Impact Of General Systems Theory On Social Work

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Question #1 The primary goal of Social work is to increase overall human well-being, however; whether this is done through individual treatment or social reform is up for debate (Haynes, 1998). Some advocates of the profession believe that it should take on a generalist approach that is multidimensional (Abramovitz, 1998). Thus, using this framework it is crucial that social workers concern themselves with treating the individual and policy change. Part A According to the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), the primary goal of social work is to, “…enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty” (NASW, …show more content…

It is a model that, “provides a conceptual scheme for understanding interactions among a number of variables instead of reducing explanations of behavior to one cause” (Battjes, 2016 ) As previously explained, social work assumes that professionals no longer look to linear ways of thinking but rather that they look more broadly at the various systems and their relationship with the individual for a multi-causal explanation. Systems theory is applicable to social work because it is concerned with the interrelatedness of an issue and helps to provide a non-linear explanation for understanding human behavior on a micro and macro level (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2006). Furthermore, advocates of General Systems theory believe that it should be used as a universal model for all social work practice. They believe that by applying General systems theory to social work practice individuals and social systems are more easily explained and viewed as being holon (Carter, 2011). System’s theories also encourages, “…the refinement of social work’s person-in-environment perspective by embedding it within a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and holistic conceptual framework” (Robbins et al., 2006, p. 50). Thus, General Systems theory helps explain human

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