Social Work Commons^™

Social Work Concerns Related To Peace And People Oriented Development In The International Context, Daniel S. Sanders

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is the thesis of this paper that the social work profession along with other human service professions has the potential of making a vital contribution in promoting peace and people oriented development and that the ultimate test of the profession's contribution to individuals, families, and communities in varying contexts is the ensuring of human survival and the enhancing of the quality of life for all people.

Social Democracy, War, And The Welfare State, Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many writers have discerned links between the welfare state and social democracy. A few have examined the connections between the welfare state and war. The links connecting war, social democracy, and the welfare state are here examined, and it is argued that all three can be fruitfully understood as aspects of a tendency to state capitalism which prevailed in the first half of the twentieth century but which has increasingly been offset by a countervailing tendency to internationalization. The welfare state and social democracy, as national-state centered phenomena resting on the capacity of individual states to manage their own segments …

Deprofessionalization, Proletarianization, And Social Welfare Work, Paula Dressel, Michelle Waters, Mike Sweat, Obie Clayton Jr., Amy Chandler-Clayton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this paper we explore the personnel transformations which have occurred in social welfare work. Specifically, we examine the tensions between the dynamics of professionalization and deprofessionalization and how these trends have impacted upon those who work in the social welfare enterprise. Another concern of the paper is the effect of the proletarianization of social welfare work in the face of increasing efforts of some to create professional standards and to solidify the position of professionals in agencies. These struggles are examined in terms of their ability to affect the likelihood of both worker unionization and worker-client political coalitions.

An Ecological Approach For Social Work Practice, John T. Pardeck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The ecological approach offers a comprehensive theoretical base that social practitioners can draw upon for effective social treatment. The critical concepts of the ecological approach are presented. It is suggested that the ecological perspective can be a useful treatment strategy for improving the social functioning of the client system.

Introduction And Dedication, Norman Goroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In 1977 the Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare published a Special Issue edited by the late Larry Northwood on The Welfare-Warfare State. This was one of the first journal publications by social workers and sociologists on this vital issue. Larry was one of the original members of the National Association of Social Workers' Peace Committee and did much to stimulate the analysis of the relationship between a warfare and a welfare state.

The Warfare-Welfare Tradeoff: Consequences Of Continuing The Nudear Arms Race And Some Policy Alternatives, Sam Marullo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper provides a survey of the positive functions of the nuclear arms race for segments of society and society as a whole. The analysis of the positive functions does not serve as a justification for the status quo, but is undertaken to point out the numerous constraints mitigating against change. Massive social forces operate in such a manner as to continue and expand the arms race, indicating large scale social changes are required to stop it. A series of policy alternatives are enumerated as functional alternatives which would have fewer negative consequences while preserving our national security.

Beyond War: Empowerment For Senior Citizens In A Nuclear Age, Susan Rice

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An educationally focused non-partisan grass roots peace movement is described, as are the empowering effects of being involved in such a group. Beginning attempts to utilize this approach with senior citizens are explored, and further experimentation is encouraged.

Transcending Despair: A Prelude To Action, Norman N. Goroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The central thesis of this essay is that in order to feel empowered to work for the elimination of nuclear weapons, persons need to face and transcend their despair when they contemplate the nuclear destruction of the planet. The repression of fear of nuclear disaster results in a sense of powerlessness to do anything about the inevitable destruction and consequently nothing is done, thereby allowing the "Lovers of Death" (Fromm, 1964) to build bigger and better ways to destroy the planet.

Book Reviews, Isidor Walliman, Elizabeth D. Huttman, Shimon S. Gottschalk, Robert Sheak, Christina R. Curtiss

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

BOOK REVIEWS

• The Swiss Way of Welfare: Lessons for the Western World. Ralph Segalman. New York: Praeger, 1986, 205 pp., $39.95. - Reviewed by Isidor Walliman
• Vieillesses: Situations, Itineraires et Modes de Vie des Personnes Agees Aujourd'Hui. Christian Lalive d'Epiany (Ed.). Saint Saphorin, Switzerland: Edition Georgi, 1983. - Reviewed by Elizabeth D. Huttman with the assistance of Anna Marie Rampmaier and W and N. Weber.
• Wohlfahrtsstaat Schweiz (The Swiss Welfare State). Antonin Wagner. Bern: Paul Haupt, 1985, 248 pp., S.E 32. - Reviewed by Shimon S. Gottschalk
• The Mean Season: The Attack on the Welfare State. Fred Block, Richard A. …

The Social Class And Mental Illness Correlation: Implications Of The Research For Policy And Practice, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ongoing efforts to unravel the causal issues involved in the correlation between socioeconomic status and mental illness suggest that the hypothesis of a recursive or interactive relationship may be the most tenable, at least with the psychoses. Implications of this research are explored, with particular attention paid to the mental health costs of economic policies, the principles with which states allocate mental health resources, and the use of this knowledge-base in service planning.

Exposure Of Young Welfare Recipients To Family And Peer Receipt Of Welfare And Unemployment Benefits, Viola E. Shuart, John H. Lewko

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current study examined exposure to family and peer receipt of unemployment and general welfare benefits for a sample of 262 unemployed youth between 16 and 24 years of age who were in receipt of social assistance. The findings reveal that exposure to receipt of benefits was most pervasive through peers, with moderate exposure via siblings and minimal exposure via parents. The findings are discussed in relation to existing explanations which suggested that the receipt of benefits is intergenerationally transmitted. It is recommended that future investigations of the cultural transmission of poverty and receipt of benefits include the influence of …

Welfare Workers As Surplus Population: A Useful Model?, Paula Dressel, Mike Sweat, Michelle Waters

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Analysts of organizational and employment issues in social welfare are in need of a more critical orientation for framing debate. We propose that an understanding of welfare workers as surplus population offers critical insights into a number of longstanding welfare concerns, including political coalitions, professional standards, and worker burnout. Empirical evidence is presented to undergird the credibility of the surplus population argument.

A Commentary On The Social Class And Mental Illness Correlation: Implications Of The Research For Policy And Practice, Julius A. Roth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper represents an extraordinary review of literature on the association between SES and mental illness. I think most social scientists would find it impressive. It also conveys some cogent reasoning about the relevance of these findings for social policy. I think most social workers would find it impressive.

An Analysis Of The General Well-Being Of Blacks And Whites: Results Of A National Study, Sonjia Parker Redmond

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The importance of race as a factor in mental health status has been a topic of controversy. This study examines racial variances in the relationship between selected socio-demographic variables and general well-being. The study also examines the appropriateness of an additive versus an interactive statistical model for this investigation.

Unlike other recent community based mental health studies, this study revealed significant differences between the general well-being of Blacks and Whites. Blacks continued to exhibit significantly lower levels of well-being even after adjustments were made for income, education, marital status, sex, age and place of residence. Statistical interaction was found between …

The Relationship Between Social Work And Labor Unions: A History Of Strife And Cooperation, Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner, Norma Kolko Phillips

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The historical relationship between social work and organized labor has been an ambivalent one, with fluctuations paralleling historical changes in social and political values. This paper examines the changing nature of the relationship, with emphasis on the period from the 1870s to the 1940s. While today's relationship is a mutually beneficial one, the fragile nature of the link between organized labor and the social work community cannot be ignored, particularly in light of the increasing involvement between social work and private industry

Implications Of The One-Child Family Policy On The Development Of The Welfare State In The People's Republic Of China, Fernando Chiu-Hung Cheung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The one-child family policy in China, if successfully implemented, will drastically alter the population age structure in the coming years which will in turn affect the demand and supply of the welfare state. Using several population indices projected on the basis of different total fertility rates, it is found that the aged population will increase significantly and hence their needs for social services including social security and health care will increase accordingly. Because the responsibility for caring for the old in China still largely falls on the family, it is important to establish an universal social security system supported by …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 15, No. 1 (March 1988)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Editorial - ROBERT D. LEIGHNINGER, JR., EDWARD J. PAWLAK, DANNY H. THOMPSON
• Implications of the One-Child Family Policy on the Development of the Welfare State in the People's Republic of China - FERNANDO CHIU-HUNG CHEUNG
• The Social Class and Mental Illness Correlation: Implications of the Research for Policy and Practice - CHRISTOPHER G. HUDSON
• A Commentary on The Social Class and Mental Illness Correlation - JULIUS ROTH
• An Analysis of the General Well-Being of Blacks and Whites: Results of a National Study - SONJIA PARKER REDMOND
• Exposure of Young Welfare Recipients to Family and Peer Receipt of …

Technology In Clinical Practice And The "Technological Ethic", John W. Murphy, John T. Pardeck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Computers are being introduced into practically every area of clinical practice. The use of this technology by practitioners has not gone unchallenged. Specifically, new ethical problems are thought to be associated with using computers to make clinical assessments. Logistical and procedural difficulties, however, have been the primary focus of concern. In this paper the critique of computerized evaluation is expanded, with attention directed to the computer "micro-world." Because the computer micro-world consists of several unwarranted assumptions about the nature of social reality, clinical practice may be affected in many undesireable ways. The theoretical underside of computer use is illustrated to …

Reforming The Juvenile Correctional Institution: Efforts Of The U.S. Children's Bureau In The 1930s, Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The U.S. Children's Bureau, the federal agency responsible for social policy for children in the early part of this century, delayed studying the problems associated with the institutionalization of juvenile delinquents for nearly twenty-five years. In the 1930's, the Bureau undertook several projects and studies related to training schools for delinquents which were designed to create reform in an area long recognized as harmful to children. This article traces the history of the Bureau's work in the institutional field from 1912-54, analyzes the reasons for the agency's initial reluctance and later activity in this area, discusses the results of these …

Policy Gambit: Conservative Think Tanks Take On The Welfare State, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Conservative policy institutes have reevaluated their position regarding welfare and begun to present proposals to change social welfare policy. Instrumental in this development are the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, conservative think tanks which have developed projects for the purpose of making social policy more consonant with conservative philosophy. If progressive organizations are to reassert their role in the policy process, they will have to use some of the aggressive techniques pioneered by the conservative think tanks.

Reconsidering Drug Involvement Among Youth And Young Adults: Implications For Targeted Primary Prevention, Mark W. Fraser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this; paper is to review two dominant social perspectives on the etiology of substance abuse among youths and young adults-the stage and risk factor outlooks-and to discuss them in light of recent demographic and ecological research. The differential demography of drug abuse strongly suggests that the environmental context influences the use and abuse of substances. In an era of great public concern about substance abuse, the use of individually-focused perspectives appears to have resulted in person-centered skills training programs and "say no" media campaigns. Consideration of community-level factors in the etiology of drug abuse permits the identification …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 4 (December 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

CONTENTS

• Policy Gambit: Conservative Think Tanks Take on the Welfare State - DAVID STOESZ
• Reconsidering Drug Involvement Among Youth and Young Adults: Implications for Targeted Primary Intervention - MARK W. FRASER
• Reforming the Juvenile Correctional Institution: Efforts of the U.S. Children's Bureau in the 1930s - MARGUERITE G. ROSENTHAL
• Historical Perspectives on the Care and Treatment of the Mentally Ill - ALBERT R. ROBERTS AND LINDA FARRIS KURTZ
• Sexual Abuse at Charity House: A Case Study of Social Policies in Action - MAUREEN KELLEHER
• Predictors of Job Satisfaction Among Three Racial/Ethnic Groups of Professional Female Human Service Workers - R.L. …

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 …

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.