential Services In Counseling: Altruism And Likeness, James Latimore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this exploratory study using a small sample, an attempt is made to understand the differential services provided by vocational counselors in a non-profit agency, a setting in which a strong identification with clients is encouraged. The services are measured and the unequal measures of service are related to the degree to which the client is seen as an image of the counselor in certain respects. Counseling is viewed as an altruistic occupation and the differential services are analyzed in this context. In general, it is suggested that the differential counseling and psycho-therapeutic services noted by other writers all reflect …

Children's Violence To Single Mothers, Larry R. Livingston

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A survey of 151 mothers to determine characteristics of violence experienced from their children. The survey assessed the length of time they had been single parents, the age and sex of their children, the frequency and types of violence they experienced, and the influence of violent adult modeling upon the children's violence.

Findings indicate that 29% of the mothers had been assaulted by their children. The violent families contained more children than the nonviolent families, and the violent children's ages were more closely-spaced. Battered mothers also reported greater modeling of violence (the children seeing an adult striking their mother) than …

Community Organization: A Survival Strategy For Community-Based, Empowerment-Oriented Programs, Stephen M. Rose

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work as a profession and social workers as individual professionals often labor within the constraints of structural ambiguity. The historical emergence and location of the profession within the structure of a political economy whose normal functioning simultaneously creates the miseries of the profession's clients and the funds to serve them, poses a series of contradictions internal to the field and to most of its practitioners. The central expression of this conflict is hidden or mystified in social work education, thus preserving the legitimacy of the social structure while delegitimating or invalidating its oppressed populations. This process occurs through the …

Revival Of Welfare Reform, Seung Ja Doe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is a well known fact that poverty is prevalent among single mothers and children. Currently, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program fails to provide for all children and single mothers in need of public assistance. Previous attempts to "reform" the welfare system have been unsuccessful. However, in the time when the poor's right for social welfare is increasingly threatened, ideas for welfare reform need to be revived. The author advocates for a threedimensional agenda for welfare reform: universal assistance to families with children, reinforced support for children with absent parents, and targeted employment programs for single …

Collective Mobility And Fragmentation: A Model Of Social Work History, David Wagner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The author utilizes recent sociological approaches to professionalism in order to develop a dynamic conceptual model of the history of Social Work. Professionalization is understood as a social movement or "collective mobility project" of the lower middle class which has been the dominant force in Social Work for a century. This social movement seeks control and expansion of professional markets for services and recognition and sanction from elites. In each period of history, however, Social Work professionalizers have had to struggle against popular unrest and elite criticism aimed at the field. Challenges to Social Work professionalizers and their basic paradigms …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 13, No. 3 (September 1986)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Symposium on Community Organization

MICHAEL REISCH, STANLEY WENOCUR - Co-Editors

• Introduction - MICHAEL REISCH, STANLEY WENOCUR - pp. 445
• Community Empowerment As A Non-Problem - JOHN L. RUSSELL-ERLICH, FELIX G. RIVERA - pp. 451
• Community Work Practice and Client Empowerment Under Conservative Conditions: From Observed Practice to A Theory of Societal Context - RALPH E. WOEHLE - pp. 466
• Community Organization: A Survival Strategy For Community-Based Empowerment-Oriented Programs - STEPHEN M. ROSE - pp. 491
• Recruitment and Retention of Organizational Participants: What's Happening Out There Now? - JACQUELINE B. MONDROS, SCOTT M. WILSON - pp. 507
• People Learning To Help …

Community Work Practice And Client Empowerment Under Conservative Conditions: From Observed Practice To A Theory Of Societal Context, Ralph E. Woehle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The thesis of this paper is that community work can be understood in relation to the larger structure of society. Community work is seen in terms of observations on cases previously reported. These observations suggest a political model of community work. In that model, goals are short term task goals of program development aimed at social problem or disadvantaged groups. The model assumes conflict among groups which can be dealt with politically. Client systems are different than constituent systems in that model, and clients are weak participants in community work. Non-client voluntary associations can nonetheless influence program decisions. These model …

Experiences Of Women Activists: Implications For Community Organizing Theory And Practice, Cheryl Hyde

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The field of community organizing would be wise to heed the words of Abigail Adams to her revolutionary husband, John. Contributions of women activists have been virtually ignored by the field of social work. Consequently, social work has a diminished knowledge base and has alienated large numbers of talented women. Ironically, both the past and the future of community organizing are tied intimately with the action of women. Foremothers include Jane Addams, Dorothea Dix and Lillian Wald. Current trends suggest that "women's issues," such as poverty, the family and reproductive rights, will be on national, state and local agendas for …

Building Citizen Support For Planning At The Community Level, Barry Checkoway

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Planning practice is changing. Previous years of economic growth contributed to an increase in federal, state, and local planning agencies, in addition to regional and special purpose bodies with territorial or functional responsibilities. In times of growth, planning was viewed by many as a type of urban engineering and applied social science characterized by objective fact-finding and the so-called rational model. Leading texts emphasized technical research methods and "hard data" analysis, while government guidelines described scientific application of facts (Krueckeberg and Silvers, 1974; Spiegel and Hyman, 1978). Planners were akin to technical experts who analyzed data for other people who …

Electoralism, Mobilization And Strategies For The 80s: An Assessment Of Organizing Trends In The Mid-Decade, Steve Burghardt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Community organizers in the United States have two tasks today: a short-term defensive one of holding back the rightward assault against both the social welfare state and the working class in general; and a long-term, mobilizing task of building a constituency strong enough to transform the welfare state itself. We cannot lose sight of this latter goal, for the method and objectives we set for ourselves in the short-run will greatly determine the feasibility of our long-term goals.

This is no small matter, for the assault on the welfare state is as fundamental to the restructuring of class and social …

The Sociology Of Alcoholism Counseling: A Social Worker's Perspective, Katherine Van Wormer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An occupation - alcoholism counseling - strives to gain professional status. Still a field largely dominated by counselors who derive their status more from personal attributes - the fact of being recovering alcoholics - rather than from achievement of impersonally applied standards, chemical dependency counseling is in a state of flux. This sociological analysis examines recent developments in the field. Special emphasis is on roles for social workers.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 13, No. 2 (June 1986)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• The Anatomy of "Burn-Out": The As Antidote - NORMAN N. GOROFF
• Love Paradigm
• Determinants of Knowledge About Social Security: A Study of Nonremarried Widows Caring For Children - MARTHA N. OZAWA, WILLIAM T. ALPERT
• Income Tax and Inequality: What Constitutes Welfare State Expenditure? - GORDON W. TERNO ETSKY
• Factors Contributing to Coalition Maintenance - MARIA ROBERTS-DeGENNARO
• On the Dialectics of Social Theory And Action: A Synthesis of Six Models of Community Engagement - DREW HYMAN
• Role-Set Diversity: Benefits or Strain? - MARILYN GAIL MORGAN, ALFRED DEMARIS
• Retirees As Technoguides: A New Role As Shapers And Makers of …

Prison Education, Joseph Behar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

College level education is provided by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to inmates on site at the Riker's Island Correctional Facility in New York City. This undergraduate satellite program is examined in relation to the opportunities for de-institutionalization, re-socialization, and possible effects on "prisonization." The conditions and potential of "education behind bars" for rehabilitation, student development, and personal reorientation are discussed through an analysis of the emergence of an innovative instructional environment not directly controlled by the official nor subcultural systems of the institution. In this context, the educational uses of the "sociological imagination" become part of a …

Role-Set Diversity: Benefit Or Strain?, Marilyn Gail Morgan, Alfred Demaris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Most social workers interact with many different types of people in performing their jobs. One view suggests such diversity is beneficial; an opposing view is that this causes job strains. This 'research indicates a correlation between increased strain and increased role-set diversity only for those age 36-41. Perceived benefits rose with diversity for those in mental health and public welfare settings. For mental health workers, benefits outweighed strains more often as diversity rose. Several areas of job satisfaction were explored for correlation with role-set diversity. There were significant findings by age, years of experience, and agency type. There were no …

The Anatomy Of "Burn-Out;" The Love Paradigm As Antidote, Norman N. Goroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The phenomena, "burn-out," contains all of the factors of disappointment, disillusionment, fatigue, hopelessness, and powerlessness that a person experiences when coming face-to-face with the inherent contradictions between a desire to help fellow human beings and the structural demands and limitations of a social service enterprise wherein control is the central concern.

Homelessness: Residual, Institutional And Communal Solutions, Ron E. Roberts, Thomas Keefe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Drawing upon demographic data and ethnographic interviews conducted by the authors, the article addresses the question, "Who are the homeless?" It identifies five kinds of homeless people and the sources of the homeless populations in the social structure. It then addresses residual and institutional policy solutions and draws on the efforts of the homeless themselves to advance a collective solution to their problems.

Determinants Of Knowledge About Social Security: A Study Of Nonremarried Widows Caring For Children, Martha N. Ozawa, William T. Alpert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social security beneficiaries and the general public alike are concerned about the financial solvency of the social security program. But how much do they know about how the system works? This study analyzes the determinants of knowledge about social security among nonremarried widows having children under their care. It builds a research model based on the economic theory of rational decision making. Using ordinary least squares regression estimation techniques, the level of knowledge about specific social security provisions is regressed on family income, implicit tax rate, number of children, human capital variables, and other demographic and locational variables. The findings …

Income Tax And Inequality: What Constitutes Welfare State Expenditure?, Gordon W. Ternowetsky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines 1981 taxation returns for the Province of Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole. The analysis examined the extent to which legal tax breaks benefit the rich and act to reinforce income inequality. The question of what constitutes government social spending is also raised. It is argued that tax breaks are a form of social expenditure that result in a tremendous drain on government revenue. The findings show that if progressive taxation was enforced, even for the few very rich Canadians (those earning over $200,000 a year), governments in 1981 would have an extra 1.1 billion dollars available …

Factors Contributing To Coalition Maintenance, Maria Roberts-Degennaro

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Organizations are building advocacy coalitions as a way of strengthening their survival skills. This article reports on a case study of the factors associated with maintaining an advocacy coalition. The survival of a coalition appears to depend on whether it can insure its member organizations of the payoffs from committing their resources for advocacy purposes.

On The Dialectics Of Social Theory And Action: A Synthesis Of Six Models Of Community Engagement, Drew Hyman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Two dominant theoretical perspectives--systems theory and conflict theory--can be seen to underlie major approaches to community intervention. This paper presents a conceptual linkage between models of intervention for planning and organizing as developed by Rothman and elaborated by Stockdale and major sociological theories of society. Two additional models are presented to address issues of management and administration. The six models are integrated into a typology which integrates the conflict and consensus theories of society in relation to the The result is a synthesis of six models for community engagement which is rooted in dialectically opposed theories of society, and which …

Retirees As Technoguides: A New Role As Shapers And Makers Of The Future, Arthur B. Shostak

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Retirees nowadays serve in many out-of-the-home roles that make astute use of their maturity, their discretion time, and their flexibility about compensation: Large numbers help as paid or voluntary aides in day care centers, health fairs, home health care, hospice programs, nursing homes, and the vital like.

A brand new role that might appeal to many would have them learn and practice the craft of technology assessment and the process of technology diffusion: With these tools retirees could serve as technoguides, or paid or voluntary aides in the testing, evaluating, and adapting of new products and services to the needs …

Administrative Offices Of Aging In State Bureaucracies: Agency Location And Organization Effectiveness, Barrie Blunt, Scott Ingram

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study considers the effects of state level reorganization on organizational access to the governor and state legislature, its ability to coordinate service delivery, its access to budgetary funds and resources, and its visibility and prestige. The findings are based on a nation-wide survey of all State Aging Units. Conclusions suggest that reorganizing an Aging Unit does have an impact on the aforementioned variables.

Assessing Social Agency Functions: A Model, Elizabeth W. Lindsey, John S. Wodarski, Kristyn S. Greaves

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The assessment of general agency functions is the focus of this manuscript. Initially inventories that may be utilized in the assessment of the relevance and quality of services provided are reviewed. Next, cost benefit analysis is addressed in terms of helping social workers estimate the cost of services provided. The manuscript concludes with a discussion of the issues involved in general agency assessment.

The Latent Functions Of Welfare And Need-Satisfaction Of The Disadvantaged, Zeev Ben-Sira

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a study carried out among a representative sample of Jewish Israeli adults, a paradigm of need-satisfaction by direct welfare assistance has been developed and, to a great extent, empirically supported. Multivariate analysis revealed that, despite the fact that it is recognized as indispensible in facilitating basic living conditions, direct welfare assistance, whatever its kind, predicts frustration rather than need-satisfaction. The data ascertain that attributing to the welfare assistance the latent functions of preserving consumers' inferiority and of pursuing the agencies' and the welfare workers' interests rather than those of the consumers, constitute a major factor in the resulting feeling …

The De-Skilling Of Social Workers: An Examination Of The Impact Of The Industrial Model Of Production On The Delivery Of Social Services, Howard Jacob Karger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the effect of the industrial model of production on the delivery of social services. As part of this study, the effects of technology (used in its broadest sense) and system rationalization are explored, particularly as they result in the de-skilling of social workers. Lastly, the author makes recommendations for the development of alternative criteria for system rationality and the evaluation of efficiency in social service programs.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 13, No. 1 (March 1986)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS - THEMATIC SPECIAL ISSUE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY

• Introduction to Thematic Special Issue - JOHN T. PARDECK, JOHN W. MURPHY
• Computers in Social Work and Social Welfare: Issues and Perspective - WILLIAM H. BUTTERFIELD
• Applying Computers to Clinical Social Work - JAMES GRIPTON, PAUL LICKER
• The Implications of Computer Technology in the Delivery of Human Services - NARVIAR C. BARKER
• Assessing Child Maltreatment: The Role of Testing - JOEL S. MILNER
• Technology, Stress, and Family Violence: Some Issues in Teaching Social Work Practice - SHIRLEY J. PORTER
• Scientific Technology and The Human Condition - VERNON R. …

Introduction To Thematic Special Issue, John T. Pardeck, John W. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Currently technology is proliferating at a rate never before imagined. As a result, every facet of society has changed because of technological developments, including the delivery of social services. Although there is much debate over whether or not these changes are good or bad, they cannot be denied (Murphy and Pardeck, forthcoming). In fact, Jacques Ellul ( 1964: 127) has referred to modern society as a technological civilization. What he means by this designation is not only that society is dependent upon technology for its survival, but, more importantly, technological rationality has come to determine how persons view themselves and …