Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
MWT 110 STUDY NOTES
Disclaimer & Usage Terms
These notes are for personal use only. Please do not share, copy, or redistribute them.
Jenna Academic Notes – Study smarter
1
, Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
MWT STUDY NOTES
Theme 4, 5, 9, 10, 11
Disclaimer & Usage Terms
These notes are for personal use only. Please do not share, copy, or redistribute them.
2
, Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
Study Unit 4
Social Work & Social Systems
Study Unit Outcomes
Summarise the ecosystems perspective as an organising framework for generalist social work
practice
Classify the types of social functioning
Contrast social work intervention at micro-, meso-, and macro-levels
Describe the methods of social work practice: casework, group work, community work, and
generalist social work
The Ecosystems Perspective & Social Systems Theory
Two Foundational Theories
1. Theory 1 – Individual Human Behaviour: Focuses on inner life, thoughts, feelings, and
actions
2. Theory 2 – Social Environment: Understands the multiple, interconnected layers of social
context
❖ Social work joins these in the concept of Person-in-Environment (PIE)
Key Concepts in Social Systems
• Nested Interaction: Systems exist inside other systems (like Russian nesting dolls ->
Matryoshka)
• Reciprocal Influence: A change in one system affects all others
• Boundaries & Interaction: Systems have boundaries but must interact with their
environment
• Holism: Understanding the parts requires looking at the whole context
• Synergy: The whole is more than the sum of its parts
Levels of Systems
• Macro-Systems: Larger societies, cultures, global forces
• Meso-Systems: Interacting groups, organisations (school, community)
• Micro-Systems: Immediate families, small groups
• Individual/Client: Inner self, unique personality
Look on page 3 to
get a better
understanding
3
, Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
Social Functioning
• In Unit 2 we learnt that all people have basic needs in common; however, people also develop
their own unique needs.
• There is considerable variation in people’s abilities and their access to opportunities to meet
these needs.
• Psychologists argue that variation is due to individual differences.
• Social work theory argues that the variations lie in the interface and complex transactions
between individuals and their social environments (PIE).
4
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
MWT 110 STUDY NOTES
Disclaimer & Usage Terms
These notes are for personal use only. Please do not share, copy, or redistribute them.
Jenna Academic Notes – Study smarter
1
, Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
MWT STUDY NOTES
Theme 4, 5, 9, 10, 11
Disclaimer & Usage Terms
These notes are for personal use only. Please do not share, copy, or redistribute them.
2
, Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
Study Unit 4
Social Work & Social Systems
Study Unit Outcomes
Summarise the ecosystems perspective as an organising framework for generalist social work
practice
Classify the types of social functioning
Contrast social work intervention at micro-, meso-, and macro-levels
Describe the methods of social work practice: casework, group work, community work, and
generalist social work
The Ecosystems Perspective & Social Systems Theory
Two Foundational Theories
1. Theory 1 – Individual Human Behaviour: Focuses on inner life, thoughts, feelings, and
actions
2. Theory 2 – Social Environment: Understands the multiple, interconnected layers of social
context
❖ Social work joins these in the concept of Person-in-Environment (PIE)
Key Concepts in Social Systems
• Nested Interaction: Systems exist inside other systems (like Russian nesting dolls ->
Matryoshka)
• Reciprocal Influence: A change in one system affects all others
• Boundaries & Interaction: Systems have boundaries but must interact with their
environment
• Holism: Understanding the parts requires looking at the whole context
• Synergy: The whole is more than the sum of its parts
Levels of Systems
• Macro-Systems: Larger societies, cultures, global forces
• Meso-Systems: Interacting groups, organisations (school, community)
• Micro-Systems: Immediate families, small groups
• Individual/Client: Inner self, unique personality
Look on page 3 to
get a better
understanding
3
, Jenna Radley
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY- NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION
Social Functioning
• In Unit 2 we learnt that all people have basic needs in common; however, people also develop
their own unique needs.
• There is considerable variation in people’s abilities and their access to opportunities to meet
these needs.
• Psychologists argue that variation is due to individual differences.
• Social work theory argues that the variations lie in the interface and complex transactions
between individuals and their social environments (PIE).
4
