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The Social Security Controversy And The 1983 Amendments, Bruno Stein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As domestic political crisis go, the Social Security crisis has had a rather long run. The little monster made its first formal appearance in the 1974 Annual Report of the Trustees (1974), (1) and retained its ability to generate headlines and political grief until March 1983, when passage of the current Amendments put it to rest, at least for the time being. There is some measure of irony here. The original Social Security Act of 1935 was a rather modest venture, as these things go. Over time, the Act was expanded to cover more people, insure against more contingencies, and …

The Social Security Controversy: Does The Solution Ignore The Problem?, Martin B. Tracy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In 1982 the income levels of 18 percent of women age 65 and over were below the poverty line compared to 7.6 percent of men in the same age group (Kutza, 1982). The reasons for a higher incidence of poverty among older women are often correctly attributed to the generally unfavorable position of women in the labor market. A less frequently discussed contributing factor is the programmatic deficiency of old-age pensions under social security.

Two fundamental aspects of old-age pensions have been particularly unresponsive to meeting the economic needs of older women. These are: 1) relating income protection to paid …

Social Workers As Magistrates Or Jps?, Donald E. Maypole

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An inspection of data on magistrates and justices of the peace revealed that in many states the statutes do not require law degrees for the positions. A survey of a randomly selected sample of magistrates in one midwestern state found support for the claim that a law degree was not a pre-requisite for a magistrate's position. The author argues that social workers have the education and skills for magistrate and justice of the peace positions and proposes them as areas of employment.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 11, No. 3 (September 1984)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Symposium: The Social Security Controversy--Has the Solution Become the Problem? - pp. 510
• The Social Security Controversy and the 1983 Amendments - BRUNO STEIN - pp. 512
• The Social Security Controversy: Does The Solution Ignore The Problem? - MARTIN B. TRACEY - pp. 527
• Services for Battered Women - DECKY FIELDER, KATHARINE HOOPER BRIAR, MARIANNE PIERCE - pp. 540
• Anticipatory Socialization Towards Occupational Retirement - YAEL KRENER, ITZHAK HARPAZ - pp. 558
• Some Principles of Decision Making Under Uncertainty in Long Term Treatment Situations - JULIUS A. ROTH - pp. 585
• Income and Personal Resources: Correlates of …

Moving From Professionalism To Political Advocacy In The Human Services--How To Organize A Successful Statewide Political Effort In Youth Services, Milan J. Dluhy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current funding environment makes political advocacy on the part of social work professionals mandatory. The social work literature on political advocacy is reviewed and categorized into schools of thought. The major portion of the paper, however, presents and then analyzes a case study of a statewide youth services association in order to gain more insight into how professional social workers can develop and use more successful political strategies and tactics.

The Relative Effectiveness Of Legislative Campaigning In A School Of Social Work, L. K. Northwood, Mike Parker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There are three interrelated strategies commonly used by social workers for coping with the conservative attack on social welfare institutions: client advocacy, electoral, and policy strategies. The paper evaluates the relative effectiveness of the policy strategy when 532 members of a school of social work were asked to write their legislators in support of progressive legislation. Five indicators of the relative effectiveness of this campaign were identified and assessed. The campaign is adjudged relatively effective from the standpoint of enlisting and motivating participants "ready for service or action' (action potential); in implementing a formal plan or organization--a "connected series of …

Symposium: The Social Security Controversy - Has The Solution Become The Problem?

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This a collection of two of four papers presented at the Annual Meeting of the society for the Study of Social Problems in Detroit, August 27-30, 1983. The theme of the meeting was "The Making of Social Problems: Social Construction and Maintenance of Social Problems over Time." This symposium sought to explore the theme by using the social security program as a framework for discussion.

Services For Battered Women, Decky Fiedler, Katharine Hooper Briar, Marianne Pierce

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Counseling, case management and advocacy services for battered women seeking legal aid broaden their resources and options for dealing with abuse. Findings from a demonstration project specify the range of needs and services mobilized to effectively aid these women with the major life adjustments they and their children face.

Anticipatory Socialization Toward Occupational Retirement, Yael Kremer, Itzhak Harpaz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The willingness of older workers to participate in a retirement planning program served as an indicator of their anticipatory socialization toward retirement. Six independent variables were introduced in order to examine their effect on the workers' attitude toward pre-retirement counseling (dependent variable). A path analysis revealed that intention to continue working after retirement had a significant negative effect on the dependent variable. The most significant positive effect was that of Educational Level. In the discussion of the findings it is shown that the desire of pre-retirees to continue working is interpreted as un-realistic anticipatory socialization, indicating their reluctance to assume …

Some Principles Of Decision Making Under Uncertainty In Long-Term Treatment Situations, Julius A. Roth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Comparative information from field notes of four studies of long-term treatment institutions form the basis for developing propositions about decisions made under conditions of uncertainty. These propositions fall under the general rubrics of decision making when action involves danger, when decisions are made to control clients' or subordinates' behavior, and when a choice must be made between alternatives. The propositions are illustrated with examples taken from the four studies.

Income And Personal Resources: Correlates Of Psychological Adjustment To Widowhood, Martha N. Ozawa, Susan Whitelaw Downs, Daniel Frigo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study investigates factors that may determine the level of psychological adjustment to widowhood. Independent variables considered in this study are income and human capital. The population from which the study's sample was drawn consists of all nonremarried widows with at least one child receiving survivor benefits from social security in 1978 (N=3,041). The results support the importance of human capital variables for their predictive power. On the other hand, family income has not been found statistically significant. The source of data for this study is the 1978 Survey of Survivor Families with Children conducted by the Social Security Administration.

Professional Retention Of Bsw Social Workers: Planned And Actual Career Choices, Paul R. Raffoul, James G. Mccullagh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The assumption that BSW students will remain in social work was examined with a survey of 107 current students and 177 graduates from 1977 through 1980. The findings suggest that most of the current students planned to practice social work and most of the graduates entered social work practice upon graduation. Recent graduates, however, had more difficulty obtaining social work jobs than graduates in 1977. Characteristics of social work education are not associated with retention, leading to the hypothesis that factors outside the control of social work education are more predictive of BSWS' retention in the profession.

Student Racial Atitudes And Perceptions Of Causal Events At Entry To Graduate Social Work Education, Larry E. Davis, Enola K. Proctor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study assessed the racial attitudes and perceptions of causal events of 174 graduate students at the time of their entry to social work training. Results indicate that social work students had more egalitarian attitudes than nonsocial work students and were more likely to attribute causality to environmental or external factors. black students were significantly more external than white students in tneir perceptions of causality. Some differences in racial attitudes and perceptions of causal events were found among social work students, depending upon area of practice specialization. Student attitudes and perceptions did not differ according to geographical regions. implications for …

Slicing The Pie: Classes And The Distributive Effects Of Post-Wwii U.S.Governmental Fiscal Policies, Joel A. Devine

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Time series analysis of the relative class income distributional consequences of postwar U.S. fiscal practices reveals that governmental revenue policies have had a procapital bias while state expenditures have tended to favor labor. The net impact of these processes has served to leave the marketgenerated income distribution largely intact, despite the historically unprecedented growth of the public sector during this period. Finally, in light of these findings, the distributive impact of the current administration's fiscal program are considered.

Book Reviews, Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

• Contradictions of the Welfare State - CLAUS OFFE - Reviewed by PAUL ADAMS - pp. 743
• The Rank and File Movement in Social Work - RICK SPANO - Reviewed by LESLIE LEIGHNINGER - pp. 746
• Women and Public Policies - JOYCE GELD - Reviewed by SUSAN MEYERS CHANDLER - pp. 748

The Use Of Performance Data To Monitor And Support The Reorganization Of An Educational System, Ellen Spall Thompson

Masters Theses

The goal of this study was to determine the performance effects on staff and students following the reorganization of a special education facility. The organizational plan was based on the development of teaching teams where students were grouped together according to exit curricular goals. Four interventions were completed in order to assess the overall outcome of the reorganization project. At the student level, the rate of learning was monitored in order to determine whether the implementation of teams affected educational objective acquisition . At the team level, meeting agendas were surveyed to find out what effect they had on student …

Prescriptive Contracting: Utilization Of Self-Monitoring And Contracting In A Study Improvement Program, Raymond L. Boettger

Masters Theses

Several factors in program design and concurrent research of study programs for academically at-risk students have been noted in reviewing the literature. Two of the most effective techniques are self-monitoring and contracting. While many of the programs based on these procedures have shown significant increases in rates of study behavior, few have reported actual academic gains. Those that have predominately used simple difference of means tests to show significance. A major drawback to many of the study improvement programs is that they require additional expense to be implemented and maintained.

Prescriptive Contracting in an Individualized Guided Study center was designed …

Use Of Contingency Contracting For The Generalization Of Social Skills Of Emotionally Impaired Students, Michelle M. Kapp

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the effects of contingency or behavioral contracting on the generalization of emitting polite words. Generalization as a result of social skills training was compared to generalization as a result of contracting. The subjects were three elementary students identified as emotionally impaired. The experimental design was a combination reversal and multiple baseline across subjects. The results of the study supported the hypothesis that contracting would be more effective than the social skills training in initiating generalization of emitting polite words. It was suggested that additional research be conducted to investigate the long term effects of contracting on …

Alcoholism: The Insidious Disease, Kathryn Van Bruggen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to describe alcoholism as a disease, it s likely etiology, symptoms, methods of treatment and prognosis. Problems due to alcoholism are reported as they affect not only the alcoholic but the family, job and community as well. Education will help identify an alcoholic problem before it becomes too advanced. Various treatment modalities are discussed, including Alcoholics Anonymous. This study relates to the impact on the family and how the family can exacerbate the problem. Conclusions are based on observations of alcoholics and families of alcoholics in a therapeutic setting and literature review.

The Effects Of Given Versus Self-Derived Rules On Children's Performance Of A Complex Discrimination Task, Susan F. Roy

Masters Theses

Two groups of preschool children were studied in a discretetrial concept formation task involving identification of stimulus cards which shared a common feature (e.g., picture a color, or a facial expression). During training, one group (rule-given) was given a verbal description which delineated the aspect of the stimulus card that should control responding. The second (self-derived rule) group was exposed to the same cards, without a rule (verbal description) being given. Members of each group were reinforced for correct responses (i.e., identifying which of two pictures had the relevant stimulus property), and accuracy of description was recorded for each trial. …

Psychometric Characteristics Of The Behavioral Observation Scale, Gregg Allen Bolt

Masters Theses

Self-, peer-, and supervisor ratings were obtained on 52 psychiatric aides using a Behavioral Observation Scale (BOS). Self ratings showed less leniency error than peer- and supervisor ratings. Halo error could not be assessed due to a negative correlation between means and variences. A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analysis supported the presence of strong rater bias and significant convergent validity but not discriminant validity. The results of the analyses demonstrated that the ratings obtained from a BOS were not psychometrically superior to other appraisal formats. Questions were raised as to the adequacy of a five point scale, data transformation, and rating scales.

Male-Female Differences In Expressed Work Attitudes: An Examination Of Sex Roles And Gender Identity, Keith A. Woods

Masters Theses

This study investigates the existence of sex-based differences in attitudes toward social relations in the work environment. Both sex role (male vs. female) and gender-identity (agentic and communal aspects of self-conception) were related to work attitudes within the context of situational (attitude disclosure) and dispositional (public self-consciousness) factors. Subjects' attitudes toward the work environment were measured by a newly-developed Work Attitude Questionnaire (WAQ) which assessed preferences for personal vs. counterpersonal and preferences for conflict vs. conflict-avoidance in social relations in the work environment.

Significantly different work attitudes were expressed by male and female subjects: males expressed greater counterpersonal and lower …

Stimulus-Reinforcer And Response-Reinforcer Relationships In The Determination Of Response Latency, Bruce Edward Hesse

Dissertations

Response latency is measured from the onset of a stimulus to the onset of a response and is relevant to both respondent and operant control procedures. Previous research has shown response latency to be a sensitive operant dependent variable but the contribution of respondent influences was not known. The present experiment used pigeons, a two-key procedure and a two component FR schedule to study the respondent (stimulus-reinforcer) contributions to the determination of an ostensibly operant response latency. Stimuli associated with each FR component were displayed on one key (stimulus key) while responding for reinforcement was required on a second key …

Effects Of Tripelennamine And Pentazocine Alone And In Combination On Schedule-Controlled Performance, Deborah Lou Grossett

Dissertations

The effects of tripelennamine (3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mg/kg) and pentazocine (5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg/kg), given alone and in selected combinations, were determined in rats performing under fixed-ratio 30 and interresponse-time-greater-than-15-second schedules of food delivery. When given alone, tripelennamine and pentazocine produced statistically significant decreases in responding under the fixed-ratio 30 schedule, but did not significantly affect responding under the interresponse-time-greater-than-15-second schedule. Each drug alone significantly decreased the number of reinforcers (food pellets) earned relative to control values under both schedules. The effects of the two drugs in combination were supra-additive. That is, the effects …

Underdevelopment And State Capitalism: A Cross-National Study, Massoud Chalabi

Dissertations

This is an inquiry into the nature and developmental role of state capitalism (SC) in the Third World. In an effort to enhance understanding of the problem of underdevelopment in general and to gain understanding of state capitalism in particular, contributions and limitations of basic theories of development were examined via a positive critique. State capitalism, as a political movement under the political leadership of middle classes, is a response to the structural crisis and chronic crisis of authority to which misborn capitalism has been facing in the Third World since its emergence. Once state capitalism comes to exist, the …

The Influence Of Perceived Teachers' And Parents' Expectations On Student Achievement, William Zollweg

Dissertations

This study investigates the influence of perceived teacher and parent expectations on student achievement. Additionally, variations in perceived expectations were measured for students with different sex, race, and socioeconomic background. The sample population consisted of 283 tenth-grade students in a large midwestern school district. Results indicate that students with higher teacher and parent perceived expectations score higher on standardized tests of reading achievement. Furthermore, student perception of teacher and parent expectation varied directly with socioeconomic status.

Life Events, Social Support, And Health: An Examination, Kathleen Anne Tiemann

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between life events, social support, and health by testing a theoretically derived model. Regression analysis reveals that the number of undesirable health-related events explains most of the variation in reported health problems. Yet, when undesirable health-related events are added to the dependent variable, only five percent of the variation is explained. This finding suggests a measurement problem: the tautology of health-related events and health outcomes. The impact of this measurement problem is further illustrated through path analysis. When the tautology is removed, only two of the eight predictor variables remain in the model. Suggestions for …

The Relationship Between Women's Levels Of Achievement And Self-Reported Characteristics Using The Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Sandra Kay Ragen

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between adult women's perceptions of their sex role and their level of achievement. Sex role was defined by the scores achieved on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), and achievement level was based on an index of education, work role, and salary. It was hypothesized that a significant relationship exists between levels of achievement and self-reported masculine (instrumental) and feminine (expressive) characteristics.

A random sample of 100 females was selected from membership roles (N = 600) in the Kalamazoo Network, Kalamazoo, Michigan, a high-achieving women's group. Seventy-five (75) usable returns provided …

The Delay-Reduction Hypothesis Of Evocative Effectiveness And Latency, James Bryant Nuzzo

Dissertations

Prior studies found that separations between latencies correlated with differential stimuli in a multiple discrete trial procedure were attenuated with increased intertrial interval durations. In this study six pigeons served as subjects in two groups. The procedure for one group was a multiple DRO-FR chain schedule (Ratio Delay group) while in the other group a multiple DRO - response-initiated delay interval chain schedule (Time Delay group) was used. Results of this study are consistent with the Delay-reduction hypothesis of evocative effectiveness which predicts that with increasing initial link durations relative terminal link evocative effectiveness would decrease. Specifically, relative terminal link …

Behavioral Social Work In Community And Organizational Settings, Jack Rothman, Bruce A. Thyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Principles and methods of behavioral social work have found little application at the community and organizational levels of intervention. It is the contention of the authors that integration of such content would enhance practice at these levels. Components of behavioral community intervention are indicated and illustrated in micro/macro settings, with advantages to practice specified. Ethical Considerations in using this methodology are discussed.