Social Work Commons^™

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 …

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.

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.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 1 (March 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

• Editorial - ROBERT D. LEIGHNINGER, JR.
• Individual Experience and Critical Consciousness: Sources of Change in Everyday Life - DAVID GIL
• AFDC Encounters Joint Custody: Business as Usual Is not the Solution - JAN C. HAGEN
• Role Ambiguity Among Foster Parents: Semi-Professionals in Professionalizing Organizations - KENNETH J. MIETUS, MICHAEL D. FIMMEN
• Older Blacks' Predictions of Their Social Support Networks - BRENDA CRAWLEY
• Setting Funding Priorities in the Voluntary Sector: A Case Study From the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles - SAUL ANDRON
• Stress of the Caregiver: Effective Management of Dementia Patients in Hospital and Community Settings - RUTH …

Professional Achievement In Social Work, Harry Specht, Doris Britt, Charles Frost

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The authors report on a study of the professional achievements of 719 recently graduated California MSWs. Respondents are assigned an achievement score which is an index based on responses to seven questions. The scores of low achievers and high achievers are compared to analyze associations with: validating factors (e.g., salary), personal factors (race and gender), and pre-MSW factors (e.g., undergraduate education).

Rold Ambiguity Among Foster Parents: Semi-Professionals In Professionalizing Organizations, Kenneth J. Mietus, Michael D. Fimmen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Because foster parent role ambiguity has been viewed primarily as a micro-level phenomenon, efforts to reduce its negative consequences have emphasized ameliorist solutions which attempt to alter the behavior of individuals. We suggest that consideration of role ambiguity as a macro-level phenomenon provides a sounder basis for developing long-range solutions which can alter the structure of foster care organizations in ways which will complement existing ameliorist strategies. As semi-professionals, the work-role expectations of foster parents are seen as being contradictory to the goals of a profess ionalizing organizational structure. The transitional nature of this professionalizing process, and the contradictions which …

Setting Funding Priorities In The Voluntary Sector: A Case Study From The Jewish Federation Council Of Greater Los Angeles, Saul Andron

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Resource scarcity has emerged in the 1980's as a dominant theme in the human services. Although we are acutely aware of the impact that funding cutbacks have had upon human service agencies and their programs, relatively scant attention has been given to the funding body itself as the focus of analysis. The ways in which the funding body addresses the issue of resource distribution under scarcity conditions is of critical concern to the social welfare field. This paper analyzes one model adopted by a large voluntary fundraising and funding organization-planned priorities-setting-to provide a strategic and rational framework for guiding allocations …

Stress Of The Caregiver: Effective Management Of Dementia Patients In Hospital And Community Settings, Ruth E. Dunkle, Michael Nevin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores the management problems among elders with dementia and their medical and family caregivers. Twenty-five patients were interviewed as well as professional health care personnel and a family member. Findings indicated that professional assessment facilitates home caregiving but has little bearing on successful coping by the caregiver. Variability of coping relates to the strategy employed.

Professional Autonomy In Community Mental Health Centers, William E. Buffum

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Professional community mental health workers want considerable autonomy in doing their work, but too much autonomy can lead to frustration and less satisfaction with work. This finding of a study of 93 mental health professionals in three community mental health centers is in sharp contrast with a comparison group of 60 professionals in a chemical plant. The article cautions against the direct translation of research on all professionals to community mental health professionals.

A Response To "Professional Achievement In Social Work", Timothy W. Lause

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper raises several interesting issues for policy and research in the field of social work education. Nonetheless, serious shortcomings undermine its analysis of background factors to professional achievement. Even if one suspends critical assessments of the study's rationale and of its central index, the evidence presented here seems far more ambiguous than acknowledged. The quality of data is the primary subject of these comments. For purposes of this symposium, however, it seems appropriate to preface them with a few questions.

Rejoinder, Harry Specht

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The comments by Chaiklin and Lause are representative of the sort of scholarly, but sterile and despairing, criticism that pervades social work education today. They have many technical complaints about the Specht-Britt-Frost paper: the conceptualization of the variables is defective; the response rate is too low; the sample is poor; the weightings are inappropriate; gamma is not a sufficiently powerful measure of correlation; and so forth. I have responded to most of these issues elsewhere, (1) so I will address only two here.

In Search Of The Continuum: Graduate School Performance Of Bsw And Non-Bsw Degree Holders, Anne E. Fortune, Robert G. Green, Michael S. Kolevzon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Do students with prior academic preparation in social work perform better in graduate school than students who do not have a BSW? Master's students in a southeastern school of social work were surveyed about their background, general psychosocial adjustment, adjustment to and attitudes toward graduate school, and graduate academic performance. Forced-entry multiple regression was used to control simultaneously for the effect of background and adjustment factors on four outcome variables: Grade Point Average in the most recent semesters; Stress as a Student; Educational Program Satisfaction; and Professional Social Work Commitment. Having a BSW was unrelated to Educational Program Satisfaction and …

Editorial, Robert Leighninger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As you may have noticed, there've been some changes made. Norman Goroff, our Founding Editor and Publisher, has decided that putting the Journal out by himself while trying to maintain his University's extension program in upper New England is too much work. Norm has published the Journal at the University of Connecticut since its beginning; he and Ralph Segalman, the other Founding Editor, shared the editing chores. Six years ago, they turned that responsibility over to me; but Norm continued to do the publishing. Since this separation of offices has been a constant source of confusion to our authors, subscribers, …

Afdc Encounters Joint Custody: Business As Usual Is Not The Solution, Jan L. Hagen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the fifty years since its enactment, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) has become increasingly difficult to administer efficiently and equitably. Most recently, this increasing complexity is illustrated by eligibility determinations for divorced families having joint custody of the children. A recent national survey of state agencies administering AFDC programs reveals a diversity of approaches in determining eligibility under the continued absence requirement for joint custody situations. As illustrated by these joint custody cases, the meaningfulness as well as the usefulness of the continued absence requirement for AFDC eligibility has become increasingly questionable in terms of responding to …

Individual Experience And Critical Consciousness: Sources Of Social Change In Everyday Life, David G. Gil

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social scientists tend to interpret social change as the result of collective action. However, all collective action is at some level and time initiated and carried out by individuals, who, of course, are rooted in particular social contexts. A theory of social change needs to derive, therefore, not only from the study of collective action, but also from the study of individual initiation of, and involvement in, social change oriented practice.

The following observations on individual involvement in social change practice are based on personal experience and study over several decades. They are not a theory of social change but …