Values in Social Work - Essay Example

Values in Social Work School) Values are very important components in one’s practice as a social worker. In fact, it is these that serve as the bases for the social worker’s attitude towards problems that may be encountered. Values are shaped by the individual’s perspectives of society. The early factors that contribute to its shaping are his upbringing in the family and his first exposure to the larger society, which is through the school. The values that were developed early though are often subjected to challenges as one matures. Upon entering the field of social work, these are either strengthened or weakened. Those values which are congruent to social work ethical principles would naturally be strengthened. Those that are opposed, however, may be weakened or absolutely rejected upon the introduction of values that are more relevant to social work. For instance, if one has been brought up by a family that instills the value of concern for others, accepting the social work values of service, equality, and social justice would not be difficult. Genuine concern for others, however, is not reflected by palliatives. The root causes of their poor conditions must be addressed. Social work, therefore, should not be just about alleviation; it should also be about social transformation. Social work should not result in the beneficiaries being assisted; it should result in their empowerment. Genuine social service is not done through dole-outs; it is through raising the awareness of the beneficiaries regarding their rights and potentials. 1. Concern for others is a value that has been instilled in me by my parents. Even as I am part of a society that encourages people to work and be successful as individuals only to benefit the self, it is my principle that one should be responsible for the well-being of others too. However, putting into practice what I have been taught at home is really difficult. This is because I see school and the rest of society as having a completely different value. The schools are ingraining individualism in each of the students. This is proven in how students tend to bring one another down as if it is the best way prop their respective selves up. Elite groups are created, alienating those that are deemed inferior by those who consider themselves who consider themselves as the better students, athletes, and artists, or those who are just lucky to have been born into rich families. One the other side of the pole, I see fellow students who are less-fortunate in many respects. They are the ones who just do not possess the talents and skills that could make them popular in school or those who belong to low-income families. Their existence is proof of how a stratified school could take its toll on the individual. What makes this worse is the fact that what I see in school is just a preview of what society really is. Stratification is also very evident in society. I see individualism as having greatly influenced the mindset of people that everyone no longer thinks about others in whatever they do. Those who already have more in life are fortunate because they have the means to excel and to take advantage of others at the same time. It is in these circumstances that I developed the perspective of change. Before, I thought that what is needed is the instilling of the value of concern for others. Now, however, I see the necessity of promoting humanism and utopianism and other ideological perspectives that are related to these. To do this, social workers should first be educated in an ideology that counters individualism by grasping the “nature of social diversity and oppression” (NASW Code of Ethics). 2. As someone who adheres to the principles of utilitarianism and utopianism, it is very easy for me to grasp and apply the principles of equality. I have always believed that people are inherently equal. No one is born superior over the others. However, due to the fact that there are people who have learned to exploit human and other natural resources, inequality has emerged in society. There are now people who are economically well-off while the majority must work in order to have income and live decently. I find my own analysis of society as particularly helpful when I first tried to appreciate certain values that social workers must grasp and practice. In fact, the reason why I got attracted to a career in social work is that I found many of the values introduced as interestingly similar to mine. Social work, after all, is basically only realizable if people continue to show concern for the well-being of others. One particular value that I consider as especially helpful in a social work career is based on the concept that “acceptance implies a tolerant understanding of clients” (Values and Ethics in Social Work). I believe that the issue of tolerance should not be based on the idea that people should be treated with it just because peace and goodwill should be promoted. The basis for this value is the principle of equality. I would care for people not because it is my job or because I do not want to see people complaining about their plight. It is because I believe that everyone deserves to enjoy the fruits of labor of everyone in society. There is another value in social work that I consider as fundamental and very relevant; that “everyone needs access to resources and opportunities to meet life’s challenges and realize personal potential” (Values and Ethics in Social Work). With this value, I came to believe that social work is not just about alleviation or the promotion of a culture of dole-outs. It is also about educating people that they have equal rights to resources that are available in society and it is about motivating them to realize these. It is in this regard, that I have also developed the idea that social workers also help change society. 3. As a social worker, I see myself as someone who would take a more proactive approach to the problems that beset society, which have left many people at a disadvantage. Aside from the values that have been mentioned, this perspective is brought about by my belief that the economic woes of those who would need my attention are not just caused by their inability to access resources in the way that others did. The root cause of the prevalence of homelessness, unemployment, and despondency that are prevalent in society is the existence of an unjust and unequal economic and political order. These economic and political conditions are maintained and supported by a culture of passivity and submission on the part of the disenfranchised of the disadvantaged. If a social worker merely considers his or her role as a part of a mechanism set up by the government to alleviate the conditions of those who are politically and economically alienated, then no genuine solution is actually introduced to address the root cause of the problem. Instead, social work becomes part of an elaborate scheme to sustain a culture of dole-outs which is basically passive and, therefore, supports an unjust and unequal status quo. In the NASW Code of Ethics, it is said that “social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability” (NASW Code of Ethics). I find this the most relevant point in the entire code because it explicitly promotes proactivity when it comes to solving the problems in society. Through this it is made clear that a social worker does not just provide help to those who are not provided access to opportunities. As a social worker, I would play a more active role in the struggle for social transformation. I may apply palliatives too because these are urgent but I would also see to it that the root causes of social ills are addressed and, consequently, help in effecting change. 4. There are ethical principles and values as stated in the NASW which are basically congruent to those that I have already held on to. The aspect of social justice, for me, is the most important of these. The NASW Code of Ethics has made it clear that “social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people.” This point definitely appeals to me because it clearly explains that the social worker should not be contented with the role of reducing the sufferings of those who bore the brunt of an oppressive social system. For a long time and before I learned about the ethical principles of social work as defined by the NASW and by the textbooks in the social course, I have always though that social workers only serve the status quo by cushioning the impact of unjust and oppressive structures of society; that they merely make the suffering of the less advantaged less painful. However, when I finally learned about social justice being a key principle in social work, my perspective of the profession became different and I began to see its relevance in the context of social transformation. However, there is one value in social work that may also seem difficult to apply. In Values and Ethics in Social Work, it is pointed out that one must control his or her emotions in the performance of his duties as a social worker and that “controlled emotional involvement is achieved through the expression of empathy.” For me, it is actually through empathy that I begin to integrate myself to the conditions of the client. If he or she feels anger because of the experienced injustice and oppression, then I would naturally assume such emotions too. In fact, I firmly believe that such anger would serve as fuel to the determination needed to perform well in social work. This profession, after all, requires more than just monetary motivation. When it comes to serving the people, one cannot avoid being passionate. This passion may be considered as a vital requirement in order for one to serve well the interests of the clients. 5. Social work definitely requires a clear delineation of roles. The social worker, as much as possible, should know when to pursue objectives without actually overstepping the boundaries that are set with respect to the privacy of the clients or the beneficiaries. This may become a problem though because there are people who value so much their privacy that any intervention done on the part of the social worker may be deemed as a violation. In an urban setting, this may not be very difficult since people living in the cities already know what benefit they would get from the assistance of a social worker. When it comes to people living in the rural areas, such intervention may not be readily acceptable. Apparently, this would be a serious challenge that I would also encounter as a social worker. In the rural areas, “the rural older adult’s personal factors, including a strong sense of self-reliance, belief in family caregiving, and misunderstanding of social service programs, may isolate them from information about needed services” (Li 2006, p. 116). This is actually the most pressing issue that a social worker would meet when dealing with rural folks. However, this problem should not stop the social worker from proceeding with his work. Instead, this should be treated as an obstacle that should be overcome. I believe that in order to solve this problem, I would need to first grasp the culture of the people I am dealing with. This means that I should not limit my social analysis of the clients’ conditions to generalizations. I would need to study the details of their norms and traditions. It is by doing so that I would be able to determine the particular characteristics of their culture that I could take advantage of in order to pursue the objectives in social work. If I fail to do this, it is very likely that I would be insisting on techniques that are not only effective but are also unacceptable from the perspective of the clients. The rural people do have the tendency of holding on to conservative traditions but even these have details that could be used to present new ideas that are acceptable to them. References DuBois, B. and Miley, K. (1996). Values and Ethics in Social Work. Li, H. (2006). Rural Older Adults’ Access Barriers to In-Home and Community-Based Services. Social Work Research Volume 30, No.2. National Association of Social Workers. National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. The 2008 NASW Delegate Assembly. Read More