MIDTERM: Chapter 3

Question 1

What are values?

Answer 1

They are preferred conceptions or beliefs about how things should be

Question 2

Why are ethics important in social work?

Answer 2

Social work embodies social justice and the elimination of oppression

Ethical dilemmas emerge when social workers find themselves competing demands (e.g., the protection of clients’ interests and addressing demands for efficiency)

Social work ethics encompasses work with individuals, groups, and communities, in practice and research settings

Question 3

What was the morality period?

Answer 3

→ In the Early twentieth century people perceived Social problems and challenges as the result of individual moral failures

→ Role of social workers was to lead clients to “better” life by “strengthening their morality”

Question 4

What was the values period?

Answer 4

Early 1950s

→ Increased focus on the morality, values, and ethics of the profession and its practitioners

→ Practice focus shifted to the need for social workers to examine their own personal values

→ Social work associations in North America began to develop ethical standards and guidelines

Question 5

What was the ethical standards and risk Management Period?

Answer 5

Early 1990s

→ ethical standards expanded to guide practitioners’ conduct
→ knowledge increased concerning professional negligence and liability
→ Creation and formalization of a comprehensive code of ethics for the profession
→ Ethical code development designed to protect public, prevent ethics complaints and litigation

Question 6

What are the code of ethics core values?

Answer 6

1. Respect for the inherent dignity and worth of persons
2. The pursuit of social justice
3. Service to humanity
4. Integrity of professional practice
5. Confidentiality in professional practice
6. Competence in professional practice

Question 7

What is the process of reflexive decision making

Answer 7

→ Describe the case and context
Describe factors that are key to understanding the case
→ Define the ethical problem
→ Separate out competing values (e.g., confidentiality vs. duty to warn)
→ Explore values and biases
Examine personal, agency, professional, and societal values and biases
→ Gather information: Research, theory, and the Code of Ethics
Refer to relevant research, laws, theories, and the Code of Ethics to help decision-making
→ Explore options
Consider all possible courses of action and
possible benefits and risks

Question 8

What are utilitarian theories?

Answer 8

Theories that suggest that actions are right and wrong according to their outcomes instead of intrinsic features
→ Making decisions that are relative to the outcome, what results in the most happiness for everyone
→ Relativist perspective

Question 9

What are Deontological Theories?

Answer 9

Theories that maintain certain acts are intrinsically good or bad in and of themselves irrespective of their consequences.
→ Focuses on the actions (processes) itself
→ Act the same way regardless of the outcome
No matter what this is always right and this is always wrong
→Whether or not something is right or wrong is based on the action
→Universal laws

Question 10

Explain what evidence based practice is?

Answer 10

An approach that brings practice and research together to strengthen the scientific knowledge base supporting social Worker intervention

Question 11

Explain Practice based evidence

Answer 11

Calls on practitioners to think about the outcome they and their clients hope to achieve and represent the outcome in a measurable way

Question 12

What is burn out?

Answer 12

Over time, a physical and emotional state where one feels exhaustion and depersonalization along with a negative outlook
→ occurs in any profession or job
→ Work dissatisfaction
→ feel like there’s no gas in tank, burnt out

Question 13

Explain compassion fatigue

Answer 13

an outcome of long term exposure to clients' suffering and traumatic experiences that can result in desensitization toward clients' issues, thus impairing the worker- client relationship
→ Occurs in helping proffesions 
→Life dissatisfaction
→Develops from chronic use of empathy
→"I just can't anymore"

Question 14

Explain Vicarious Trauma

Answer 14

A profound shift of ones world view through hearing, providing, empathy toward, and indirectly, experiencing a clients traumatic stressors
→Occurs in helping professions/ life dissatisfaction
→Chronic use of empathy with trauma survivors
→ “I feel like it happened to me, even though I know it didn’t”

Question 15

Explain Self Care

Answer 15

Strategies or practices used to support ones emotional. psychological, physical, and spiritual health and well being