Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Historical Perspectives On The Care And Treatment Of The Mentally Ill, Albert R. Roberts, Linda Farms Kurtz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An examination of the history of mental illness and its treatment over the centuries reveals that the mentally ill have few advocates except each other and that their treatment has consisted of confinement and neglect. Reformers have pioneered for change, experienced brief success, but ultimately conditions for the mentally ill regress. Society continues to abhor mental illness as though its collective consciousness still believes in possession by evil spirits. Discussion of the early history moves from banishment to ships of fools, to European asylums, and to institutions run by the states in America. More recent history focuses on the National …

Sexual Abuse At Charity House: A Case Study Of Social Policies In Action, Maureen Kelleher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores Wiseman's theory of policy intervention using a case study of institutional abuse for illustration. Social policy intervention is an ongoing process. In this case, a single policy agenda, deinstitutionalization, was modified by a variety of stakeholders and compounded by a series of other child specific policy agenda including child abuse reporting procedures

Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among Three Racial/Ethnic Groups Of Professional Female Human Service Workers, R. L. Mcneely

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Three hundred and thirty-six female human service workers were studied to determine whether or not racial/ethnic status was related to job satisfaction among managerial, supervisory and professional employees. Both overall and intrinsic satisfaction were assessed. Two groups were similar in the patterns predictive of their satisfaction but the third group appeared to be influenced by concerns peculiar to those achieving recent professional status.

Staff Development: A Challenge Of Privatization, Wynn S. Wright, Mark Fraser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Privatization is a major trend in social welfare, and it is placing new emphasis on staff development in both public and private agencies. By permitting services that are often considered "public" to be provided under contract with non-profit and for-profit agencies, public policymakers have sought to increase the efficiency of social welfare programs. This has produced greater competition in the welfare marketplace. In a competitive environment, staff development is a key element that enables agencies to respond quickly to market demands for new or imaginative services. The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative staff training program and …

Focal Point, Volume 02 Number 01, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Adolescents with emotional handicaps experience multiple challenges as they leave youth serving systems and attempt to find their place in society. Without adequate preparation or established linkages to the adult system to facilitate this transition, they are bound to become lost until their symptoms dictate intervention. Service delivery efforts must be sensitive to these issues and begin to realistically address the transition needs of this population. A framework which can be used as a guide for developing transition oriented programs and nine integrative principles will be discussed hear as a means to stimulate thinking about the provision of transition services.

Registering The Poor To Vote: Lessons From The 1984 General Election, Ira Colby

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Voter registration and educational programs for the poor and moderate income groups were a dominant political strategy embraced by a number of social welfare organizations during the 1984 general election. This article reviews one such project that registered 4,124 individuals and implemented a follow-up survey of 500 new registrants. Based on the survey, the author identifies a number of voting and nonvoting behaviors that should be considered in future voter registration and education projects. The author also identifies critical policy issues that impede voter participation among the poor.

Privatization: Reforming The Welfare State, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American social welfare institution is in transition. Constituencies of the welfare state-the public, clients, and professionals-have registered dissatisfaction with traditional methods of providing services. Analysts from liberal and conservative think tanks have proposed relying less on government and more on the private sector to provide for welfare. To a substantial degree privatization is already evident in several areas: the expansion of for-profit health and welfare corporations, the application of entrepreneurial methods in community development, and the encouragement of private retirement plans. The liberal response to privatization is poorly developed, and could benefit from insights by welfare professionals who seek …

Refeminization Of Child Care: Causation, Costs And Cures, Robert W. Weinbach

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recent media attention to sexual abuse in various child care settings appears to have created an exodus of males. Refeminization has the potential to support sex roles stereotypes and to result in loss to all concerned. Strategies for combatting this phenomenon and its effects are proposed.

The Use Of Survey Methods In Researching Parents Of Adjudicated Teenage Prostitutes, John Longres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper is methodological in its orientation. It describes experiences in applying survey methods to a difficult and hard to reach population - parents of adjudicated teenage prostitutes.

Burn-Out Among Social Work Professionals: A Behavioral Approach To Causal And Interventive Knowledge, Karen M. Sowers-Hoag, Bruce A. Thyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although the phenomenon of staff burn-out represents a significant problem for the effective administration and functioning of social service settings, there has been a general paucity of empirically based research on this issue. The staggering financial, personal and social costs associated with staff burn-out emphasize the fact that we can no longer accept the sole use of descriptive and correlational studies of the problem. This paper suggests refocusing our theoretical perspective of the problem of staff burn-out from an emphasis on the dispositional qualities of burnedout staff members, to examining the social and situational contingencies of reinforcement responsible for the …

Advocacy And The Adversary System, Herb Kutchins, Stuart Kutchins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

If advocacy is to be a significant aspect of social work it is necessary to distinguish it from other forms of action in which social workers engage, and it must be practiced methodically. This paper offers an approach to advocacy as a technique applied to conflicts resolved within the adversary system. The elements of the adversary system are identified and discussed; then the use of this model is illustrated with an example of its successful application.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 3 (September 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contents

• Privatization: Reforming the Welfare State - DAVID STOESZ
• Registering the Poor to Vote: Lessons from the 1984 General Election - IRA COLBY
• Refeminization of Child Care: Causation, Costs and Cures - ROBERT WEINBACH
• Stability and Fluctuation in Juvenile Delinquency in Israel - RAM A. CNAAN, ITZHAK HOCHERMAN
• The Use of Survey Methods in Researching Parents of Adjudicated Child Prostitutes - JOHN LONGRES
• Sex-Role Stereotypes about Social Work Administration - REGINALD O. YORK
• Burn-Out Among Social Work Professionals: A Behavioral Approach to Causal and Interventive Knowledge - KAREN M. SOWERS-HOAG, BRUCE A. THYER
• Advocacy and the Adversary System - …

Stability And Fluctuation In Juvenile Delinquency In Israel, Ram A. Cnaan, Itzhak Hocherman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A review of the literature indicates two major approaches in official crime rate analysis. The first approach postulates a positive correlation between recorded crime rates and a number of factors including police strength, organizational structure of social control agencies, opportunity, and social pathologies. The second postulate is based on Erikson's hypothesis of stability of deviance over time, namely that recorded crime rates in a given society will remain comparatively stable over time. We tested these approaches based on 15 years of juvenile delinquency statistics in Israel. Official statistics on both recorded juvenile delinquents and their recorded crimes were tested through …

Sex-Role Stereotypes About Social Work Administration, Reginald O. York

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, the issue of sex-role stereotype about administration was examined through a survey of social workers in one state. The analysis of data revealed that, in their descriptions of the good social work administrator, females held a greater preference for the male stereotype than did males. This female preference substantially explained the overall preference for the male stereotype over the female stereotype for the entire sample. The need for further examination of this female preference for the male stereotype about administration is discussed.

Community-Based Self-Help Groups For The Treatment Of Agoraphobia, Bruce A. Thyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The design and conduct of community-based self-help groups for the treatment of agoraphobia are discussed. Such groups incorporate procedures encouraging members to engage in prolonged therapeutic exposure to anxiety-evoking situations. Exposure therapy and its variants have been empirically established as the treatment of choice for agoraphobia, and self-help groups lend themselves extremely well to community mental health outreach and service efforts.

Power And Dependency In Close Heterosexual Relationships: A Test Of An Exchange Theory Hypothesis, Gregory L. Sanders

Masters Theses

Ninety-nine heterosexual couples were surveyed to test the exchange theory hypothesis that interpersonal power and relative dependency are inversely related in dyadic relationships. Controlling for gender, this hypothesis was examined through a path analysis for each of six groups: the overall population, dating couples, engaged couples, cohabiting couples, married couples, and couples treated as a single unit. Results indicate that males are reported as relatively more powerful than females, and this gender effect is found to increase with the permanence of the relationship. Relative dependency has effects on power which also vary according to the type of relationship. Self-reported "subjective …

Computer Use In Social Services Network Newsletter, Dick Schoech

Computer Use in Social Services Network

No abstract provided.

Kyle L. Pehrson's Review Of E. Victoria Shook's Ho‘Oponopono: Contemporary Uses Of A Hawaiian Problem-Solving Process, Kyle L. Pehrson

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review, Maurice M. Vance

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Trattner, Walter I., editor. Biographical Dictionary of Social Welfare in America. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.

Computer Use In Social Services Network Newsletter, Dick Schoech

Computer Use in Social Services Network

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Robert D. Leighninger Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This issue is devoted entirely to articles examining the history of social welfare. It did not come into being as our other Special Issues do: with a formal proposal to the Editorial Board, a Call for Papers, and other solicitations of manuscripts.

Teenage Pregnancy, Professional Agendas, And Problem Definitions, Richard A. Weatherley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many of the adverse consequences associated with adolescent childbearing are due to poverty and inadequate health care. Historically, definitions of the problem have emphasized individual, female culpability. Underlying social and economic factors have received less attention. For many adolescents, the early initiation of sexual activity and the failure to use birth control is associated with their perception of limited life opportunities, as well as sex role socialization inhibiting contraceptive initiative. This paper considers the role of professional groups and service advocates in defining the problem and developing policy alternatives. It examines the processes through which an issue having significant redistributive …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 2 (June 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION - Robert D. Leighninger, Jr., Editor
• TEENAGE PREGNANCY, PROFESSIONAL AGENDAS, AND PROBLEM DEFINITIONS - Richard A. Weatherley
• NOT FOR POVERTY ALONE: FOSTER CARE POPULATION TRENDS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - Leroy H. Pelton
• THE FAILURE OF THE DESTITUTE MOTHERS' BILL: THE USE OF POLITICAL POWER IN SOCIAL WELFARE - Eve P. Smith
• MINNEAPOLIS SETTLEMENT HOUSES IN THE "NOT SO ROARING 20's:
• AMERICANIZATION, MORALITY, AND THE REVOLT AGAINST POPULAR CULTURE - Howard Jacob Karger
• HARRY LURIE'S ASSESSMENT AND PRESCRIPTION: AN EARLY VIEW OF SOCIAL WORKERS' ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING POLITICAL ACTION - Joe M. Schriver
• ORGANIZATIONAL ADAPTATION: THE NATIONAL …

Organizational Adaptation: The National Urban League During The Great Depression, Dona Hamilton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the effect that bureaucratic attributes and the dual function of the National Urban League (NUL) had on its ability to respond quickly to New Deal programs and legislation. With the exception of its decentralized structure, bureaucratic attributes contributed to the organization's effectiveness. Its structure limited its ability to implement national programs and pressure for national policies. The NUL was unable to make a permanent change in its structure that would be more compatible with its targets. Its dual function, attempting to change individual behavior and societal institutions, helped it maintain a support base without becoming more conservative.

Not For Poverty Alone: Foster Care Population Trends In The Twentieth Century, Leroy H. Pelton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Trends in the size of the national foster care population from 1910 to 1983 are examined in the context of child welfare policy toward dependent and neglected children. Several major turning points in the child placement rate are identified, and the reasons for them are explored. The relationship between poverty and foster care placement is discussed, and it is concluded that the child placement rate is not related to the poverty rate, but rather, to how our society chooses to intervene with the children of families living in poverty.

The Failure Of The Destitute Mother's Bill: The Use Of Political Power In Social Welfare, Eve P. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although social and economic conditions and prevailing popular philosophies may affect the success or failure of an attempt at change in social welfare policy and practice, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the political forces for and against the change may be more important. In 1897, fourteen years before the passage of the first U.S. Mothers' Pension law in Illinois, New York State Senator John Ahearn attempted such a law in New York. Although the bill was passed unanimously by both houses of the State Legislature, it was never signed into law. The reason was that the children's institutions and …

Minneapolis Settlement Houses In The "Not So Roaring 20'S' Americanization, Morality, And The Revolt Against Popular Culture, Howard Jacob Karger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article traces the theoretical and ideological development of the Minneapolis settlement house community during the 1920's. As such, the article examines the social control function of Minneapolis settlements through their emphasis on Americanization, morality, the concepts of neighborhood and democracy, and the role of domestic politics within the settlement community. The article also explores the dialectical relationship between the social control function of Minneapolis settlement houses and the altruistic motives of settlement workers.

Harry Lurie's Assessment And Prescription: An Early View Of Social Workers' Roles And Responsibilities Regarding Political Action, Joe M. Schriver

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harry Lawrence Lurie's recommendations and analyses concerning social workers' involvement in political action are reviewed. By reviewing some of Lurie's concerns and activities from the 1930's into the 1950's in this area, it is possible to gain helpful guidance and insight into contemporary concerns about social workers in the political arena. Lurie argued consistently for greater involvement by social workers in political action as individuals, as members of professional organizations, and in coalition with other groups outside of social work who were concerned with progressive social change. Lurie also articulated many of the conditions preventing effective political action by social …

From Countrywoman To Federal Emergency Relief Administrator: Josephine Chapin Brown, A Biographical Study, Emilia E. Martinez-Brawley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study documents the life and career of Josephine Chapin Brown, an early leader in public welfare and rural social work. Historical research showed that Brown's ideas on social work and on professional training for social work were often against the paradigm of her time. For example, Brown was a committed ruralite when social work was primarily urban; Brown supported social work training for public welfare workers in the agricultural colleges (many now state universities) when social work was committed to a more elitist training model. As a result she was ostracized by many of her influential contemporaries. Her orientation …

Social Work's Professional Mistake: Confusing Status For Control And Losing Both, Gary R. Lowe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The dimensions of control and power supporting monopoly are central to the professional notion. These factors are implicit in the attribute professional formulation traditionally put forth and adopted by Social Work. This paper asserts that social work leadership between 1915 and 1952 misunderstood or ignored these crucial dynamics. This "mistake" led to practice methodology (casework) and educational policies (graduate-only) that sought status rather than occupational control. This flawed analysis split the occupation in its formative years. The article concludes that the result has been social work's inability to gain professional standing.