Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Organizational Structure And Professional Norms In An Alternative Health Care Setting: Physicians In Health Maintenance Organizations, Judith K. Barr, Marcia K. Steinberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The development of new organizational forms for the delivery of health and medical care in the U.S. includes health maintenance organizations (HMOs), designed to provide a set of comprehensive basic health services to a defined population for a fixed prepaid premium. As complex organizations, HMOs have the potential for limiting the autonomy of professionals working in them. This paper describes the legal requirements and organizational mechanisms under which physicians practice in HMOs and considers the potential for conflict between the organization and professional norms.

On the basis of document and interview data from nine HMOs, it appears that mechanisms developed …

The Power Of Situations: An Approach To Understanding Powerlessness And Oppression, Dennis Saleebey, Mary Ski Hunter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Much of the difficulty people have in organizing, directing, and coping with their lives is, perhaps, directly traceable to their lack of awareness of, and erroneous assumptions about, the interactional contexts in which they seem or feel powerless. This is especially true, but not exclusively so, of the poor and ethnic, sexual, and political minorities. To the extent that powerlessness exists and is implicated in the various miseries of existence, the role of social worker as advocate, broker, counselor, or agent of change might profitably and accurately be defined in interactional, structural terms.

Factors Associated With Police And Probation/Court Dispositioning: A Research Note, Cheryl Chambers, Richard M. Grinnell Jr., Richard L. Gorsuch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article presents the results of an empirically based study that examined the discretionary process operating within the same juvenile justice system. Assessment of the factors influencing the decision-making process at two points within the same system indicate some consistent factors operating between the two points.

The Deinstitutionalization Of Juvenile Status Offenders: New Myths And Old Realities, C. Aaron Mcneece

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Claims are being made for deinstitutionalization that obscure some of the lesser known, negative effects. Within the juvenile justice system, for example, many juveniles who were previously institutionalized as juvenile status offenders are being relabelled and institutionalized as jivenile delinquents. In the state system studied in this report, the total number of juveniles in institutional programs did not decrease during the period of "deinstitutionalization."

The Occupational Prestige Of Social Work, Gerald L. Euster

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A survey of two hundred and fifty six social work educators pertaining to the prestige of social workers indicated that social workers were viewed as havinq less prestige than fourteen of the twenty-two occupations with whom they were compared. Factors both contributing to and lessening the prestige of social work were identified, as well as suggestions for enhancing social work's prestige.

Demographic Correlates Of Self-Esteem Among Black And White Afdc Recipients, Srinika Jayaratne, Wayne A. Chess, Julia Norlin, John Bryan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study was concerned with the extent to which different demographic characteristics would offer explanations with regard to self-esteem among black and white AFDC recipients. Basically, the analysis revealed no differences in self-esteem between the black and white women in this sample. The major correlates of self-esteem for whites were work and education, whereas, the major correlates of self-esteem for blacks were the presence of children and work.

Work Ethic And Work Incentives: Values And Income Maintenance Reform, Beverly G. Toomey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although the American belief system surrounding the concept of work has been analyzed and challenged by social scientists seeking solutions to the problem of poverty, the strength of the work ethic philosophy is still evident in public resistance to welfare reform which would support adequate income maintenance and government efforts at job creation. This paper discusses the relationship between the work ethic philosophy, job creation programming and welfare reform. It reviews relevant theoretical and empirical literature and identifies some misconceptions which continue to hamper policy formulation and program development in welfare reform.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 7, No. 2 (March 1980)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Work Ethic and Work Incentives: Values and Income Maintenance Reform - BEVERLY G. TOOMEY
• Game Preferences of Delinquent and Non-deliquent Boys - SHRAGA SEROK,
• ARTHUR BLUM
• The Power of Situations: An Approach to Understanding Powerlessness and Oppression - DENNIS SALEEBEY, MARY SKI HER
• Day Care: A Spectrum of Issues and Policy Options - WILLIAM ROTH
• Employment, Theory and Practice in Qualitative medical Sociology - MARY JO DEEGAN
• Aspects of the Sociology of Psychiatry - HANS S. FALCK
• The Deinstitutionalization of Juvenile Status Offenders: New Myths and Old Realities - C. AARON McNEECE
• Factors Associated with Police and …

Game Preferences Of Delinquent And Non-Delinquent Boys, Shraga Serok, Arthur Blum

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Viewing delinquency as unsocializized behavior and games as a mini-life social situation demanding social conformity, it was predicted that differences would be found between delinquent and non-delinquent boys in their preferences for types of games. Fifty delinquent and fifty non-delinquent boys were studied and findings indicate that: 1) delinquents show greater preference for games of chance and non-delinquents for games of strategy, and 2) delinquents prefer games with low rule specificity and high opportunity for the direct expression of agression, while non-delinquents prefer games with the opposite characteristics.

An area of major neglect in the massive literature on juvenile delinquency …

Day Care: A Spectrum Of Issues And Policy Options, William Roth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Currently, debates about the merits of one form or another of day care frequently miss some significant issues and hence some of the important policy options may be ruled out or in for the wrong reasons. Here, child day care is layed on a spectrum one end of which offers maximum market freedom in the form of income redistribution, a negative income tax, children's allowance, or other transfer assistance, to be spent on the market if so desired for day care services, and on the other end of the spectrum a system of comprehensive child day care centers. In between …

Employment, Theory And Practice In Qualitative Medical Sociology, Mary Jo Deegan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Applied qualitative medical sociology is almost an unheard of phenomenon. When it is done, however, It is usually accomplished by sociologists employed in academic institutions. Here we discuss the possibility of such a specialty, building upon the established literature and resources, as a potential area of employment and expanded sociology practice. Three "types" of approaches: symbolic interaction, phenomenology and Marxism are used to suggest the diversity and resources available in qualitative sociology.

Aspects Of The Sociology Of Psychiatry, Hans S. Falck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There can be little doubt that for the social scientist interested in the case of psychiatry there is much to learn. Not only is psychiatry a specialty in medicine, with a variety of subspecialities, is also enjoys links to other professions such as clinical psychology, psychiatric nursing and psychiatric social work. While in some sense this provides psychiatry the opportunity to be the renaissance man in medicine -- a situation which might elicit envy from others less universal and catholic -- it also causes it great difficulties and troubles. Nooone seems to know where psychiatry begins and ends; it suffers …

The History And Promise Of Formal Survey Analysis For Social Work, Duncan Lindsey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since its inception social work has struggled with determining the function and status of research in the professional enterprise. The emergence of professional social work was concurrent with the major developments in the methodology of empirical social research and statistical analysis. To understand the current position of research in social work requires tracing back the origins of empirical research with special attention to its connection with the emergence of the social work profession.

The efforts of the survey movement represent the first major attempt to introduce research methodology into the field of social work (Zimbalist, 1977; Young, 1949). In the …

Procedures For The Maintenance And Generalization Of Achieved Behavioral Change, John S. Wodarski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Procedures for the maintenance and generalization of achieved behavioral change in anti-social adolescents are reviewed. A review of follow-up studies which provides the rationale for the incorporation of such procedures in practice is initially elaborated. Specific items discussed are possible avenues to the maintenance and generalization of behavior: social networks, peers, and parents; training socially relevant behaviors; changing the conditions of training; gradually removing or fading the contingencies; delayed reinforcement; and self control procedures. Throughout the manuscript relevant case illustrations are reviewed.

Will Carter's Welfare Reform Plan Reform Welfare?: Evidence From Empirical Research, Mary Bryna Sanger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper introduces the central dimensions which have emerged in the current welfare reform debate. They include adaquacy, work incentives, family stability and cost. The last legislative session introduced a new group of "welfare reform" proposals, each attempting to address these critiques of the current welfare system. Considering four major bills including Carter's Comprehensive Program for Better Jobs and Income on the basis of recent research findings, results in a tentative preference for Carter's plan. It addresses the major reform dimensions better than the others and would result in modest improvements. Nevertheless, true reform is unlikely to be achieved by …

Toward The Democratization Of The Social Policy Process, L. K. Northwood

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the nature of social policies and the public policymaking process. It is demonstrated that public social policies tend to accrue an aura or ideology of benevolence that is only partially warranted, and that may be quite misleading to policy analysts and citizenry. The major thrust of the paper is to consider the social policy process as a strategy for public decision-making. As such, properly organized, it can provide an alternative and complementary strategy to electoral politics and protest movements. To be effective as a strategy, three major barriers must be overcome: …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 7, No. 1 (January 1980)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Towards the Democratization of the Social Policy Process. - L. K. NORTHWOOD
• Will Carter's Welfare Reform Plan Reform Welfare?: Evidence from Empirical Research - MARY BRYNA SANGER
• The "Guestworker" as Metaphor: In Clarification of Social-Economic Contradictions and Systemic Crisis - STEPHEN I. WOODS
• Toward a Full Employment Policy: An Overview - ALVIN KOGUT, SYLVIA ARON
• Political De-moralization of the Poor: Organizing lower-class Families of the Mentally Retarded - LEONARD FONTANA
• Social Welfare Agencies and Social Reform movements: The Case of the Single Parent Family - MICHAEL J. SMITH, BETH MOSES
• Historic Trends in the Delivery of Services …

Toward A Full Employment Policy: An Overview, Alvin Kogut, Sylvia Aron

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Unlike more advanced welfare states, the U.S. has not committed itself to a full employment policy: the full dimensions of unemployment are not revealed and the "manpower" programs reflect a welfare philosophy. While constraints to such a commitment remain formidable, the developments around Humphrey-Hawkins may be a start.

Social Welfare Agencies And Social Reform Movements: The Case Of The Single Parent Family, Michael J. Smith, Beth Moses

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

To a greater extent than before, social welfare agencies are emphasizing social change over direct services. A social reform movement is a mechanism by which societal and institutional change may be accomplished. The relationship between social welfare organizations and social movements has not been clearly defined. The sociological theories of Smelser, Turner, Killian and others on collective behavior and social movements provide a useful knowledge base for welfare organizations and professionals espousing social reform goals. The single parent family population is discussed as a group with the potential to generate into a social reform movement.

Historic Trends In The Delivery Of Services To Teenage Parents, Nancy Aries

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper will examine the political, social, and economic factors which underlie the transition in services from unwed mothers to teenage parents over the past 15 years. The experience of agencies in the Boston area serves as the basis for this case study. Data have been collected from open-ended interviews with key service providers who have developed and implemented policy related to adolescent parents.

The findings indicate that, prior to 1960, agencies were responding to what was perceived as individual problems or circumstances. Illegitimacy was thought to be an unconscious attempt by white middle class women to fulfill psychological needs. …

The "Guestworker" As Metaphor: In Clarification Of Social Economic Contradictions And Systemic Crisis., Stephen I. Woods

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In May 1979 the French National Assembly passed legislation giving the government sweeping powers to expel foreign workers. Yet neither the government nor the employers really want to send most of the immigrant workers home, and thereby lose them as a source of cheap labor for both public and private enterprise. It is likely that the employers hope to use the new legislation to keep foreign workers in a state of permanent insecurity, to discourage them from protesting against their low pay, poor working conditions and the racism they encounter daily. Indeed, employers would like to see foreign workers treated …

Political De-Moralization Of The Poor: Organizing Lower-Class Families Of The Mentally Retarded, Leonard Fontana

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper employs an analytic framework based on organizational incentives to explain the failure of recent welfare reform efforts. The data consists of observations, interviews, and routine inhouse reports collected on a federally funded program, Project STAR. The project was developed with the aim of mobilizing lower-class and minority families of the mentally retarded in support of reform of mental retardation services in five cities in the U.S. A service-inducement strategy was pursued by the reform organization to overcome the difficulties of enticing lower-class families of the retarded to participate in organizational activities. This strategy appears to have had several …

Social Services In The Iron Cage, James Latimore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Interview and documentary data from a study of a voluntary job placement agency revealed that counselors were effectively weeding out the hard-to-place clients. These clients were the target population of the agency and its funded programs. The clients who were weeded out tended to be younger, with less education and less work experience. Weeding out was accomplished by discouraging unrealistic clients, and by not retrieving clients who were insufficiently motivated to keep in touch with the counselor. This marked a change in the counselors' practice compared with an earlier period, and appeared to be in conflict with the agency's mission, …

Specifying Sociological Options And Social Welfare Strategies, Thomas M. Meenaghan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As a profession, social work applies knowledge constructs from various social sciences. In this article attention is given to the relation between sociology and social work. The specific areas reviewed include conceptions of the social arrangement, the role of complex organizations, and social change theories. Each of these three broad areas have internal variations which have implications for sociology, social work, and attempts to integrate the two.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 6, No. 6 (November 1979)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• From The New Editor - pp. i
• Copy of Letter Re Richard Cloward - pp. ii
• The Influence of the Agency Environment On Clinical Practice - ANTHONY M. MALUCCIO - pp. 734
• Social Services In the Iron Cage - JAMES LATIMORE - pp. 756
• Planning for A National Social Policy For the Family - JOHN T. PARDECK - pp. 770
• The Transition To Medicalized Views: Alcholism and Social Workers - H. PAUL CHALFANT, DORINDA N. NOBLE - pp. 792
• A Model Program to Avoid the Institutionalization of Children - PAUL GITELSON - pp. 805
• Women and Leadership: …

The Influence Of The Agency Environment On Clinical Practice, Anthony N. Maluccio

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In an in-depth, exploratory study of their perception of treatment in a family service agency, it was found that clients stressed the impact of the agency’s, social and physical environment on the helping process and its outcome. Workers, in contrast, took the environment for granted or had little to say about it. This paper discusses the findings and selected practice implications.

The Transition To Medicalized Views: Alcoholism And Social Workers, H. Paul Chalfant, Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

More deviant behaviors in our society are coming to be defined as medical rather than criminal, so that more control of such behavior is coming under medical and helping professions. Some conditions, e.g., alcoholism, seem to be caught "in between," with serious consequences. This paper looks at social worker perception of the alcoholic as "sick," in terms of a sociological conception of sickness as a social role. A bi-mdal distribution is found for acceptance and nonacceptance. Also, a significant number are ambivalent. The implications of this lack of consensus are discussed.

Planning For A National Social Policy For The Family, John T. Pardeck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American family performs two important functions for family members - providing physical care and socialization, and meeting psychological needs. Current family trends suggest that the American family may be having difficulty in carrying out these basic functions. Since the United States lacks a comprehensive family policy, it is argued that a national social policy should be created to better support the American family. A social policy is presented which would assist the American family in performing its basic functions. A suggested strategy for implementation of this family social policy has also been developed.

A Model Program To Avoid The Institutionalization Of Children, Paul Gitelson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The concept of "deinstitutionalization" has led to a great deal of concern being focused on moving children out of large institutions into community based programs. This paper proposes a model program that would seek to avoid the initial placement of the child and focus attention on working with the family as a total unit. The program would recognize the acting out child as symptomatic of a family system in crisis.

Women And Leadership: Strategies For Social Workers And Clients, Abigail C. Nichols

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An examination of recent research on women and leadership yields several strategies that women, both clients and social workers, can use to facilitate success in administration and other traditionally male work domains.