Understanding of Sociology by Social Workers - Essay Example

Understanding of sociology by social workers Introduction The social life that is lived by the society has made sociology a crucial aspect. However, various groups of people are still unaware of the essence of sociology. The work of sociology can be very helpful in imparting knowledge and also understanding in the human behavior. It also helps people to understand the various and also deep characteristic of human towards God and also other human beings. It is always advisable for any person to understand the science of sociology as it assists in rendering services towards other people. There are groups of people in the society who are in desperate need of the aid of other people (Adams et al 2009, p.45). The divisions to the social work are the social relations and also the problems in the social life. These are the main areas where the science of sociology concentrates with the aim of making interventions to the good of social work. The science of sociology also buys ideas from other related fields such as psychology and also political science. It was mainly done to assist the science to cover all the areas that are involved in the development of human beings (Bartoli 2013, p.54). The work of the social workers mainly concentrates with the problems in the society, the causes of those problems, the possible solutions of those problems and also how they have affected the lives of people living in the society. The society is made up of different families, communities, individuals and organizations. It is the duty of the worker to understand the influences that result to change in the behavior of a person. The social worker will be in a better position to address an individual if he or she views the person in this large context. The social workers and other individuals working in social agencies must learn to respect the importance of every person and also develop the respect towards other peoples’ differences. In such ways, he or she will be able to love others and wish justice for all people. The social worker develops an appreciation towards the diverse and rich human behavior (Cohen 2007, p.67). Discussion The science of sociology can be viewed under various classes. The aspect of feminism can be classified under this science. It is among the most important theories in the sociological theories. The value of this theory is that it covers and also analyzes the state in which men and women live in the society. There are instances when women are victims of domestic violence. It affects them in their working life. It is of great importance to the social workers and also the agencies to be aware and develop the ways to interact with this group of people. Means to offers assistance and also solutions to the problem should also be developed. The feminist has applied the science of sociology to assist women to better their lives (Tomlinson & Cunninham 2007, p. 23). The theories that are used by the feminist have also brought about the perspective of the differences between women. It includes the differences in race, ethnicity, age and class. It also covers how these aspects interrelate with gender. The idea behind the feminist groups is to enable female who seem to be suppressed to have a voice in the society and also make records on how they have contributed to the growth of the economy. This knowledge is of help to the social workers and other individuals working with the social agencies who are concerned with women who are victims of domestic violence (Cunningham & Cunningham 2008, p.34). The perspective of feminism also teaches the social workers on the perspective of gender differences in the society. It indicates that there exist differences in the experiences of women as compared to men in the social conditions. There are also differences in the way females are treated in those conditions as compared to the males. The social worker needs to understand these differences for him or her to relate well with the members of the state both men and women. In most of the cases, the female is marginalized and often considered as the less group. It is clearly observed in the cultural feminism. The duties that are assigned to women can clearly indicate this aspect. Females are sometimes viewed as objects and the right to self realization if denied. This knowledge is helpful to workers and also agencies as it forms the starting line to help them solve problems that are related with marginalization of women in the society (Wynes 2012, p.34). The perspective of feminism also covers the oppression that may occur against gender. It may affect the social workers and also the work of the agencies. The oppression against gender is much deeper than the differences in gender an also the inequality. It can be said that females are not only different to men in terms of gender and also unequal they are also oppressed because of this difference. The term oppressed can be used when there is abuse or subordination. It led to the emergence of the radical feminism to fight against the oppression of women. The knowledge of radical feminism influences the social workers and also agencies on matters that are related to the oppression of women. They educate the society that a woman is an important aspect in the society. There is need to acknowledge this aspect in the societies where women are not respected and also the societies where women face violence. There is a need to confront this aspect in the social life of the community (Thompson & Armato 2012, p. 32). Another mode of oppression that is covered with the feminist is the structural oppression. The idea behind this aspect of oppression is that females are oppressed on the grounds of capitalism, racism and also patriarchy. Karl Marx and Freidrich have the same arguments as the female feminists. They argue that the people who form the working class are manually exploited. It is as a result of the mode of production that makes use of the principles of capitalists. The exploitation has extended towards the themes of gender in the society. However, women do not experience structural oppression in the same way. There are differences between the white women and the black women. It results to discrimination in the work place on the basis of race. The knowledge of the structural oppression is of value to the social workers as they are able to learn on the different modes of discrimination that happens. It also affects the working mode of the women in the marginalized races (Delamont 2003, p.90). In terms of the discrimination of women on the basis of race, the black women are that major victims. It is taken with much value the discrimination that may be present with the black women. This matter has been present for many decades especially in the United States. There should be the creation of knowledge of this aspect to the different groups involved. The social workers and also agencies are required to be aware of this aspect. They should work to make sure that there is no discrimination and also oppression on the marginalized group. There are development strategies that have been incorporated to handle this problem. The knowledge is of great value to the social workers, it also has the power to influence them in the working environment (Dominelli 2004, pp.12). Another class in the science of sociology is the perspective of functionalism. The science of functionalism is of great value in developing the knowledge of the contribution of each member of the society. It also enables each member contributes to the well being of the whole society. It creates awareness that that the society in that surrounds is made up of particular elements where they combine together to form the whole society. This knowledge is of importance to the social workers and related groups of people. The society consists of different groups of people. This particular article concentrates on the people with difficulty in learning what can also be referred to like learning disabilities. The social workers are needed to concentrate on this group of people and ensure that they are adequately represented (Wynes 2012, p. 35). The society is made up of several institutions. Each and every institution has been formulated such that it meets the requirements of the people involved. There are also consequences of each and every institution in the society. The integration of these institutions forms and also shapes the society. The social workers and also the social agencies are part of the society. They are involved in the development of the society; therefore knowledge on all the divisions of the society can affect them as well as affects their performance of duties. Knowledge should be delivered to the social workers on the value of concentrating with the less privileged and their value in the growth of the society. They should concentrate more with these groups of people and also change their attitude towards these groups (Bartoli 2013, p.56). A good example on this aspect is when the government caters for the education of the people with disabilities and less privileged in general. In the long run, they end up paying taxes to the state adding to the success of the economic aspect of the society. They also reduce the reliability on others as they can take care for themselves. The social workers should understand that facilities such as schools are present to help raise children and educate them. They in turn grow to become law abiding citizens and also pay their taxes thus supporting the growth of the society. Social workers are influenced by this knowledge and it instills moral to them when they are undergoing their daily chores. Stability of the society is hence achieved when the social workers understand the science of sociology (Cohen 2007, p.68). Functionalism also influences and informs the social workers and other social work agencies in that it emphasizes the order and consensus that are in existence, in the society. The functionalism view focuses on the shared public values and the social stability which forms a very essential aspect when the social workers are dealing with the less privileged people in the society. These groups of people may include the children with education hardships as well as people living with physical disabilities. The understanding of the interlocking aspects in this social view informs these social workers how the system disorganization like deviant behavior leads to a sociological change. It is because the components of the society have to adjust if stability is to be achieved (Fulcher & Scott 2011, p.87). The social workers are able to gain knowledge on how failure of one part of the system to function affects the society. The effects of non-functionality of this part of the system may interfere with all the other parts of the society’s system as well creating a number of social problems. On top of that a social change may be experienced in the society. Long before1940s and 1950s, the European functionalists, put more emphases on explaining the social order’s inner workings, however, the Americans changed their focus and started to focus on the discovery of the human behavior’s functions. The view from then took another direction with one of the American sociologist dividing this view into two forms manifest functions and the latent functions (Gibson 2010, p.72). These functions play a very vital in informing the social workers. They are capable of gaining information that manifest functions are social activities carried out by the society’ members intentionally since they seem obvious to them. However, these activities may be imparting negative impacts to some members of the society. The practical groups who may become victims in such an aspect are the marginalized groups in the society such as women facing domestic violence. On critically understanding this perspective on such an account, the social workers and agencies get knowledgeable concerning these issues. The knowledge helps them to come up with various measures that will help to fight with these social problems in the society (Giddens 2013, p. 48). Latent functions that lie under functionalism perspective are another aspect that teaches the social workers and other individuals in the social agencies various social issues affecting particular groups of people in the society. Latent functions can be described as functions that are not obvious and unintentional. The social workers gain knowledge on how they may help the groups of people they are they are working for to distinguish between personal and institutional values. Similarly, they are informed in a common sense how the manifest functions become apparent. The social workers in their functionality they develop different sociological approaches since the latent functions demand crucial sociological approach (Haralambos 2008, p.102). Marxism is another aspect that forms the broad science of sociology. It can be primarily described as a conflict that exists in the society more so because of the property possession. The aspect acts as a crucial tool in educating the social workers, as well as other social agents. The understanding of this perspective gives the social workers the knowledge they deserve to carry out their operations efficiently. An understanding of this aspect is mostly of great value to social workers dealing or working with particular society’s groups like families and individuals depending on social security benefits as their source of income (Jones 2011, p.66). The social workers gain the knowledge of this aspect in different stages. One of the stages is the propagating Marxism. It is used in the whole world be enhanced the understanding of sociology. In the Marxism theory, there are ways that are learnt and they help the social workers in the fight against the capitalists. There is an urge of involving many people in the struggle so that success can be recorded. The knowledge of Marxist is meant to be spread to the oppressed in the society. The groups of people who depend on the on government for their survival and they have been neglected. Once this group of people identifies the fact that they are oppressed and they have a right to be taken care of they change their mode of performing duties, as well as their attitude towards work (Marsh 2009, p.56). Another stage of the knowledge of Marxist is the burying of Marxism. The social workers understand that the Marxist is mainly concerned with the mobilization of the movement of people who are concerned with a particular issue. The credibility of the theory is not of great importance. The social workers and also the social agencies who are seeking for their rights understand that they need to be united. They channel their grievances together as a group. The theory of Marxist influences people in such a way that there is unity in the society especially on the group of people who are facing oppression (Scott et al 2007, p. 92). The third stage in the perspective of Marxism is the aspect of its practical application in the mode of operation. It offers ideas to the members of the society. The ideas have been effective for the social workers and also the social agents. It has influenced the behavior of the workers in their mode of operation. However, the ideas change meaning to the social workers as time progresses. They have often left some ideologies due to the education from the contemporary societies. Nevertheless there are some important aspects in the theory of Marxist some are still worth to be made aware to the society the social groups and agents (Seidler 2009, p.43). Lastly, the social workers gain an opportunity of analyzing and understanding the possibilities and the dilemmas in social reproduction and also change in the contemporary society. In their operations, they gain knowledge that can pass on to the rest of members in their respective groups with the aim of changing the world in egalitarian ways. It is because these workers gain the knowledge that is needed for this to be achieved Marxism is an indispensable factor. In such cases where the social workers and other social agents are dealing with marginalized groups they develop a goal of changing the situation for the benefit of these groups of people. Marxism plays a pivotal task by enabling them to fully understand the society. Marxism is the basic necessity for its change to take place (Sheedy 2012, p. 63). For the social workers and the individuals working in the social agents in the society working with persons living with disabilities, the understanding of the symbolic interaction perspective is of great help to them. The perspective allows the social workers to understand the symbols and their details, the meaning of these symbols and how the groups of people involved with the symbols make use of them. According to symbolic interaction perspective, the symbols are attached with some meaning with them. The second subject to whom the symbol is subjected to has a role of interpreting it communication to be complete (Solomos & Bloch 2010, p.61). The perspective, therefore, acts as a crucial aspect to the social workers and other social agents because they gain the understanding of these symbols as well as their interpretations. The social workers are working with people with physical disabilities who make use of these symbols can be able to communicate well with these groups of people. According to this perspective the responsible group of people using the symbols, meanings are attached to these symbols thus giving serious thoughts on the way these people act. The social workers get an opportunity of determining the meaning attached by these people to their symbols and actions as well as to those of other people. The symbolic interaction perspective not only helps the workers to communicate with these people but it also enables these workers to discharge their duties efficiently (Song 2007, p. 15). Conclusion Social workers and other individuals in various social agencies play a very essential role in the life of human beings. For them to discharge their duties efficiently they have the responsibility of understanding various sociological factors in the lives of human beings. They help in bringing integration in the society as well as helping the marginalized groups of the society. Their help is realized when they analyzes the underlying challenges that different groups are experiencing and they formulate strategies that will enable them to eradicate these challenges. It is, therefore, necessary for different groups of the society to incorporate the use of social workers and other social agents for the achievement of a sound society. References list Adams, R. Dominelli, L & Payne, M. (2009). Practising social work in a complex world. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. pp.45-47. Bartoli, A. (2013). Anti-Racism in Social Work Practice. St Albans, Critical Publishing Ltd.pp.54-56  Cohen, R. (2007). Global Sociology. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. pp 67-68 Cunningham, J. & Cunningham, S. (2008). Sociology and Social Work. Wiltshire, Learning Matters. Pp.34 Delamont, S. (2003). Feminist Sociology. London, Sage. Pp.90 Dominelli, L. (2004). Social Work; Theory and Practice for a changing profession.Basingstoke, Palgrave.pp.12 Fulcher, J. & Scott, J. (2011). Sociology. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Pp.87 Gibson, A. Yuill, C. (2010). Sociology for Social Work: An Introduction. London, Sage. P.72 Giddens, A. (2013). Sociology (7th Ed.). 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