Ch.1 Intro to Human Beh. and The Social Environment Flashcards
Social Work has three major components:
- Social workers can help people solve their problems and cope with their situations
- Social Workers can work with systems (social agencies, organizations, communities, and government bureaucracies
- Social Workers can link people with systems
Much of Social Work involves
social functioning
Social Work targets how individuals behave and
how other systems and people affect each other
Social Work practice consists of…
- helping people obtain tangible services
- providing counseling and psychotherapy for individuals, families, and groups
- helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services
- participating in relevant legislative processes
What is necessary in order to make effective decisions about how to proceed a situation
careful thought
involves basic knowledge and assumptions about human behavior
assessment
a practitioner is one who uses a wide range of knowledge and skills to help people with an extensive array of problems and issues
a generalist practitioner
what should social workers do when clients come to them with a problem?
identify alternatives and positive and negative consequences of each alternative
what type of approach do social workers use when working with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
problem-solving approach
understanding and assessing human behavior includes being knowledgeable about…
human development
blank and theories concern the physical aspects of a person’s life
biological development
blank and theories emphasize individuals’ functioning and cognitive or thought processes
psychological development
blank and theories address people’s interaction with others around them in the social environment
social development
a theory that predicts that others will become increasingly isolated and detached from society
disengagement theory
what are the typical developmental milestones?
motor development, personality development, motivation, social development, learning
what does the term typical mean
used to refer to levels of functioning that are considered appropriate for a particular age level
typical developmental milestones provide…
a baseline for assessing human behavior
what are important concepts for understanding human behavior?
- human diversity
- cultural competency
- oppression
- population at risk
vast range of differences among groups
human diversity
the act of treating people differently bc they belong to some group rather than on merit
discrimination
involves putting unfair and extreme limitations and constraints on members of an identified group
oppression
any group of people who share some identifiable characteristic that places them at greater risk of social and economic deprivation and oppression than the general mainstream of society
population at risk
the ability to achieve one’s goals despite the opposition of others
power
entails specific rights or benefits enjoyed bc of elevated social, political, or economic status; often related to prestige
privilege
the amount of social respect or standing given to an individual based on occupation
prestige
enthusiastic approval or praise
acclaim
what provides a certain set of environmental characteristics?
membership
sensitivity to group differences is critical in…
understanding any individual behavior
what are the 2 perspectives concerning sensitivity to group differences?
- the values or orientation of a particular group will affect how an individual behaves (how group members feel and choose to act)
- directs attention to how other people and groups in the social environment view the group in question
predetermined assumptions made without assessing facts
prejudgements
standardized views about people who belong to some group that do not take into account individual qualities and differences
stereotypes
what forms the basis of professional values?
awareness of how prejudgments and stereotypes affect people
one of the foundation blocks of social work?
professional values
the process of increasing interpersonal or political power so that individuals can take
empowerment
a perspective on practice that provides ways of thinking about and doing practice
the empowerment approach
focuses on client resources, capabilities, knowledge, abilities, motivations, experience, intelligence, and other positive qualities
the strengths perspective
what are the 4 principles involved in the strengths perspective:
- every individual, group, family, and community has strengths
- trauma and abuse, illness, and struggle may be injurious but they may also be sources of challenge and opportunity
- assume that you do not know the upper limits of the capacity to grow and change and take individual, group, and community aspiration seriously
- every environment is full of resources
what are the multiple sources of strengths?
individual, family, group, community, organizational
group of people who informally provide help and support
natural support network or helping network
include educational background, work history, problem solving, decision making skills, personal qualities and characteristics, physical and financial resources and positive attitudes
individual strengths
made up of people with similar problems or issues who comes together and provide each other with support
support groups
ability of an individual, family, group, community, or organization to recover from adversity and resume functioning even when suffering serious trouble, confusion, or hardship
resiliency
resiliency involves what 2 dimensions?
risk and protection
include availability of organizations that provide resources, residents’, expectations for appropriate and positive behavior, and opportunities for neighborhood youths to constructively participate in the community
community strengths
perceptions and opinions held by individuals, professions and cultures about what is good and desirable
values
principles based on values that guide behavior and determine what is right and correct
ethics
what are the professional codes of ethics?
- social workers primary goal is to help people in need to address social problems
- social workers challenge social injustice
- social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person
- social workers recognize the centered importance of human relationships
- social workers behave in trustworthy manner
- social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise
situations in which ethical principles conflict and all solutions are imperfect
ethical dilemmas
being trustworthy and keeping info in confidence
confidentiality
careful examination and evaluation of beliefs and actions
critical thinking
a coherent group of principles, concepts, and ideas organized to explain some observable occurrence or trend
theory
incorporates concepts from both systems theories and the ecological perspective
ecosystems theory
a foundation notion in social work practice and our basis for understanding the dynamics of human behavior
-sees people as constantly interacting with various systems around them
person-in-environment
set of elements that are orderly and interrelated to make a functional whole
system
borders or margins that separate one entity from another
boundaries
a subordinate system that is a component of a larger system
subsystem
tendency for a system to maintain a relatively stable, constant state of balance
homeostasis
culturally established social behavior and conduct expected of a person in any designated interpersonal relationship
role
dynamic, interpersonal connection characterized by patterns of emotional exchange, communication, and behavioral interaction
relationship
the response of a system, after receiving and processing input that affects other systems in the environment
- result of the process
output
specified variables that are measured for the purpose of evaluation
-what is done
outcome
a special form of input in which a system receives info about its own performance
feedback
problematic function, the system can choose to correct any deviations or mistakes and return to a more homeostatic state
negative feedback
valuable, involves a system’s receiving info about what it is doing correctly in order to maintain itself and thrive
positive feedback
point at which 2 systems come into contact with each other or communicate
-not limited
interface
a system’s tendency to move from a simpler to a more complex existence
differentiation
the tendency if a system to progress toward disorganization, depletion, and death
entropy
process of a system toward growth and development individuals develop physically, intellectually, and emotionally as they grow
negative entropy
refers to the fact that there are many different means to the same means
equifinality
provides a more specific view of the world within a social work perspective
ecological approach
involves the conditions, circumstances, and human interactions that encompass human beings
social environment
composed of all the non human living things and living things that are naturally on earth
natural environment
fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people
environmental justice
active and dynamic because something is communicated or exchanged
transaction
natural power of active involvement bw people and their environments
-can take the form of input or output
energy
exact point at which the interaction bw an individual and the environment takes place
interface in ecological perspective
refers to the capacity to adjust to surrounding environmental conditions
adaptation
form of adaptation that implies a struggle to overcome a problem
coping
what are the 5 types of coping skills?
- people need to solicit and obtain the types of info
- people need to have coping skills for thinking about and planning for the future
- coping skills involve controlling emotions
- people need coping skills to control their needs for immediate gratification
- coping skills involve identifying alternative ways of approaching a problematic situation and evaluating the pros and cons of each alternative
final ecological concept, the mutual reliance of each person on each other person
interdependence
involves focusing on an individuals needs, problems, and strengths
micro system
refers to any small group
mezzo system
refers to a system larger than a small group
-involves striving to improve the social and economic context in which people live
macro system
number of people with something in common that connects them in some way and that distinguishes them from others
community
structured groups of people who come together to work toward some mutual goal and perform established work activities that are divided among various units
organizations
specific attempts to understand how organizations function
organizational theory
what are the 2 components in the community theoretical framework?
- it involves perspectives on the nature of communities
- involves how social workers practice within the community context
a worker who helps others articulate their needs, identify their problems…
enabler
links individuals and groups who needs help with community services
broker
directive role where the social workers represent a clients or citizens group
advocate
process of helping increases strengths and influence
empowerer
