Social Work Commons^™

Conceiving Identity: Bisexual, Lesbian And Gay Parents Consider Their Children's Sexual Orientations, Carrie Yang Costello

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study demonstrates the inadequacy of the traditional theory of childhood socialization and identity formation, which holds that children are socialized to internalize the key parameters of their parents' identities. The lesbian, gay and bisexual parents studied were willing actively to foster a sexual identity different from their own in their children. This illustrates that parents may seek to shape the process of internalization so that their children are able to develop identities fundamentally different from their own. The implication for social work is that adoptive or birth parents may successfully instill identities in their children which differ from their …

Debunking: A Role For The Practicing Sociologist, Harris Chaiklin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Individual sociologists have been effective in solving organizational problems. They have been spectacularly unsuccessful in solving persistent social problems such as poverty. These ultimate troubles may never be solved but they must always be worked with. Sociological ideas cannot be the only knowledge system used in working with social difficulties. No reductionistic system has ever been successful. Creating the conditions which will even improve any deleterious social behavior requires a wider perspective and more resources than the sociologist, as sociologist, can muster. Practicing sociologists can make their greatest contribution to ameliorating major social malfunctions by putting increased emphasis on their …

Successful Adaptation Of Immigrants From The Former Soviet Union To Project Renewal Neighborhoods: The Influential Factors, Haya Itzhaky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Migration has been an international phenomenon for centuries. The widespread trend toward migration in recent years has resulted in efforts to examine the factors involved in the adaptation of immigrants to life in the host country. This study examines the factors that effect immigrant adaptation and integration in urban neighborhoods in Israel that are undergoing a process of rehabilitation. Adaptation is defined by the variables: contact with neighbors, participation in community activities, sense of belonging to the community and well-being. These mediator and dependent variables were found to be directly effected by home and host related variables. These variables were …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 24, No. 3 (September 1997)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EDITORIAL - Bob Leighninger
• ESCAPING POVERTY AND BECOMING SELF-SUFFICIENT - Richard K. Caputo
• SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION OF IMMIGRANTS FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION TO PROJECT RENEWAL NEIGHBORHOODS - Haya Itzhaky
• THE FRAMING OF POLITICAL ADVOCACY AND SERVICE RESPONSES IN THE CRIME VICTIM RIGHTS MOVEMENT - Frank J. Weed
• CONCEIVING IDENTITY: BISEXUAL, LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTS CONSIDER THEIR CHILDREN'S SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS - Carrie Yang Costello
• A MAN WITHOUT A JOB IS A DEAD MAN: THE MEANING OF WORK AND WELFARE IN THE LIVES OF YOUNG MEN - Kathleen A. Kost
• MOVING ALONG: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF HOMELESS WOMEN WITH …

The Class Politics Of Domestic Violence, John P. Mckendy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The claim is often voiced that wife abuse is a problem that "cuts across" all social and economic lines. Yet there is considerable research evidence suggesting an inverse relationship between wife abuse and the socioeconomic status of both victims and perpetrators. The question of the relevance of social class has generally been construed as a factual one, in principle resolvable by collecting more and better data. Doing a participant observation study of a treatment programme for men who batter, I was forced to bracket the "objective," empirical question, but freed to see how certain ideological practices worked to keep class …

The Social Unit Plan (1916-1920): An Experiment In Democracy And Human Services Fails, Robert Blundo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Participatory democracy and community development are explored by looking back to the bold experiment undertaken in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1916 to 1920, called the Social Unit Plan. It is a glimpse into the economic, political, cultural and social consciousness of those who participated in the experiment during that period in American history. The paper suggests that by understanding the cultural and social lives of participants, our awareness of the range of options or possible efforts at addressing human social welfare needs in the past and the present are enhanced.

African-American Facilities For Dependent And Delinquent Children In Chicago, 1900 To 1920: The Louise Juvenile School And The Amanda Smith School, Anne Meis Knupfer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines two "homes" and later industrial schools founded in the Chicago area for African-American dependent and delinquent children during the Progressive Era: the Louise Juvenile Home and Industrial School; and the Amanda Smith Industrial Home and School. The juvenile court's inception and expansion, especially through the Chicago Woman's Club, as well as African-American club women and probation officers, is first described. The African-American women's activism in fighting segregation and in fund-raising for the schools is especially highlighted. Nonetheless, both schools' success, as well as eventual demise, were due largely to their economic dependence upon the juvenile court.

Reconstructing Sex Offenders As Mentally Ill: A Labeling Explanation, Rudolph Alexander Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A growing number of states are being pressured to keep incarcerated sex offenders behind bars longer. The response to this pressure has been to look to the mental health system and retrieve civil commitment for sex offenders, a policy largely abandoned in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the courts ruled that civil commitment to a mental institution required that the individual be both mentally ill and dangerous. So legislators, with the support of a few mental health professionals, met this requirement by legislatively reconstructing sex offenders as mentally ill and permitting their indefinite commitment to mental institutions. The author discusses …

Ethics In Field Education: Promise, Pretension, Or Practice?, Gary Mathews, Susan Weinger, Marion Wijnberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ethics are the foundation of every profession. Field education is central to the education of professional social workers. There is a consensus among educators that field education should include ethics education. The field education literature pays lip service to the importance of ethics. Ethical practice is being taught infield education in a cursory manner. Reasons for the discrepancy between promise and practice are discussed. Suggestions are made for including ethics education in the field.

Welfare Plastic: The Transformation Of Public Assistance In The Electronic Age, Mark Peyrot, William L. Harris, L. Mickey Fenzel, John J. Burbridge

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Several states have developed electronic benefit transfer (EBT) systems to deliver cash assistance and food stamp benefits. These systems establish electronic account balances which recipients access through the use of a debit card at terminals such as bank automatic teller machines or transaction authorization machines like those that validate credit card charges. We examine the potential effects of such systems on involved stakeholders, including government agencies, benefit recipients, financial institutions, and food retailers. Overall, each stakeholder group benefits from EBT, but some subgroups do not fare as well. Several key issues are identified.

Degreed And Nondegreed Licensed Clinical Social Workers: An Exploratory Study, John T. Pardeck, Woo Sik Chung, John W. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory study focuses on 155 randomly selected respondents who obtained a clinical license in social work with or without the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Ninety-seven of the respondents obtained a license with an MSW degree;fifty-eight obtained a license without the MSW degree. The two groups of respondents completed a survey instrument that explored their basic demographic characteristics, their attitudes and behaviors related to practice, and their philosophical and political attitudes toward practice. The researchers found few statistically significant differences between the two groups of respondents. The article offers implications of these findings for the profession of social …

European Welfare Policy: Squaring The Circle. Vic George And Peter Taylor-Gooby (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Vic George and Peter Taylor-Gooby (Eds.), European Welfare Policy: Squaring the Circle. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. $49.95 hardcover.

Miles To Go: A Personal History Of Social Policy. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Miles to Go: A Personal History of Social Policy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996, $22.95 hardcover.

Indochinese Mental Health In North America: Measures, Status, And Treatments, Thanh V. Tran, Donna L. Ferullo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The massive influx of Indochinese refugees and immigrants to North America since the end of the Indochina war, especially to the United States of America, has resulted in numerous multi-disciplinary efforts to document and study their mental well-being. As a group, Indochinese Americans arrived from war-torn countries where many had experienced various forms of trauma, poverty, and oppression. Their pre-migration experiences, and experiences in adjusting and adapting to the new life in the host society have influenced their mental health status and overall quality of life in various ways. This paper analyzes and synthesizes a wealth of multi-disciplinary research on …

Review Of Measuring The Performance Of Human Service Programs. Lawrence L. Martin And Peter M. Kettner. Reviewed By Shana Schuyten, Louisiana State University., Shana Schuyten

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Lawrence L. Martin and Peter M. Kettner: Measuring the Performance of Human Service Programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. $39.95 hardcover, $17.95 papercover

Foster Parent Demographics: A Research Note, Kathleen M. Kirby

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data were collected on a random sample of 218 foster parents in Michigan during Fall, 1991 regarding socioeconomic characteristics, licensure arrangement with placement agencies, foster parenting experiences, life experiences, reasons for entering, and satisfaction with foster parenting. Respondents are predominately female (77%), White (78%), educated beyond high school (63%), with an annual family income (excluding foster care payments) over $26,000. Most are Protestant (78%), currently married (79%), and married once (71%). The average foster home cares for 3 children with 1.5 foster children currently placed. Median number of placements is 8 with families typically fostering numerous categories of children. Replacement …

An Afrocentric Perspective On Social Welfare Philosophy And Policy, Jerome H. Schiele

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although much of the literature on American social welfare philosophy and policy is progressive and sincere in its objectives to dismantle poverty and economic oppression, the literature is limited in two important areas: 1) identifying American social welfare philosophy and policy as primarily Eurocentric in its worldview, and 2) applying the cultural values of people of color as a conceptual base to advance and diversify views on social welfare philosophy and policy. To address this gap, this paper draws on the viewpoints of a cadre of social scientists called Afrocentrists and applies the Afrocentric worldview to deseribe how it conceives …

Toward A Sociocultural Context For Understanding Violence And Disruption In Black Urban Schools And Communities, Linwood H. Cousins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines violence and disruption in a Black urban school and community. The author argues that an unempowering framework of culture has restricted our understanding of violence and other social issues affecting Black schools and communities. From such a backdrop, a sociocultural framework is presented that captures the strain, solidarity, and contemporary emergences that area part of school, American and Black culture, and a part of the context in which violence occurs in Black schools and communities. Broad implications are posited for human service policy, research, and direct practice.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 24, No. 2 (June 1997)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• INDOCHINESE MENTAL HEALTH IN NORTH AMERICA: MEASURES, STATUS, AND TREATMENTS - Thanh V. Tran and Donna L. Ferullo
• AN AFROCENTRIC PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIAL WELFARE PHILOSOPHY AND POLICY - Jerome H. Schiele
• TOWARD A SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING VIOLENCE AND DISRUPTION IN BLACK URBAN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES - Linwood H. Cousins
• RECONSTRUCTING SEX OFFENDERS AS MENTALLY ILL: A LABELING EXPLANATION - Rudolph Alexander, Jr.
• PERSONAL NARRATIVE AND THE SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LIVES OF FORMER PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS - Robin M. Gilmartin
• ETHICS IN FIELD EDUCATION: PROMISE, PRETENSION, OR PRACTICE? - Gary Mathews, Susan Weinger, and Marion Wijnberg
• THE …

Personal Narrative And The Social Reconstruction Of The Lives Of Former Psychiatric Patients, Robin M. Gilmartin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores ways in which high-functioning former patients integrate the experience of prior psychiatric hospitalization into their lives and find meaning from that event. The narratives of two individuals are presented and discussed in relation to social role theory, social constructionism, and labeling theory. The narratives underscore that the process of integrating and making meaning of important life events such as psychiatric hospitalization occur within a social context. Understanding mental illness and psychiatric hospitalization in familial, social, and political terms was instrumental in helping these individuals to reconstruct personal narratives in order to overcome shame and internalized stigma and …

The Case For Permanent Foster Care, Judy Fenster

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews historical developments in the social institution of foster care, leading up to the permanent planning revolution and current family preservation policies in the United States. Success rates of adoption, family preservation, and family reunification programs are examined, and a rationale for the inclusion of "permanent foster care" as an option for children is presented. Permanent foster care has several advantages: 1) it is federally and automatically funded; 2) it can lead to increased supervision of foster parents; 3) it creates more permanence for more children; 4) it promotes attachment through ensuring both child and foster parent stability. …

Review Of Clinical Social Work: Definition, Practice And Vision. Rachelle A. Dorfman. Reviewed By Cynthia Franklin, University Of Texas, Austin., Cynthia Franklin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Rachelle A. Dorfman, Clinical Social Work: Definition, Practice and Vision. New York: Brunner/Mazel Publishers, 1996. $24.95 paper cover

Review Of The Politics Of Child Abuse In America. Lela B. Costin, Howard Jacob Karger And David Stoesz. Reviewed By Jill Duerr-Berrick, University Of California, Berkeley., Jill Duerr-Berrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Lela B. Costin, Howard Jacob Karger and David Stoesz, The Politics of Child Abuse in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. $29.95 hardcover.

Review Of Spirituality In Social Work Practice. Ronald K. Bullis. Reviewed By Lolita Perkins, Louisiana State University., Lolita Perkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ronald K. Bullis, Spirituality in Social Work Practice. Washington, D.C. Taylor and Francis, 1996 $24.95 papercover

Review Of Children In Groups: A Social Work Perspective. Marian Fatout. Reviewed By Charles Garvin, University Of Michigan., Charles Garvin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Marian Fatout, Children in Groups: A Social Work Perspective. Westport, Ct: Auburn House, 1996. $49.95 hardcover.

Under Attack: Fighting Back: Women And Welfare In The United States. Mimi Abramovitz.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mimi Abramovitz, Under Attack: Fighting Back: Women and Welfare in the United States. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1996. $26.00 hardcover, $13.00 papercover.

Who We Are: A Second Look. Margaret Gibelman And Philip H. Schervish.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Margaret Gibelman and Philip H. Schervish, Who We Are: A Second Look. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 1996, $27.95 papercover.

Building America: The Democratic Promise Of Public Work. Harry C. Boyte And Nancy N. Kari.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harry C. Boyte and Nancy N. Kari, Building America: The Democratic Promise of Public Work. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1996. $54.96 hardcover, $18.95 papercover.

Asian American Experiences: A View From The Other Side, Pill Jay Cho

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

President Truman is said to have complained about his assistants for giving him advice "on the other hand" as well as the first one. He joked about his wish to find an advisor who has only one arm. As one of the two guest editors for the present special issue on Asian American Experience, I have been surprised by the fact that all manuscripts submitted discuss what I call "negative" side of the Asian American experiences.

Review Of Faces Of Poverty: Portraits Of Women And Children On Welfare. Jill Duerr Berrick. Reviewed By Tracey Mabrey, Western Michigan University., Tracey Mabrey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jill Duerr Berrick, Face of Poverty: Portraits of Women and Children on Welfare. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. $25.00 hardcover.