Summary - Social work (MWT110)

Notes by MIRALDA MUKHATSHANE(U21592502)


SOCIAL WORK THEORY
CHAPTER 3: SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS


THE ECOSYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE
 General systems theory: It dispenses an omnipresent/universal
framework to assist us in understanding the convolutions /
complexities and the diversity of human behavior and the social
environment in general. Describes how human systems interact
and operate with each other.
 Ecology: Focuses precisely on how things fit together and how
they adapt to one another. Adaption is a dynamic process
between people and their environments as people grow,
achieve competence and make contributions to others.
 General system theory and ecology both describe how human
systems interact in their social and physical environments.

THE SOCIAL SYSTEMS VIEW
Social work practitioners work with human systems or social
systems such as:
 Individuals
 Families
 Organizations
 Neighborhoods
 Communities
 Groups
They focus mainly on the relationship between these systems
and their impinging environments. The social systems
perspective provides a way to visualize the interrelationships
among people and various social structures as webs of
interrelated networks.