Alternative Sources of Knowledge

• Relying on traditional frameworks such as logic, tradition, and authority can lead to:

  • Faulty knowledge

  • Biased assumptions

Scientific/Theoretical Knowledge

• Science necessitates:

  • Evidence collection

  • Testing of hypotheses

• The importance of theory in practice:

  • Ignoring theory can result in malpractice.

Defining Social Problems

• Social problems are socially constructed:

  • Definition of a problem depends on who defines it and whose interests are at play.

Theoretical Perspectives on Social Problems

• Social Pathology:

  • Attributes social problems to individual flaws.

• Social Disorganization:

  • Links social change to disorder in communities.

• Value Conflict:

  • Highlights resource inequality and competing values.

• Deviant Behaviour Perspective:

  • Views deviance as a means for individuals to overcome barriers.

• Labeling Theory:

  • Focuses on who has the power to define deviance and its implications.

• Critical Theory:

  • Investigates structural oppression and aims for systemic change.

• Constructivist Perspective:

  • Examines how problems are created and comprehended.

Order Perspective

• Understanding social problems as personal failures rather than systemic issues.

• Consequences:

  • Shifts blame to individuals rather than addressing larger social structures.

Conflict Perspective

• Asserts that social problems result from inequality and competition for scarce resources.

• Emphasizes:

  • Power struggles

  • Class divisions.

Critical Theory

• Aims to reveal how existing systems benefit the dominant groups while harming the marginalized populations.

• Objective:

  • Achieve social transformation and empower affected groups.

Strengths Perspective

• Concentrates on individuals' abilities, skills, and potential rather than weaknesses.

• Promotes:

  • Empowerment

  • Collaboration

  • Hope.

Ecological Perspective

• Considers individuals within broader systems (e.g., family, community, society).

• Acknowledges:

  • Person-in-environment interactions

  • Mutual influence.

Anti-Oppressive Practice

• Challenges inequalities by:

  • Recognizing power imbalances

  • Promoting empowerment and cultural humility

  • Engaging in reflective practices.

Anti-Racist Theory

• Aims to dismantle systemic racism embedded in institutions and laws.

Intersectionality

• Analyzes how overlapping identities (race, class, gender, sexuality) compound experiences of oppression.

Oppression, Social, Political Implications, and Power

• Definition of Oppression:

  • A dynamic system where one group dominates, benefiting from controlling or excluding others.

  • It can be systemic rather than intentional.

• Social Work Approaches to Difference:

  • Supporting individuals

  • Reforming systems for inclusion

  • Transforming society entirely.

What Determines Oppression

• Factors that signify oppression include:

  • Being blocked from self-development

  • Exclusion from participation

  • Denial of rights

  • Being assigned to a second-class citizenship.

Myths of Oppression

• Common myths that sustain oppression include:

  • Scarcity (the belief that there are limited resources)

  • Objectivity (the idea that the dominant group is neutral)

  • Might is right

  • Stereotyping and blaming victims

  • Competition myth

  • Myth of class

  • Myth of equal opportunity.

Five Faces of Oppression (Young)

• Exploitation:

  • Using the labor of others for one’s own advantage.

• Marginalization:

  • Systematic exclusion from participation in society.

• Powerlessness:

  • Lack of agency or decision-making ability.

• Cultural Imperialism:

  • Dominant culture's values become universal truths, while others are devalued.

• Violence:

  • Targeted harm or fear imposed on marginalized groups.

Forms of Oppression

• Can occur at different levels:

  • Personal: Reflecting beliefs and actions.

  • Cultural: Embedded in social norms.

  • Structural: Manifested through laws and policies.

Ethnocentrism and Ethnocentric Monoculturalism

• Ethnocentrism:

  • Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture.

  • Everyone possesses biases, although not everyone holds the power to oppress.

• Ethnocentric Monoculturalism:

  • Dominant group imposes its culture as the standard.

  • Others are perceived as inferior or rendered invisible.

Cultural Imperialism

• The dominant culture’s values and experiences are treated as universal truths, effectively suppressing the value of others.

• Five Components of Cultural Imperialism:

  • Belief in superiority of the dominant group.

  • Recognition of inferiority in others.

  • Power to impose standards on others.

  • Institutional dominance over societal norms.

  • An invisible veil representing unconscious biases.

Invisible Veil

• Refers to deeply ingrained, often unrecognized cultural assumptions that shape perception.

• Barriers to empathy and understanding arise from this veil.

Microaggressions

• Defined as everyday verbal or behavioral slights that convey harmful messages.

  • Microinsults:

  • Subtle comments that imply inferiority.

  • Microassaults:

  • Overt acts of discrimination or slurs.

  • Microinvalidations:

  • Dismissal of the experiences of marginalized individuals, such as the comment, “I don’t see color.”

Responses of the Oppressed

• Various coping behaviors in response to oppression that include:

  • Mimicking dominant cultural behaviors

  • Withdrawal from engagement

  • Feelings of guilt

  • Hostility toward oppressors

  • Denying aspects of one’s identity.

Privilege and Power

• Privilege:

  • Refers to unearned advantages granted due to group membership.

  • Established as a counterpart to oppression; both concepts coexist in society.

• Giving Up Privilege:

  • Motivation can stem from justice or survival perspectives; inequality in society affects everyone negatively.

Explanations of Oppression and Privilege

• Often rationalized using concepts like “human nature” or “individual merit,” but in reality, these explanations serve to protect the interests of dominant groups.

Luxury of Obliviousness

• Privileged individuals can remain unaware of social inequalities because those issues do not directly impact their lives.

Denying Privilege

• Various tactics include:

  • Minimizing the issue

  • Blaming marginalized groups

  • Renaming systemic issues

  • Asserting neutrality in discussions of power.

Social Work and Privilege

• Social workers frequently possess educational, professional, and class privilege.

• It is imperative for social workers to leverage this privilege to:

  • Empower clients

  • Advocate for social justice.

Racial and Cultural Identity Development

• Cross Model (Black Identity):

  • Pre-encounter: Absorbing White cultural values.

  • Encounter: Direct confrontation with racism.

  • Immersion–Emersion: Deep exploration of Black culture.

  • Internalization: Developing a secure racial identity.

  • Commitment: Activism and advocacy for change.

• Biracial Identity (Poston):

  • Personal identity formation, choice processes, denial, appreciation of both cultures, and integration.

• Root's Resolutions: Options include:

  • Accepting the group assigned

  • Identifying with both cultures

  • Choosing one culture over the other

  • Forming a new identity.

• Chinese Model of Identity Development:

  • Traditionalist: Preference for preserving customs

  • Marginal: Tendency to assimilate

  • Bicultural: Achieving a balanced identity between both cultures.

• Japanese Identity Development Model:

  • Positive-Positive: Positive identification with both cultures.

  • Negative-Positive: Rejection of White culture while embracing Japanese culture.

  • Positive-Negative: Acceptance of White culture while rejecting Japanese culture.

  • Negative-Negative: Rejection of both cultures.

Racial/Cultural Identity (Sue & Sue)

• Stages of development include:

  • Conformity

  • Dissonance

  • Resistance/Immersion

  • Introspection

  • Integrative Awareness.

White Identity Development (Helms)

• Developmental stages of White identity include:

  • Contact: Lack of awareness regarding racism.

  • Disintegration: Emergence of guilt and awareness of racial issues.

  • Reintegration: Blaming minorities for societal issues.

  • Pseudo-Independence: Developing intellectual allyship without deep engagement.

  • Immersion/Emersion: Engaging in active learning about racial issues.

  • Autonomy: Commitment to anti-racist efforts.