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1、ObjectivesAfter working through this unit, you should be able to: conceptualize enhancing social functioning as the goal of social work; identify the building blocks of the concept of social functioning; recognize the importance of converting broader goals into more specific goals; and identify the

2、three functions - namely remedial, preventive, and developmental functions - of social work.IntroductionYou may have realized from its historical development that there has been much diversity as the social work profession has evolved. Some social workers identified themselves as case workers, while

3、 others identified themselves as group workers or community workers. Were these practitioners of the same profession? What was their common base of practice if they were of the same profession? Throughout, people in the field tried to consolidate the goal of this profession, and this effort is best

4、represented by Barletts The Common Base of Social Work Practice （1970）.LEARNING ACTIVITY1Before you proceed, put down what in your opinion the goal of social work is.You may have put down descriptions as general as helping people to help themselves or advancing social justice, or as specific as orga

5、nizing recreational and educational activities for peopleorganizing people to fight for their own interests. Whatever you wrote down, you are most probably right in describing part of the goal or some of the activities intended to achieve the goal of social work. However, is there a generalization w

6、hich can help us to have a coherent understanding of all these seemingly discrete goals and activities? Social functioning is the concept which has developed to articulate the goal of social work. Enhancing social functioning as the goal of social workIn simple terms, the goal. of social work is to

7、enhance the social functioning of people. refers to the way individuals or collectives （families, associations, communities, and so on） behave in order to carry. out their life tasks and meet their needs in their environment or life situations and meet their needs in their environment of life situat

8、ions. his implies that the primary concern of social workers is the functioning of people in relation to their social environment. People can function at different levels of social functioning. The level of social functioning of an individual depends on his ability to cope with lifes demands and to

9、satisfy his needs in his environment. For instance, you are enjoying good social functioning when you can cope wiih the demands from different life situations such as being a student, a member of the family, and a friend of your peers. Being able to cope with demands means that you are leading a sat

10、isfying life which is relatively free of distress. On the other hand, poor social functioning in different life situations will create distress. Many people who seek out help can be described as suffering social dysfunctioning. For a more thorough understanding of the concept of social functioning,

11、we have to furtherexplore life tasks, needs, and the environment, which are the building blocks of social functioning. Life tasksThese are the critical and demanding situations that confront people through their life transitions and environmental changes. What are some of the life transitions and en

12、vironmental changes we are referring to? Life transitions are most evident when people take up new roles which produce new social expectations of them. From the developmental perspective, there are many life transitions as a person grows up. For instance, babies have to learn to control their toilet

13、 behaviours. In their early childhood, children have to learn to manipulate objects, to walk, and to talk. When they enter school, they have to adapt to the academic demands, discipline, and social life in school. Failure in any aspect will cause distress to the children themselves or to the people

14、around them. Then, when they become old, they often have to adjust to poor health, to changes like retirement, the death of a spouse, or even their own impending death. Along this developmental path, there are a number of life transitions and different life tasks will emerge at different stages. You

15、r other core subject, Human Growth and Development I, will equip you more with this knowledge. Environmental changes refers to changes of both the social and physical environments. Moving to a new town where you are far away from your former social circle and work place, being sacked because of econ

16、omic recession, or changing to a new job are all examples of environmental changes which can be demanding and stressful and disturb your social functioning. With these life transitions and environmental changes, new demands on the ability of people to cope with the changes will emerge. Not all life

17、transitions or changes cause distress, as some may not be very demanding or the people concerned may have the ability to master the situations. Critical changes in life bring about stress but they also provide potential for growth. Only when people fail to cope with the changes or to make the enviro

18、nment less demanding will stress or distress be generated and thus affect their social functioning. 2What are some of the life tasks that are required of you at your stage of life? List them in the space provided.As students in the Diploma for Social Work course, you may face similar life tasks as y

19、our classmates, but some tasks are unique as you may come from rather different backgrounds and be confronted with different situations. All of you have to face academic demands like writing term papers, attending seminars, and sitting for examinations. Moreover, unlike classes in secondary school,

20、this course demands more active participation like seminar presentations and self-learning by working through this learning package. Students who are weak in English may find it difficult to read so many materials in English. You may have wanted to register in other courses but failed, and now you h

21、ave to face the frustration and readjust your personal plan. Married mature students may face conflicting demands as wives or mothers, husbands or fathers, and at the same time as students. Do you find yourself coping well with all these environmental demands? Of course, the life tasks required by b

22、eing a student are not the only ones that you are facing.NeedsIt is impossible for a person to lead a satisfying life without reasonable fulfilment of needs. The, point we want to make is that satisfaction of ones needs is crucial for satisfactory social functioning. Social work is basically a respo

23、nse to need. The early concern of social work activities in Hong Kong was to satisfy the physiological needs of the people, as poverty was the greatest social problem at that time. By now, social work is addressing the diverse needs of people, whether they are psychological, social, or even spiritua

24、l. When their needs are not satisfied, people become disturbed. Some people may feel sad, threatened, or frustrated, while others may adopt ineffective or even socially unacceptable ways of satisfying their needs. For instance, some people seek a sense of security or increased self-esteem by fightin

25、g and subduing others, or by stealing in front of their peers. For illustration, we will cite Maslows hierarchy of needs as examples of some of the basic needs, but we will not examine his theory in depth. The following are the five basic human needs postulated by Maslow:Physiological needsThese nee

26、ds are directly related to survival. They include food, water, oxygen, and rest. Safety needs People will feel secure and free from danger when these needs are met. These needs include physical security, stability, order, and dependency.Belongingness and love needsThese are needs for affiliation and

27、 affection. People seek affiliation to social groups like friends and family. When the needs of belongingness and loveare not satisfied, people will be upset by feelings like ostracism, rejection, friendlessness, and rootlessness.Esteem needsThese needs can be differentiated into self-esteem and est

28、eem from others. The former involves desires for competency, mastery, and achievement for self. The latter includes desires such as recognition, appreciation, and reputation from others.Self.-actualization needsThese needs are defined as the desire to become what one idiosyncratically is, to become

29、everything that one is capable of becoming. For example, people are motivated to enrich their own lives by realizing all their potential, by being spontaneous and acting creatively.Use the following chart to reflect on your own level of need fulfillment according to Masiows scheme. By completing thi

30、s exercise, you may learn something about your social functioning in terms of needs satisfaction. In the description box, put down a few statements to describe your state of need satisfaction in that need category. For satisfaction rating, you can follow this scale: 1 = totally unsatisfied; 2 = generally unsatisfied; 3 = slightly unsatisfied; 4 = sl