Theories In Social Work: A Look Into Psychodynamic And Systems & Socio-Ecological Theory

Psychodynamic Theory

Disucss about the Social Work Theories.

Apparently, social work is an everyday job that involves taking care of people thus bringing a change in their lives. This, however, does not include trying to provide theoretical explanations of as to why individuals get into challenges. Conferring to Australian Association of Social Workers code of ethics, it is evident that social work is dedicated to tracking down and maintenance of human well-being (Miley, O'Melia and DuBois, 2016). It targets to make the most of individual potential and the realisation of human needs, over and done with an equivalent assurance to; helping people in achieving good stages of own and social well-being and trying to realise social justice through social development and social change (Padgett, 2016). Various social work commitments includes preserving people’s interests and rights, improving peoples access to social, economic and political resources, helping others in order to improve their well-being, educating people on  structural inequities, having policies and practices that help in fair allocation of social resources and promoting social change to reduce social barriers, inequality and injustice

For any social worker, theories based on psychological practices are vital tools that are useful in carrying out their activities. These theories try to explain why people act the way they do this by understanding these theories,  a social worker helps people in stopping the bad habits and teaching them good behaviours that will help them in succeeding in life (Payne, 2015). In this paper we are going to explore two theories; psychodynamic theory and systems & socio-ecological theory and how concepts and principles of gender role development, personality, aggression, and moral development are applied.

This is a theory by Sigmund Freud which is majorly utilised by many social workers. Earlier contributors to social work theories such as Mary Richmond, Charlotte Towle, Gordon Hamilton and Florence Hollis have used psychodynamic theory to aid in explaining various complex human behaviours (Hepworth, Rooney and Strom-Gottfried, 2016). This resulted in them in research in areas dealing with stages of psychosexual development, roles of drives in human motivation and ego defence mechanisms. This theory tries to explain human behaviours & motivation based on conscious and unconscious forces and the relationship between them (Netting, McMurtry and Thomas, 2016).  Sigmund Freud believed that drives are one of the major factors that determine the behaviour of humans. Drives can be explained as biologically – based impulses that seek gratification. According to Freud, sex and self-preservation were the main examples of drives but He later suggested that destructive or aggressive drives as examples of drives. Individuals always find themselves in frustrations (imposed by the external world) when trying to seek gratifications of their erogenous drives (Turner, 2017). This can be seen clearly seen in our case scenario whereby Jimmy feels angry since his mother acts as a barrier to him of fulfilling his desires. These desires do not only depend on external individuals but also can originate from an individual due to factors such as ego and superego. Ego in an individual is helpful as it helps an individual in adapting to reality, understanding the world better and to the ability to control drives. Superego in an individual is formed when a child is growing due to parental ideals and prohibitions. Superego helps in providing direction and limiting an individual's behaviour.

Many theorists explained more about Freud’s idea of ego as drive regulation and included organizational and function for instance judgement, reality testing, thought processes, regulating external and internal stimuli, regulating self-esteem and bringing together the conflicting aspects of an individual. Many modifications of these theories depict ego psychology as where individuals derive satisfaction by exploring and manipulating their surrounding environment (Greene, 2017). In the case scenario, Jimmy is tired of being held up in one place and he feels that he should find his mother another carer so that he can go and explore the outside world. Erikson, who is a psychoanalyst, suggested that that as an individual is ongoing development there are various stages that one undergoes that broaden the process of personality development. These stages present an individual with unique tasks and opportunities which lead to further identity development and refinement (Rook, Hellwig and Kets de Vries, 2016).

Theorists Greenberg and Mitchell depicts a shift in psychodynamic theory whereby they suggest that there is a relationship created through repeated interactions with children and their caregivers (Thyer, 2017). This theory generally deals with an individual who takes care of another person. The caretaker is therefore supposed to take good care of an individual since they depend and feel safe around the on the caregiver. In our case scenario, Jimmy's mother solely depends on Jimmy help, she, therefore, feels safe beside his son and trusts him. 

Theorist Kohut explains that individuals requiring care are isolated, fragmented and vulnerable. He further explained that individuals are extremely sensitive to failures, disappointments and slights (Bob and Pec 2017). In our case scenario, Jimmy had started becoming angry with his mother since he could no longer take good care like in the incidence where she fell down. Jimmy becomes disappointed since his mother is not recovering and that he needs to ‘get a life’.

While a couple of various schools of thought overwhelmed the early years of psychology, the quantity of topics contemplated by psychologists has developed drastically since the mid-1960s. There are various approaches to consider human behaviour and conduct. The numerous viewpoints in present-day psychology give social workers an approach to approach distinctive issues and find better approaches to clarify and anticipate human conduct and also grow new treatment approaches for problem behaviours.

Each topic in psychology can be looked at various distinctive ways. For instance, on the issue of aggression, a psychologist who lays emphasis on biological perspectives would look at how the mind and the sensory systems strengthen aggressive activities.  Another diverse approach should seriously think about how culture and social impacts add to forceful or aggressive practices. Social learning scholars would take a look at the good examples to which the individual has been presented to in order to clarify their aggression. Psychodynamic theory suggests that social workers should explore the early adolescence of individuals requiring care in order to know the causes of aggression. Each and every approach has something important to offer. Different methodologies or approaches are used in treating and comprehending various problem behaviours

The Application of Theories in Social Work

It is evident that many people today are using Freud’s theory in helping them in bringing up their children. In his theory, he carefully explained how behaviour can be driven by unconscious mind instead of the conscious mind. (Hatch, 2018). It is hard for people to detect an unconscious mind nowadays but it's easy to detect how people's behaviour is manipulated when under hypnosis. People with these types of problems can be helped by undergoing some hypnotherapy sessions. These therapy sessions are useful in individuals who are embarrassed and ashamed about expressing their feelings. Some of the strengths of the theory include; majorly focuses on the effects of childhood experiences on personality development, the theory provides an inclusive structure to describe human personality, the theory relates both nature and nurture and lastly it  helps individuals in determining the role of the unconscious mind in determining behaviour. Psychodynamic theory is however criticized majorly for an inadequate explanation on the cultural context of human development and also on various factors such as; it’s difficult to measure or prove unconscious mind, it’s believed that hypnosis leads to false memory syndrome, Physical and biological aspects are not accounted in this theory, Social learning outside the family is not well discussed, some of the facts in the theory lack scientific validity and psychoanalysis depends on the therapist’s subjective interpretation. The theory can also be seen as determinist since it suggests that a child suffering from trauma will obviously have abnormal behaviour in later stages of development, ignoring the fact that genes and thinking patterns may contradict the theory’s fact.

Systems theory can be defined as a persons’ behaviour due to a range of issues that work together as a system. These factors comprise of parents, friends, school, economic class and home environment (Padgett, 2016). They are responsible for changing the way an individual thinks and acts. Systems theory explains the relationship between individuals and the society and the various effects due to social pressures. This makes the theory to cover a broad range of theoretical and methodological practices in many areas of social works. This theory suggests that all systems are interrelated and each system affects the other in one way or another.

Systems theory is a way of explaining more and more on complex systems across a scale that includes an individual in the environment.  Systems theory also assists individuals to comprehend the Mechanisms & changing aspects of client systems in order to understand problems and improve sensible intervention approaches, with the aim of increasing the “goodness of fit” between people and their environments. (Bowker, Star and Turner, 2014). Systems theory does not stipulate certain theoretical contexts for comprehending problems, and it lacks to direct social workers to certain intervention strategies. Relatively, it aids in bring together a conceptual framework in order to comprehend issues easily.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Theories

Generally, social workers use the systems theory to know how a system works and how the system affects individuals. They find ways of bringing a positive change through social work system and community. The theory can be applied to fix or improve systems on individuals that do not work accordingly (Healy, 2014). The theory in trying to fix any problem focuses on an individual’s positive attributes that bring about positive effects on behaviour and the life system of an individual.

Systems theory tries to understand the dynamics and relationships of families and their effect on an individual. For example in our case example, Jimmy is from a simple family whereby he is the only child and caregiver of his ailing mother. This family set is seen affecting Jimmy since he is very young and his mother should be the one who is supposed to be taking care of him. This change of roles greatly affects Jimmy's behaviour whereby at one point when his mother falls down when trying to get to bed, instead of Jimmy getting worried and sorry for her, he becomes angry. This clearly shows that Jimmy has a problem that should be addressed.

Systems theory explains the social structures of communities and societies. It suggests that there should be policies and programs that should promote social justice, economic prosperity, equity and improved and proper living standards. Social workers employ this theory to analyse and interact with communities so as to know the issues facing individuals at the community level and how they formulate ideas to try and resolve the issues. We can relate this to our case scenario whereby it is evident that there are no laid down programs to help people who have few or no competent caregivers. Jimmy's family compromises of him and his mother and since Jimmy is young, there should be programs that should help his mother go on with his life not necessarily depending on his son.

Systems theory is fully depicted in situations whereby various systems inseparably connect and affect one another. Mostly used in scenarios whereby contextual understandings of behaviour will result in better practice interventions (Ruggie, 2017). This theory focusses on strengthening any missing part in any system including community, family and the society at large. Social workers have a variety of practical interventions that vary depending on the context. These are some of the interventions that are greatly involved in systems and socio-ecological theory:

Improving one part of a system in order to improve the system as a whole – this includes fixing a problem in any system so that to solve a problem. For example, in Jimmy's case, the family system may be improved so as to help Jimmy in taking care of his mother.

Networking and referrals- social workers are encouraged to direct clients to qualified specialists or to organizations that can help them. Ecomaps – these are useful to social workers since they help them in organizing the complexity of any system.

Genograms – this a graphic representation of a family tree. It describes the relationships between any extended family. Important to social worker since they help them in knowing relationships and patterns of a certain family. In Jimmy’s case, this could have been employed in order to know the closest relative who could have helped him in looking after his mother.

Any social worker is expected to understand and apply systems theory.  This is because this theory helps clients navigate the various systems that affect their lives. Some of the strengths of the theory include: The theory focuses on changing environments rather than individuals, emphasis on many ways of getting the desired result and helps in crisis intervention where individuals are able to deal with life transitions.

In an ecological approach, the theory helps in understanding and acknowledgement of the relationship between an individual and the environment and also suggests a range of resources that support people internally and externally (Ruggiero, Spada and Caselli, 2018).

Some of the limitations of the theory include factors like it does not explain why certain thing happen or how to bring about change, gives more emphasis on the bigger picture instead of details and the theory does not encourage challenge of unfair systems. 

In conclusion, social work may be seen as a profession that helps individuals, groups and the community in order to enhance social functioning and well-being of individuals. Social workers, therefore, work with many populations like children, adults, people with disabilities and people fighting with addiction. (Babbie, 2015). Capable practice in social work commands that social workers act from an educated and research-based information base. These theories furnish social workers with the apparatuses to offer their clients good services. Failure to employ these social work theories may lead to careless, unsafe and unreliable services. As social workers gain understanding and experience in their field they will start to perceive their own examples that may upgrade past theories or make new ones. Intercessions based on this theories are attempted and tried and create to some degree a track-record that enables social workers to foresee, with some certainty, the consequences of any action they take. Social work students, however, undergo various problems such as in determining the best theory in solving problems, they are not flexible to the changes in the theories and using fanatic strategies when applying any theory. Institutions teaching social work should, therefore, address these challenges in order to help students learn quickly and efficiently. Psychodynamic theories and systems & socio-ecological theories discussed in this paper try to explain the complex behaviours of human beings. They majorly focus on human growth and development and social service delivery. The theories discussed are clearly demonstrated and various key issues addressed on how social work theories inform social work practice response. All theories are analysed so as to show their strengths and weaknesses and how they can be used in day to day activities to help individuals in having a normal upbringing and a good life thereafter

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