Values, Ethics and Dilemmas in Social Work as applied to Learning Disability

Values, Ethics and Dilemmas in Social Work as applied to Learning Disability

Introduction

            In the field of sociology and life, issues concerning moral ethics and values are often the most usual topics. Morality governs every person’s move. But just why are people so caught up in morality and norms? What are social policies and their implications to social work practice? To be able to grasp these ideas, we must first shed light on the terms. What are norms? Norms are unspoken bylaws to which people adhere to. It’s an understood law. It is sometimes socially enforced. According to The Emergence of Norms, she contests that norms allow people to act and coordinate their behavior in certain situations. But the emergence of self-interest will prevent such coordination and cooperation (1977). Morality is an idea which pertains to the concept of right and wrong. Many arguments have been filed for this concept, arguing that it is maladaptive in certain aspects. But as of the moment, we shall use the definition given above. Social policy refers to the guidelines created for the betterment and wellbeing of the human society. The guidelines aim to meet the needs and the welfare of the people. And lastly, social work practice. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW),

“Social work practice consists of the professional application of social work values, principles, and techniques to one or more of the following ends: helping people obtain tangible services; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; and participating in legislative processes. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior; of social and economic, and cultural institutions; and of the interaction of all these factors.”

 

            Social work values are values which concerns itself with the moral and social clauses of the given work. In the context of this paper, we shall apply and discuss all of these terms to be able to arrive at a conclusion.

It is a fact that culture will not be successful and effective in its ways and processes without the presence of communication as the ‘culture of goodness and excellence’, can be reflected through leaving out in communication. This is only possible if people within the society comprising of different sectors from the academia, government, private sectors and business firms attest that communication is vital for the development of goodness and excellence in culture from within Nations, from putting substance to the government laws and regulations so that the education to be imparted and inculcated to the students will be of greater function to those who respect it as exercised properly by the authorities from various academic fields that can be of relevant factor in promoting the goodness of culture and the excellence of culture through communication as the latter provides the clear emphasis and justification of certain rules and principles to be applied in everyday living. Moreover, in the Language of Morals notes that uses of the word, “good,” are meaningless unless there is a stipulation that “x” is “good with respect to y.”

Often, textbooks make comparisons between poor examples of student prose with revised versions that are “better” and offer seemingly cogent explanations of what makes writing effective. The tendency in these books is to ignore the contingent character of language and to concentrate on essential zed forms, implying that if students mimic these forms; their writing will also manifest traits of excellence. Even teachers who complicate the lessons in these books by focusing on the ways that language produces knowledge and prompts social action must consider whether and how to teach students to become more effective rhetors. Should students be expected to learn the conventions of academic discourse by mimicking pre-established forms that signify one is writing “academically” and presumably, “intellectually”? What gets left out of the picture is that the specified criteria implies a particular idealized type of writer whose speech patterns bear little resemblance to the modes of communication to which most students are accustomed. The idealized author is often an academic whose prose is an instance of one type of discourse that suits a specific rhetorical context that implicates the academic’s needs.

These things make a bad impression upon people and often lead to the social issues like social exclusion. Social exclusion is a phenomenon in which a person or a group of persons are discriminated by society due to a certain factor that they posses or lack.

This paper aims to provide the needed justification and confirmation that an understanding of one social policy does indeed enhance social work practice.

 

Discussion

            Social policies are aimed to provide better lives for people in the society. Many social policies are aimed to tackle social issues that affect the society’s life on a day-to-day basis. Issues that affect the function of the society is tackled and taken cared of, with regards to social policy. There are many policies existing around the world today, many them are aimed at the following social issues:

Ø  Abortion and its regulation

Ø  The legalization of euthanasia

Ø  The laws and morality clauses in the context of marriage, divorce, and adoption

Ø  Poverty, welfare, and homelessness

According to Mills, the men of today feel that they live in a place where there are a “series of traps”. According to him, it was because people chose to look at their lives in a limited scope. If one were to view it in a grander scale, one would see that the issues in one’s personal life is greatly influenced and interlocked with public issues. In this paper, we shall utilize the concept of sociological imagination in order to tackle the social policy regarding healthcare.

 

Sociological imagination

            Healthcare is one of the major issues that concern the people of today. According to Wikipedia,

“In the United States, around 85% of citizens have health insurance, either through their employer or purchased individually.” But in another reference material, from reviews regarding the book by Dr. Rudolph Mueller entitled “As Sick as it Gets”, the United States is the only country that charges its citizens for healthcare. The following is an excerpt from the review.

 “Dr. Mueller explains the economic, political, medical and moral necessity of a universal healthcare system for the United States.

The only advanced, industrialized nation, that does not have a national healthcare system is the United States.

Americans pay 40% more for health care than the next highest-paying country. 

The Pharmaceutical industry is the most profitable business in the U.S.   

Drug companies alone made billion in profits in 2002, that’s nearly 18% profits after taxes. 

The World Health Organization rates American healthcare 37th in the world.  

There are 42,000,000 people who have NO insurance and another 45 million underinsured in America..

Patterns of illness are difficult to determine, were it not for the Sociological Imagination paradigm brought up by “ (quoted from “As Sick As it Gets”,)

 

            In the context of healthcare, sociological imagination can scope of understanding from the people who may or may not be involved in the presented above and increase the possibility of upping the debilitating state of health, not only in the United States but also the rest of the world. In individual contexts, the person involved in the activity may view the happenings as a part of an even greater happening. If only one may view this in this manner, it is possible to alleviate the state of healthcare around the world.

 

Sociological Imagination in the context of social issues regarding hunger

            Hunger is one of the most widespread social issue and one of the most difficult to alleviate. In the statement by the hunger site, it described the hunger and other related issues that threaten human life everyday. The following is an excerpt from the site.

“It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That’s roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year.

About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.

Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.

The Hunger Site began on June 1, 1999. In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children. “ (2007).

           

                        Social policies regarding hunger are increasing in number throughout the years. This is in response to the continuous hunger problems around the world. More than a million people die of hunger every day. Due to the increasing death polls, many nations have raised their alarm. Much legislation is passed every week to alleviate the hunger in the world.

Many issues and policies regarding hunger have been passed. In Brazil, a social policy regarding hunger ha been passed. It is entitled, “Brazil’s Zero Hunger Program in the Context of Social Policy”. The paper is a review regarding the implementation of the policy with regards to Food Security in Brazil. It also analyzes the structural elements which promote the positive changes regarding the food shortage in Brazil. 

            These social policies should be continually reviewed and revised in response to the continuous change in the patterns of hunger.

            Social work practice must be continually put in line with the social policy and the social issue being tackled.

 

Social Work Policy with Regards to Social Exclusion

            Social exclusion is a phenomenon in which a person or a group of persons are excluded from the society. In the definition of social exclusion by (2006), they defined social exclusion as

            “… inequalities arising from the interplay of social differentiation

and restricted entitlement and access to resources which

compounds vulnerability, restricts prospects for upward mobility,

and increases the probability of inter-generational chronic

poverty.”

 

            Social exclusion is a phenomenon which not uncommon around the world. The issue between the black and white Americans is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The black Americans, before some radical changes occurred later in this century, were segregated and referred to as an “inferior” race compared to the white Americans. They even went so far as to separate, or “segregate the black Americans from the whites. Though some changes have occurred in the last few years, remnants of social exclusion are still evident in their day to day lives. The black Americans are not the only victims of social exclusion. In many cases, even people from the same race victimize their own brethren. Many factors can be considered why social exclusion takes place. The following, taken from the study by  (2006), are some of the factors that affect the phenomenon of Social Exclusion.

Ø  ascribed identities (caste, race, gender, ethnicity),

Ø  differences in cultural beliefs or practices (religion, language, ethnicity),

Ø  nationality or citizenship based on birth,

Ø  attributed and real differences with respect to ability (the mentally and physically challenged),

Ø  ‘Lifestyle choices’ based particularly on sexuality (homosexuality, sex workers).

In the case of the black and white Americans it is the factors of nationality and citizenship and ascribed identities played a major role in social exclusion. Other forms of social exclusion have occurred ever since man decided to build a civilization. Another example would be on the fact that women were mostly excluded from many activities that may have been beneficial to women as well. It is a given fact that women were only allowed to vote earlier in the last century. The right to suffrage were only bestowed upon women when a women stood up to be recognized as an equal to man. And soon after many posts were open to women who were only open to men before.

Social policies regarding social exclusion have been passed in order to stop these types of discrimination. Because of the growing understanding throughout the world, many nations are now in the process of eliminating social barriers and are more open to change for the better.

The Czech Republic now has a social policy regarding social exclusion. Its main purpose was to guarantee the solidarity and welfare of its citizens.

 

Conclusion

            Therefore, social policies do enhance the social work practice. As in the context of healthcare, the policies which surround this social issue can indeed enhance the type of work practice that is applied for this issue. Same holds true for every other type of issue that may involve the public and the society itself.

 

Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com