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▌Objectives
Afterworkingthroughthisunit,youshouldbeableto:
●conceptualizeenhancingsocialfunctioningasthegoalofsocialwork;
●identifythebuildingblocksoftheconceptofsocialfunctioning;
●recognizetheimportanceofconvertingbroadergoalsintomorespecificgoals;
and
●identifythethreefunctions-namelyremedial,preventive,anddevelopmentalfunctions-ofsocialwork.
Introduction
Youmayhaverealizedfromitshistoricaldevelopmentthattherehasbeenmuchdiversityasthesocialworkprofessionhasevolved.Somesocialworkersidentifiedthemselvesascaseworkers,whileothersidentifiedthemselvesasgroupworkersorcommunityworkers.Werethesepractitionersofthesameprofession?
Whatwastheircommonbaseofpracticeiftheywereofthesameprofession?
Throughout,peopleinthefieldtriedtoconsolidatethegoalofthisprofession,andthiseffortisbestrepresentedbyBarlett'
sTheCommonBaseofSocialWorkPractice(1970).
LEARNINGACTIVITY
1
Beforeyouproceed,putdownwhatinyouropinionthegoalofsocialworkis.
Youmayhaveputdowndescriptionsasgeneralas"
helpingpeopletohelpthemselves"
or"
advancingsocialjustice"
orasspecificas"
organizingrecreationalandeducationalactivitiesforpeople"
organizingpeopletofightfortheirowninterests"
.Whateveryouwrotedown,youaremostprobablyrightindescribingpartofthegoalorsomeoftheactivitiesintendedtoachievethegoalofsocialwork.However,isthereageneralizationwhichcanhelpustohaveacoherentunderstandingofalltheseseeminglydiscretegoalsandactivities?
"
Socialfunctioning"
istheconceptwhichhasdevelopedtoarticulatethegoalofsocialwork.
Enhancingsocialfunctioningasthegoalofsocialwork
Insimpleterms,thegoal.ofsocialworkistoenhancethesocialfunctioningofpeople."
referstothewayindividualsorcollectives(families,associations,communities,andsoon)behaveinordertocarry.outtheirlifetasksandmeettheirneedsintheirenvironmentorlifesituationsandmeettheirneedsintheirenvironmentoflifesituations.hisimpliesthattheprimaryconcernofsocialworkersisthefunctioningofpeopleinrelationtotheirsocialenvironment.Peoplecanfunctionatdifferentlevelsofsocialfunctioning.Thelevelof"
socialfunctioningofanindividualdependsonhisabilitytocopewithlife'
sdemandsandtosatisfyhisneedsinhisenvironment.Forinstance,youareenjoyinggoodsocialfunctioningwhenyoucancopewiihthedemandsfromdifferentlifesituationssuchasbeingastudent,amemberofthefamily,andafriendofyourpeers.Beingabletocopewithdemandsmeansthatyouareleadingasatisfyinglifewhichisrelativelyfreeofdistress.Ontheotherhand,poorsocialfunctioningindifferentlifesituationswillcreatedistress.Manypeoplewhoseekouthelpcanbedescribedassufferingsocialdysfunctioning.Foramorethoroughunderstandingoftheconceptofsocialfunctioning,wehavetofurther
explorelifetasks,needs,andtheenvironment,whicharethebuildingblocksofsocialfunctioning.
Lifetasks
Thesearethecriticalanddemandingsituationsthatconfrontpeoplethroughtheirlifetransitionsandenvironmentalchanges.Whataresomeofthelifetransitionsandenvironmentalchangeswearereferringto?
Lifetransitionsaremostevidentwhenpeopletakeupnewroleswhichproducenewsocialexpectationsofthem.Fromthedevelopmentalperspective,therearemanylifetransitionsasapersongrowsup.Forinstance,babieshavetolearntocontroltheirtoiletbehaviours.Intheirearlychildhood,childrenhavetolearntomanipulateobjects,towalk,andtotalk.Whentheyenterschool,theyhavetoadapttotheacademicdemands,discipline,andsociallifeinschool.Failureinanyaspectwillcausedistresstothechildrenthemselvesortothepeoplearoundthem.Then,whentheybecomeold,theyoftenhavetoadjusttopoorhealth,tochangeslikeretirement,thedeathofaspouse,oreventheirownimpendingdeath.Alongthisdevelopmentalpath,thereareanumberoflifetransitionsanddifferentlifetaskswillemergeatdifferentstages.Yourothercoresubject,"
HumanGrowthandDevelopmentI"
willequipyoumorewiththisknowledge."
Environmentalchanges"
referstochangesofboththesocialandphysicalenvironments.Movingtoanewtownwhereyouarefarawayfromyourformersocialcircleandworkplace,beingsackedbecauseofeconomicrecession,orchangingtoanewjobareallexamplesofenvironmentalchangeswhichcanbedemandingandstressfulanddisturbyoursocialfunctioning.Withtheselifetransitionsandenvironmentalchanges,newdemandsontheabilityofpeopletocopewiththechangeswillemerge.Notalllifetransitionsorchangescausedistress,assomemaynotbeverydemandingorthepeopleconcernedmayhavetheabilitytomasterthesituations.Criticalchangesinlifebringaboutstressbuttheyalsoprovidepotentialforgrowth.Onlywhenpeoplefailtocopewiththechangesortomaketheenvironmentlessdemandingwillstressordistressbegeneratedandthusaffecttheirsocialfunctioning.
2
Whataresomeofthelifetasksthatarerequiredofyouatyourstageoflife?
Listtheminthespaceprovided.
AsstudentsintheDiplomaforSocialWorkcourse,youmayfacesimilarlifetasksasyourclassmates,butsometasksareuniqueasyoumaycomefromratherdifferentbackgroundsandbeconfrontedwithdifferentsituations.Allofyouhavetofaceacademicdemandslikewritingtermpapers,attendingseminars,andsittingforexaminations.Moreover,unlikeclassesinsecondaryschool,thiscoursedemandsmoreactiveparticipationlikeseminarpresentationsandself-learningbyworkingthroughthislearningpackage.StudentswhoareweakinEnglishmayfinditdifficulttoreadsomanymaterialsinEnglish.Youmayhavewantedtoregisterinothercoursesbutfailed,andnowyouhavetofacethefrustrationandreadjustyourpersonalplan.Marriedmaturestudentsmayfaceconflictingdemandsaswivesormothers,husbandsorfathers,andatthesametimeasstudents.Doyoufindyourselfcopingwellwithalltheseenvironmentaldemands?
Ofcourse,thelifetasksrequiredbybeingastudentarenottheonlyonesthatyouarefacing.
Needs
Itisimpossibleforapersontoleadasatisfyinglifewithoutreasonablefulfilmentofneeds.The,pointwewanttomakeisthatsatisfactionofone'
sneedsiscrucialforsatisfactorysocialfunctioning.Socialworkisbasicallyaresponsetoneed.TheearlyconcernofsocialworkactivitiesinHongKongwastosatisfythephysiologicalneedsofthepeople,aspovertywasthegreatestsocialproblematthattime.Bynow,socialworkisaddressingthediverseneedsofpeople,whethertheyarepsychological,social,orevenspiritual.Whentheirneedsarenotsatisfied,peoplebecomedisturbed.Somepeoplemayfeelsad,threatened,orfrustrated,whileothersmayadoptineffectiveorevensociallyunacceptablewaysofsatisfyingtheirneeds.Forinstance,somepeopleseekasenseofsecurityorincreasedself-esteembyfightingandsubduingothers,orbystealinginfrontoftheirpeers.Forillustration,wewillciteMaslow'
shierarchyofneedsasexamplesofsomeofthebasicneeds,butwewillnotexaminehistheoryindepth.ThefollowingarethefivebasichumanneedspostulatedbyMaslow:
Physiologicalneeds
Theseneedsaredirectlyrelatedtosurvival.Theyincludefood,water,oxygen,andrest.
Safetyneeds
Peoplewillfeelsecureandfreefromdangerwhentheseneedsaremet.Theseneedsincludephysicalsecurity,stability,order,anddependency.
Belongingnessandloveneeds
Theseareneedsforaffiliationandaffection.Peopleseekaffiliationtosocialgroupslikefriendsandfamily.Whentheneedsofbelongingnessandlove
arenotsatisfied,peoplewillbeupsetbyfeelingslikeostracism,rejection,friendlessness,androotlessness.
Esteemneeds
Theseneedscanbedifferentiatedintoself-esteemandesteemfromothers.Theformerinvolvesdesiresforcompetency,mastery,andachievementforself.Thelatterincludesdesiressuchasrecognition,appreciation,andreputationfromothers.
Self.-actualizationneeds
Theseneedsaredefinedasthedesiretobecomewhatoneidiosyncraticallyis,tobecomeeverythingthatoneiscapableofbecoming.Forexample,peoplearemotivatedtoenrichtheirownlivesbyrealizingalltheirpotential,bybeingspontaneousandactingcreatively.
UsethefollowingcharttoreflectonyourownlevelofneedfulfillmentaccordingtoMasiow'
sscheme.Bycompletingthisexercise,youmaylearnsomethingaboutyoursocialfunctioningintermsofneedssatisfaction.Inthedescriptionbox,putdownafewstatementstodescribeyourstateofneedsatisfactioninthatneedcategory.Forsatisfactionrating,youcanfollowthisscale:
1=totallyunsatisfied;
2=generallyunsatisfied;
3=slightlyunsatisfied;
4=sl