Social Work Critical Analysis

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Critical Analysis Paper 1 To practice social work, it is important to understand what the field of social work actually is. Although it seems easy to define, social work is a widespread profession that reaches many more areas than most realize. It can range from working for individuals, to all of society. The use of theories in social work is a large part of understanding and carrying out practice. Systems theory is a widely known theory used in social work, but brings debate upon whether it should be the main theory used in social work practice or not. #1A: Definition and value assumptions of social work In short, social work is a profession geared towards helping others. Whether it is an individual, group, community, or all of society …show more content…

To start, human worth is a value held in high importance. If humans were not valued, then the work of social workers would not be helpful or needed. Another value assumption is that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to have their basic needs met. When social workers advocate for those groups who are left-behind or oppressed, they are fighting to remove an injustice. Lastly, this definition of social work assumes that relationships play a big role on an individual and therefore a group. The relationships within individuals, groups, or society as a whole, has a large impact on how people live, communicate, and fit in to their …show more content…

When examining the microsystem environment of Ricky, which involves the individuals on a daily basis (Garbarino, 1982, p. 22), the individuals within his family include Mr. Garcia, Mrs. Garcia, and his two younger siblings. Also included would be his friends or classmates at school, his teacher, and social worker. The case mentioned that the Garcia’s are very close with their extended-kin family, mentioning specifically Ricky’s cousins, so they would be an additional factor in Ricky’s microsystem. Any other neighborhood friends of Ricky’s would also be included. Ricky’s mesosystem environment looks at the relationships that occur between his microsystems (p. 23). In this case, this would be the relationship between Ricky’s school and home, and also his neighborhood and home. Additionally, Mrs. Garcia has a strong relationship with the school social worker, which connects his family to his school environment. The exosystem, which are circumstances that effect the individual even though they do not play a direct role in the relationships (p. 23), would include Mr. Garcia’s job, the local government, the mass transit available to the family, and the mental health services available. The macrosystem includes people’s “assumptions of how things should be done (1982, p. 24).” Mrs.

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