Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Special Problems Faced By The Elderly Victims Of Crime, J. David Hirschel, Karen B. Rubin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recently, increased attention has been paid to the problems faced by the elderly within our society. One of the most pressing problems is the threat of crime, This article examines the actual risk of criminal victimization among the elderly, the physical, financial, and psychological consequences of victimization, and the special problems faced by the elderly as they attempt to deal with the criminal justice system. Finally, their fear of crime, which in itself constitutes a very real form of victimization, is explored.

Comparing Employed And Unemployed Welfare Recipients: A Discriminant Analysis, Becky L. Glass

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on data from the 1973 Minnesota AFDC Characteristic Study, 348 female AFDC recipients were classified according to whether they were employed or unemployed. T-tests and a discriminant analysis were performed to determine which of several demographic and economic variables distinguished the employed group from the unemployed group. The best discriminators were found to be those related to economic condition, such as value of personal and real property, liquid assets, and monthly income. Little difference was found between employed and unemployed women on the demographic variables. The implications of these findings for the argument that personal motivation or individual differences …

Regional Reference Groups In The Spreading Of Occupational Licensing Policies Among The States: An Exploratory Study, Timothy W. Lause

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores the diffusion of state licensing policies, particularly the role of regional cuetaking in the adoption of new policies. Five such networks are suggested, along with the states most likely to serve as models for those reference groups. Findings have several implications for social work lobbying efforts.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 9, No. 1 (March 1982)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Editorial - BOB LEIGHIINGER
• Call For Papers
• A Composite Model for Interorganizational Strategies - DONALD E. MAYPOLE
• Comparing Employed and Unemployed Welfare Recipients: A Discriminant Analysis - BECKY L. GLASS
• The Utilization of a Performance Based Curriculum Design in Graduate Social Work
• Education - GUST WILLIAM MITCHELL
• Inside and Outside the For-Profit Nursing home: Some External Determinants of Inside
• Power Relations - CEDRIC HERRISG
• Solving the Effectiveness Dilemma: How Can An Informal Network Create Change? - ROBERT W. COLEMAN, MARK BARTON
• Regional Reference Groups in the Spreading of Occupational Licensing Policies Among the
• States: An Exploratory Study …

Community Representation And Empowerment In Long Term Care Settings: The Case Of The Nursing Home Patient Ombudsman, Abraham Monk, Lenard W. Kaye

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is widely recognized that regulatory efforts outside of the nursing home have had relatively limited success in monitoring patient care complaints (New York State Moreland Act Commission, 1975; Weatherby, 1975). As a result, the public at large and an increasing number of policy analysts have aggressively called for the initiation of alternative long term care monitoring strategies (Regan, 1977; Linnane, 1977; Vladeck, 1980). One such recently developed administrative ameliorative, with direct ties to the local community, is the nursing home patient ombudsman. The ombudsman program, when serving as a complaint redress mechanism for the institutionalized aged, is believed to …

Rejected Families: Established And Innovative Structures Of Service, Joseph R. Steiner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this paper is to encourage social workers in family settings to consider alternative structures of services to families, especially those families who are rejected from meaningful extra-familial relationships. Rejected families, the established structure of family service and some innovative modifications to this structure are described. Special attention is given to one type of innovative family-service structure, an experimental family residential center, which was successful in reducing rates of child abuse in Holland. Innovative family-service structures, including residential centers, could help many families which do not benefit from the existing structure of family services.

Program In Social Work With Groups: A Jungian Perspective, Herman Borenzweig

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In their text Social Group Work Practice, published in 1949 and affectionately called, "The Green Bible," by many social workers trained within its tradition, Wilson and RylandI portray program as, "the use of activities for attaining and maintaining mental health." By deemphasizing recreational modalities, social group workers have sacrificed their holistic practice, allowing other professionals to fill this vacuum. Recently, for example, "Sing your way back to health," is a "new" therapy in Los Angeles. Also, many Gestalt therapy exercises owe a debt to J.L. Moreno's psychodrama. Singing, drama, are but two of the many program tools taught as practice …

A Qualitative Look At Black Female Social Work Educators, Larry Davis, Ramon Cartwright, Phyllis Freeman, Louis Carter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports the finding of a research effort which attempted to assess the qualitative experience of black female faculty in schools of social work. The data reported is part of a larger data set collected on social work faculty as a whole. The authors report some basic demographics on black females, but focus mainly on the roles that these women perform in schools of social work and how satisfied they are in these positions. It appears that significant numbers of black female faculty members are on "soft money" with fewer teaching Social Policy and Administration courses than might be …

In Judgment Of Victims: The Social Context Of Rape, Joyce E. Williams, Karen A. Holmes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines some of the linkages between the rape victims' experience and community attitudes about rape, focusing on differences among three racial-ethnic groups. Public attitude data were collected from a stratified sample of 1,011 respondents; personal interviews were conducted with 335 Anglos, 336 Blacks and 340 Mexican Americans. Victim data were collected from in depth interviews with 61 female rape victims: 32 Anglos, 11 Blacks and 18 Mexican Americans. While the victim data suggest some degree of negative impact resulting from the rape experience for all victims, significant differences were found among the three racial-ethnic groups. Public attitude data …

Definitional Dilemmas And The Baccalaureate Generalist, Frank R. Baskind

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper serves as a guide to understanding the rationale for present day baccalaureate practice and those factors which may contribute to the difficulty in defining the term "generalist". It reviews the significant actions taken by our professional organizations and the curriculum building activities which led to the current view of the BSW as a generalist practitioner. The definitional dilemma is related to the situational qualities of BSW practice which stem from the nature of who is involved in the defining process. This dilemma seems to be a symptom of a larger professional concern, the need to differentiate between practice …

The Utilization Of A Performance Based Curriculum Design In Graduate Social Work Education, Gust William Mitchell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As a developing profession, social work is increasing its efforts to utilize systematically concepts from the field of education in its professional training. This research examines the use of a performance based curriculum design in the teaching of a graduate social work course. Results of this study support the use of this approach from the perspective of improved student performance.

Inside And Outside The For-Profit Nursing Home: Some External Determinants Of Inside Power Relations, Cedric Herring

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper offers a conceptual model for understanding how and in what ways externally determined factors affect power arrangements within a for-profit nursing home setting. Specifically, this paper links the activities of nursing homes as profit seekers to federal legislation and the activities of strategically structured interests which seek to socialize their costs. Additionally, it shows how social distinctions and other factors which have their origins external to the nursing home setting have consequences for what takes place inside. The model posits that it is those people who are members of society's more privileged groups (professional white males) who will …

Solving The Effectiveness Dilemma: How Can An Informal Network Create Change?, Robert W. Colman, Mark Barton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Interagency networks seem to be good vehicles for informal communication and coordination. However, if they are to be effective in bringing about innovation, networks must develop some of the boundaries and structure of a group and thereby lose their informality. Examination of a case history of a network in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, suggests one alternative: A network can remain informal and operate by consensus but give rise to subgroups which take potentially controversial action in their own names. This possibility is explored and related to the emerging theory of social networks.

Meaning In Work: Toward A Clinical Approach To Work Dissatisfaction, Shimshon M. Neikrug

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper deals with issues relating to the meaning of work for the worker and clinical implications for the social worker intervening in the field of industrial and occupational social work. The problems of work dissatisfaction and alienation in work are analyzed. The author presents two concepts, work as play and logotherapy, as being useful in the clinical intervention in work related problems. It is concluded that the absence of work dissatisfaction need not be the goal of intervention, rather the clinical encounter can strive for meaningfulness, growth, and self-discovery.

A Composite Model For Interorganizational Strategies, Donald E. Maypole

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article integrates general systems, exchange and contingency theories into a process model for determining appropriate interorganizational strategies to achieve goals. The author suggests that the interorganizational power-dependence ratio is one of the frequently overlooked but major determining factors in interorganizational relations and goal attainment.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 8, No. 4 (December 1981)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

• Reindustrialization and the Future of Social Welfare - STEVE BURGHARDT, MICHAEL FABRICANT • The Domain of Social Work: What is it? - MARY L. WARING, GERALD O'CONNOR • Sociological Perspectives on the Ecological Model - RONALD MANCOSKE • Welfare Legislation and American Poverty Traps: Ironies and Characteristics - RICHARD J. CASTON, THERESA A. VILLANUEVA • Professional Burnout: Sociocultural and Sociopolitical Perspectives - PAULA L. DRESSEL • The Political Influence of Older Americans - JOHN B. WILLIAMSON, LINDA EVANS, LAWRENCE A. POWELL, SHARLENE HESSE-BIBER • Local Government Policy on Aging: New Challenges for Old Problems - CHARLES P. SHANNON • …

The Political Influence Of Older Americans, John B. Williamson, Linda Evans, Lawrence A. Powell, Sharlene Hesse-Biber

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This essay explores the future prospects for the political influence of older Americans. Some analysts contend that the next fifty years will bring a marked increase in the political influence of the elderly. Others argue that the aged are unlikely to become a significant political influence at any time in the forseeable future. We review the relevant evidence and conclude that it is not entirely consistent with either of these positions. Our analysis suggests a third alternative, that there will be a marked increase in the political resources of the elderly, which will not necessarily translate into an increase in …

Professional Burnout: Sociocultural And Sociopolitical Perspectives, Paula L. Dressel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social psychological, organizational, and administrative orientations dominate the literature on the phenarenon of professional burnout. This paper argues that sociocultural and sociopolitical perspectives offer additional insights into the issue. By the application of such perspectives we are compelled to examine how certain characteristics of social policies impact dysfunctionally on service providers as well as service recipients. Furthermore, the broader approach outlined here offers alternative intervention strategies for the alleviation or prevention of burnout than those ccomonly posed in previous literature.

Teenagers Problems: An Examination Of Youth And Adult Perceptions, Richard E. Isralowitz, Mark Singer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It has been pointed out by the Task Force on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1976) that too often programs have been planned and implemented on the basis of uninformed speculation. In order to determine the major concerns of youths for purposes of delinquency prevention and resources allocation, a study was conducted in the Cleveland area of Ohio. This study was designed to compare the perspectives of youths and adults toward teenage problems.

While the exact ranking of problems were not identical, the eleven problem statements ranked highest by both populations were highly similar. The problems that are drawing the …

The Domain Of Social Work: What Is It, Mary L. Waring, Gerald O'Connor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Cast within a framework derived from general systems theory, the authors examine the domain of the social work profession. Domain is first defined as having several components. These are specified and fully expanded as Claimed Domain, Domain Competition, Emerging Domain and Unclaimed Domain. This elaboration is followed by a discussion of some of the constraints that impinge upon the profession's ability to define and to choose its domain.

Reindustrialization And The Future Of Social Welfare, Steve Burghardt, Michael Fabricant

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

"Reindustrialization" is a term of economic complexity and great, if confused, social implications to most human service workers. Human services workers can only challenge the plans envisioned by most reindustrialists if certain arguments and assumptions are understood. This article will lay out the reindustrialists plans and assumptions. It will also develop some of the reasons why such ideas, as they are now formulated, cannot work -- in terms based on common experiences highly familiar to every human service worker.

Sociological Perspectives On The Ecological Model, Ronald Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Germain and Siporin have written social work practice texts which seek to integrate diverse material into practice through an ecological model. Part of the integration deals with the issue of micro-macro practice which has been a dichotomous issue throughout social work traditions. Four perspectives which Kemeny used to analyze a similar dichotomy in sociology offer insights and caveats for social work to consider as it uses general systems theory as a framework for practice. The four perspectives are called the competitive, the inclusive, the exclusive, and the cumulative. This paper traces similar developmental notions in the sociological literature and notes …

Welfare Legislation And American Poverty Traps: Ironies And Characteristics, Theresa Villanueva, Richard J. Caston

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We argue that legislative attempts to establish bureaucratic programs to eradicate American poverty will invariably result in ironic inconsistencies that will doom such programs to only limited or partial success. As an illustration, we examine the ironic history of the AFDC program as it has been legislated to deal with American poverty. Three sociological accounts for the ironies of welfare programming are then drawn together. One account suggests that undue concern over the work ethic has overridden more direct concern for the deprecating living conditions of the Door. A second account suggests that poverty is so functionally beneficial to a …

Local Government Policy On Aging: New Challenges For Old Problems, Charles P. Shannon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Historically, local government has made little effort to affect federal legislative policy on aging. The current defederalization of human service policy has created a need for local government to reexamine its role in providing services to the aged.

Early Social Security Retirement For Minorities Demographic And Philosophical Fallacies, Nathan Zirl, John Hedderson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines some of the problems and proposed solutions associated with the retirement of minority members, particularly early retirement within the Social Security System. We also discuss the failure of the Reagan administration's 1981 attempts to change social security benefits.

Consumer Participation - The Case Of Public Housing, Padi Gulati

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The participation of consumers, especially those from the deprived segments of society, in administrative decision-making, poses some perplexing dilemmas for public officials. Can the demands for participation be reconciled with the exigencies of administrative efficiency and effective service delivery. Our study focuses on consumer participation in public housing, an institution that today serves three million of the most deprived groups in society. The data used in the study came from a national sample of housing projects and was collected in 1978 by IWD's division of Policy Studies. It was used to test the hypothesis that tenant participation would explain part …

Analysis Of An Exploration For Training Materials In Child Welfare, John T. Pardeck, Rebecca L. Hegar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Currently there is a serious gap in the child welfare system in the area of in-service training. As the child welfare system begins to fill this gap, information on what materials are available for training becomes critical. This article reports on an extensive exploration of what is currently available for training in the child welfare field. Several important findings emerged concerning the sources of materials and the lack of training materials for specialized groups.

Social Work Practice In Health Care: An Ethnic Sensitive Approach, Elfriede G. Schlesinger, Wynetta Devore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The relationship between ethnicity and modes of response to illness has been well documented. One example is stoicism as contrasted with volatile behavior in response to pain of different groups. Another is increasing awareness of the fact that non-traditional healers (eog., espiritistas, cuaranderos) are used extensively by members of various ethnic groups.

Insufficient attention has been paid to how such knowledge can be incorporated in social work practice.

This paper reviews prevailing social work interventive procedures and skills and suggests needed adaptations if social work practice is to be more sensitive and responsive to different health behaviors and beliefs of …

The State Correction Officer As Keeper And Counselor: An Empirical Investigation Of The Role, Robert B. Blair, Clifford M. Black, Henry J. Long

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper addresses two essential research needs in criminal justice literature: (1) the need for an assessment of the content of the role of block officer; and (2) the need for an empirical test of the presumed irreconcilable goals of custody and treatment as these are embedded in the role of state correction officer. A Task Inventory approach was adapted and a random sample of 100 correction officers in four heterogeneous state institutions were interviewed. Results of the study reveal that custodial staff spend at least sixty-percent of their on-job time performing duties not classified as security in nature. Results …

Abusers Of Clients Of Women's Shelter: Their Socialization And Resources, M. M. Brown, B. E. Aguirre, Carol Jorgensen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This is a study of men who abuse women. The respondents were residents of a shelter for battered wives during 1977-1978. The study assesses the effect of the abusers' social resources and socialization experiences on their use of violence against the respondents. Abusers with military experience and criminal records used a greater number of different types of violence against their victims than their counterparts without these socialization experiences, and the relationships are specified by the abusers' socioeconomic resources.