Chapter 4 Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Sociocultural Dimensions

Question 1

Sociology

Answer 1

focuses on the study of social behavior and groups

Question 2

sociological imagination

Answer 2

the relationship between the individual and the wider society

Question 3

Conflict theory

Answer 3

an approach that views social behavior from the perspective of conflict or tension among two or more groups

Question 4

Karl Marx’s conflict theory

Answer 4

believed that struggle or conflict among classes was an inevitable feature of capitalism

Question 5

Max Weber’s theory

Answer 5

maintained that groups could be defined by class, status, and party rather than just by social class, as Marx posited

Question 6

Georg Simmel theory

Answer 6

as the levels of emotional involvement and solidarity increase among group members, the level of violence also increases; if the ground rules can be agreed on, conflict can encourage coalition building and discussion between groups

Question 7

W. E. B. Du Bois theory

Answer 7

focused primarily on racial and ethnic inequality, arguing that sociologists should pursue scientific knowledge to help overcome bias and prejudice in society

Question 8

How the conflict theory views families

Answer 8

as institutions that both reflect and perpetuate the unequal distribution of power and resources within the larger society; also according to the theory, the family legitimizes male power and dominance, which in turn validates and perpetuates the lower status of women and children

Question 9

medicalization of society

Answer 9

the medical profession has acquired the power to influence knowledge, attitudes, opinions, and even social policy

Question 10

Conflict theory critiques

Answer 10

• it tends to lend itself only to the macro level of conceptualization of problems
• carrying out conflict-based interventions after they are developed is also problematic
• doesn’t often help social workers identify time- and cost- effective strategies for dealing with their clients’ institutional problems

Question 11

Critical practice theory

Answer 11

views social problems as caused by oppressive societal structures and the cultural and moral assumptions generated and maintained by dominant groups

Question 12

praxis

Answer 12

employs clients’s experiences of injustice to better understand how society functions and strengthens people’s capacity to pursue social change

Question 13

conscientization

Answer 13

a practice to help raise people’s awareness of oppressive social structures and strengthen clients’ abilities to critically think about how these structures contribute to inequality

Question 14

dialogic practice

Answer 14

involves exchanging views of social structures through egalitarian relationships with clients

Question 15

Critical practice theory critiques

Answer 15

• social service agencies are set up to target individual problems to help relieve individual distress, not to focus on large-scale social change, which could take a long time to achieve
• social workers who work in traditional social service agencies are often bound by policies and laws to focus on individual problems
• many individual problems are caused by biological and environmental factors

Question 16

functionalist theory

Answer 16

attempts to explain how various aspects, or functions, of a society work together to maintain stability

Question 17

Emile Durkheim (1933, 1938)

Answer 17

made many contributions to functionalism through his work on biological processes and their application to social systems; posited that society must be considered as a functioning whole

Question 18

Anomie

Answer 18

when society undergoes dramatic change, such as industrialization, people lose their sense of meaning in life and feel directionless in their activities

Question 19

Robert K. Merton

Answer 19

articulated key concepts in social science: Manifest functions, latent functions, and dysfunctions

Question 20

Manifest functions

Answer 20

purposes are readily discernible

Question 21

latent functions

Answer 21

purpose is not necessarily what it seems to be on the surface

Question 22

dysfunctions

Answer 22

parts of society that do not contribute to the wellbeing of the larger system

Question 23

Talcott Parsons

Answer 23

agreed with Durkheim that society is the sum of its parts. offered an analysis that helped to place emphasis on larger social systems and their effects on individual behavior

Question 24

functionalist theory critiques

Answer 24

• functionalist theory views the interactions among systems as closed
• functionalist theory doesn’t address the possible inequity within a system, which is an important ethical consideration
• functionalism doesn’t lend itself well to developing interventions for clients

Question 25

Symbolic interaction theory

Answer 25

refers to the unique ways in which people and systems interact and communicate with one another as well as the essence and characteristics of that interaction and communication

Question 26

3 main premises to symbolic interaction theory

Answer 26

• we act on our world based on the meanings that we attach to our experiences
• the meanings we attach to our experiences stem from our interactions with others
• these meanings are affected by our interpretations of our interactions

Question 27

social constructionism

Answer 27

asserts that we construct our reality based on our experiences

Question 28

deconstruction

Answer 28

the analysis of how one group’s construction of reality has become the accepted reality, justifying and reinforcing that group’s power over social values, beliefs, and institutions.

Question 29

George Herbert Mead

Answer 29

one of the founders of the interactionist perspective; focus on the self, which he saw as an active player in society

Question 30

George Herbert Mead’s 2 types of interaction

Answer 30

Nonsymbolic interaction and symbolic interaction

Question 31

Nonsymbolic interaction

Answer 31

how people respond directly to the actions of others

Question 32

Symbolic interaction

Answer 32

The ways in which we interpret the actions of others

Question 33

Charles Horton Cooley (1902)

Answer 33

coined the concept of the looking-glass self

Question 34

Looking-glass self

Answer 34

refers to the idea that we learn who we are through our interactions with others

Question 35

3 phases of developing a self-identity according to Cooley

Answer 35

1. We have a perception of how we present ourselves to others around us
2. We then have a perception of how others evaluate us based on this presentation
3. We develop feelings about ourselves based on these perceived evaluations

Question 36

Erving Goffman

Answer 36

espoused an interactionist method known as the dramaturgical approach

Question 37

Dramaturgical approach

Answer 37

likens everyday life to the drama of theater and stage

Question 38

Symbolic interaction theory critiques

Answer 38

• doesn’t offer a clear intervention strategy
• too micro-focused and doesn’t emphasize broader social factors
• lacks a solid, consistent theoretical base from which to examine relationships

Question 39

Feminism

Answer 39

the advocacy of social, economic, and political equality between men and women

Question 40

Branches of feminist theory (3)

Answer 40

• liberal feminism
• socialist feminism
• radical feminism

Question 41

Fundamental tenets of feminist theory

Answer 41

• Challenge false dichotomies
• Rethink established knowledge
• Examine different patterns of socialization
• Deconstruct patriarchal hierarchies
• Increase opportunities for empowerment
• Value process orientation
• Understand that the personal is political
• Respect diversity
• promote awareness of interactions between the individual and social forces

Question 42

feminist theory critiques

Answer 42

• feminist theory focuses exclusively on women and thereby ignores the plight of other oppressed groups
• feminist theory, with the exception of black feminism, has ignored intersectionality and focused primarily on white women, excluding women of color
• exclusive focus on women actually perpetuates their oppression by highlighting their special circumstances

Question 43

culture definition

Answer 43

there is no universally accepted definition of culture; sociologically, culture is the result of all human endeavors

Question 44

Cultural concepts in Social Work Practice (10)

Answer 44

• cultural relativism
• cultural competence
• cultural humility
• ethnic identity
• ethnicity
• ethnocentrism
• ethos
• ideology
• social class
• Worldview

Question 45

cultural relativism

Answer 45

the idea that different cultures should be treated equally; cultures can’t be ranked based on which is better or superior

Question 46

Cultural competence

Answer 46

A set of attitude, policies, and practices that facilitate effective cross-cultural interactions

Question 47

Cultural humility

Answer 47

the commitment to continual self-reflection on one’s own experiences, assumptions, and practices in work with others

Question 48

Ethnic identity

Answer 48

how people form their identities in relation to their ethnicity

Question 49

Ethnicity

Answer 49

How people associate themselves with a group through the use of aspects such as values, traditions, customs, language, and religion

Question 50

Ethnocentrism

Answer 50

the belief that one culture is superior to others and that culture serves as the norm by which others should be judged

Question 51

Ethos

Answer 51

the moral, ethical, and aesthetic tone of a person’s life’ the emotional aspect of the worldview

Question 52

Ideology

Answer 52

One’s dominant ideas about what is correct and how things should be

Question 53

Social class

Answer 53

A category for groups of people who share similar economic stratification

Question 54

Worldview

Answer 54

The way in which people perceive their world that gives them a frame of reference; a personal philosophy about how things are and the way things should be

Question 55

NASW Standards for Culturally Competent Social Work Practice (8)

Answer 55

• Recognize how personal and professional values impact work with culturally diverse clients
• Continually develop knowledge around cultural diversity
• Use culturally appropriate methods in work with clients
• Be knowledgeable about culturally appropriate services for clients
• Understand how policies and programs affect culturally divers clients
• Support efforts that advocate for professional diversity in social work education and practice
• Work toward eliminating service barriers for culturally diverse clients
• Provide leadership in cultural competence for the profession

Question 56

dual perspective

Answer 56

gives context to the ways in which people from minoritized groups experience different systems throughout development and how these experiences impact development

Question 57

nurturing system

Answer 57

primary system, and consists of people and circumstances close to an individual

Question 58

sustaining system

Answer 58

the world of dominant culture, consisting of the larger systems that impact an individual

Question 59

Multiculturalism

Answer 59

the idea that all cultures should be recognized, respected, and treated equally

Question 60

Cultural pluralism

Answer 60

the recognition and accommodation of a variety of cultures that have different values and norms

Question 61

bicultural socialization

Answer 61

the idea that members of minoritized groups not only receive extensive enculturation and socialization from their cultural group, but they also receive socialization from the majority culture

Question 62

culture of poverty

Answer 62

a worldview and ethos contributing to poor people staying in poverty

Question 63

Cultural Perspectives critiques

Answer 63

• Instead of a single, coherent theory of culture, there is a collection of ideas and definitions of culture from many disciplines
• Even a social worker who embraces multiculturalism and cultural competency will be hard-pressed to truly understand their clients’ worldview if the clients grew up in a culture different from the social worker’s