Course Code HBSE 4

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND

Description SOCIAL WORK: The Family, Group
and Community
Pre-Requisites
Department: College of Social Work Week 2nd week
THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF
THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT Module No. 2

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Explain the perspectives and practice frameworks in assessing the related factors, issues, and dynamics
of families, groups, organizations, and communities

INTRODUCTION

The profession of social work depends on a scientific foundation. It is based on theories

derived from different disciplines, humanities and social ranks to provide importance to the social work
practices. Theories elucidate different approaches to deal with individuals, families, institutions and
societies at preventive, therapeutic and developmental levels. It provides a mechanism to understand
the psychological and the social characteristics of personality.

COURSE CONTENT

THE BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL-SPIRITUAL MODEL

THE BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL Model is a modern humanistic and holistic view of the human being.
The model was brought to medicine by a prominent scholar George Engel whose engaged in
psychosomatic movement.
Unlike the micro-mezzo and macro model the level of functioning in this model is assessed on
the individual level and relates to the client or person presenting problem. It is composed of several
components the biological, psychological and social functioning of a person.

Biological Level - The client ‘s diet, health (both past and present), exercises pattern, sexual functioning,
medication and substance use and family health and genetic history.
Psychological Level - The client self-esteem coping skills, mental health (both past and present),
personality characteristics, family history of mental illness, cognitve and emotional development.
Social Level - The client;s work stability, engagement with social activities amd relationship with family,
friends and co-worker.

Researchers think the biopsychosocial model should be expanded to include the spiritual
dimension as well. One of the researchers is Katerndahl whose study has shown the relevance of
spiritual symptoms and their interactions for understanding health outcomes. Sulmasy also justifies the
expansion of the model to a biopsychosocial–spiritual one by remembering that genuinely holistic
health care must address the totality of the patient’s relational existence. According to him, this will
contribute to a more comprehensive model of care and research that takes account of patients in their
fullest wholeness. “Spiritual” is today an open and fluid concept. It can refer to many different aspects,
from non-religious and non-theistic levels (such as the power of positive thinking) to deeply religious
experiences.
Spiritual–Religious Coping: This refers to ways that individuals utilize a personal Spiritual-
Religious framework to reduce the emotional distress caused by adverse events of life, such as loss or
change. Its beliefs, attitudes, or practices may give meaning for suffering, thus making it more bearable.

Biological Psychological Social Spiritual

-multiple systems that -. These include -all the social -related to the individual’s
support the biological information systems within search for meaning to life
integrity and processing, motor which an individual and existence, which
functioning of the control, lives, relates, and is involves both
human organism— communication, influenced. It transcendence
bio-chemical, cellular, attitudes and consists of all (experience of existence
organic, physiological emotions, internal interpersonal, beyond the
and nervous systems. controls and familial, social physical/psychological)
aspirations, social support, and immanence
competence and institutional and (discovery of the
coping techniques, all socio-cultural transcendent in the
which are manifested systems that physical and psychological
in an individual’s influence his/her world)
behavior. behavior.

General Systems Theory

 General Systems Theory (GST) is widely used in the field of social work (Rodway, 1986).
Moreover, it serves as a theoretical framework for many approaches such as family therapy approach an
based on GST where the goal is to understand the dynamics, relationships and roles within families and
how these things affect individuals therein.

It is also a contemporary approach in social work to look at social units such as individuals,
families, group of persons, institutions, or societies as a system. Skyttner (2005) claims that a system is a
set of interacting units or elements that form an integrated whole intended to perform some functions.
According also to Derek Hitchins he emphasized that a system is a collection of interrelated entities such
that both the collection and the interrelationships.

GST tends to view any system as the result of a dynamic interrelationship between its
component parts and its whole. Ludwig von Bertalanffy is a biologist known as one of the founders of
GST in 1920. Bertalanffy criticized theories that try to understand the behavior of the whole from the
isolated parts. He linked GST to a science of wholeness and advocated an organismic conception in
biology which emphasizes consideration of the organism as a whole or system. This led to the basic
assumption that the whole is more than sum of its parts (Bertalanffy, 1968).

Parsons (1902-1979), one of the well-known figures in the field of Social Work who’s the
author of the book entitled “The Social System”. He tried to apply his theory on communicative actions
where he paid attention to what called a symbolic culture system. Parsons’s theory implied that symbols
acquire common meaning and in turn become important means of communication.

Parsons suggested the four basic functions that all social systems must perform if they are to
persist as follows (Parsons, 1970):
1. Adaptation: The capacity of society to interact with the environment.
2. Goal attainment: The capability to set goals for the future and make decisions accordingly.
3. Integration: The harmonization of the entire society is a demand that the values and norms of
society are solid and sufficiently convergent.
4. Latency: Latent pattern maintenance, challenges society to maintain the integrative elements of
the integration requirement above.
Parsons assumes that individuals should be directed towards a particular goal in order to attain it
because there is always a motivation behind individual behavior.

Concept of Social System

According to Parsons (1970), social system is group of individuals interacting together or

organizations integrated together in a frame of common culture and values.
A system is a self-organized thing comprising of interrelated relationships within certain
entities. Afifi (2012) concludes the system as a whole which consists of subsystems interacting together
to save the whole system.

Types of System

Open System - This concept suggests that systems are dynamically connected to the environments of
which they are part. It compasses the approach to the study of order that has both internal and external
dimension. This approach identifies organizational behavior by mapping the repeated cycles of input,
throughput, output, and feedback between an organization and its external environment. Systems
receive input from the environment either as information or in the form of resources. The systems then
process the input internally, which is called throughput, and release outputs into the environment in an
attempt to restore equilibrium to the environment. The system then seeks feedback to determine if the
output was effective in restoring equilibrium. As can be seen, the systems approach focuses on the
means used to maintain organizational survival and emphasize long-term goals rather than the short-
term goals of the goal-attainment approach.

Closed system - views organizations as relatively independent of environmental influences. The closed
systems approach conceives of the organization as a system of management, technology, personnel,
equipment, and materials, but tends to exclude competitors, suppliers, distributors, and governmental
regulators. The closed-system models do not depend on the external environment for explanations or
solutions to managerial issues; instead, they are enclosed and sealed off from the outside world (Daft,
2001). These models rely primarily on internal organizational processes and dynamics to account for
organizational, group, and individual behaviors. The central management objective addressed in these
models is the efficient running of the organization.

Elements of the System

In order to study the systems, present in our society within the framework of General System
Theory, it is essential that each element within the systems are properly scrutinized. The systems are
generally made of elements such as environment, output, input, throughput, feedback, equilibrium and
boundaries.

Environment: The elements outside a system that could potentially affect all or part of the system. It is
made up of various other systems outside a particular system therefore its impact on a system should
not be disregarded in understanding the processes within a system.

Input: what has been put into a system to achieve an output. Open systems import energy from
surrounding environment.

Output: information and energy produced by the system from inputs. Outputs are the obtained results
which reflect the capability of system to achieve its objectives. The more objectives achieved, the more
efficient the system is (al-Damigh, n.a).
Input-transformation-output process (Throughput): a process transferring inputs e.g. material, energy
or data into outputs. In other words, it is a process which enables system to achieve goals.

Feedback: is a path of communication in a system.

Equilibrium: refers to homogeneity of internal structures of the system and cooperation amongst its
parts. The system should be adapted into surrounding environment.

Boundaries: parametric conditions demarcate and define the system and set it apart
from its environment and from other systems.

DIAGRAMMING FAMILY SYSTEM

 When assessing and working with families from a system perspective, it can be useful to have
a visual image of the family. There are tools that can be helpful or can use to sort out and keep track of
complex of family structure.

Genograms - it provides a visual representation of a family system similar to a family tree but it is more
complex. Genograms offers a visual guide to see how the family is structured and how various dynamics
might be playing out in a family system. A pictogram uses symbols to denote key events, characteristics,
relationships, health and mental issues and communication patterns. Genograms also a helpful tool to
see how issues may impact individual family members, inter-generational relationships and the family
system as a whole.

EXAMPLE OF A GENOGRAM
Figure 1
Figure 1.1

Tip: Try to include at least three generations when you create a genogram. You can include more
generations if they are relevant to treatment, but any less will make the genogram significantly less
helpful.

Gender
Men are depicted by a square and women are depicted by a circle.

Family Relationships

Family relationships are depicted by two gender symbols connected by a line beneath them. Men
should always appear on the left, and women on the right.

Descriptive symbols, which are placed on top of the family relationship line, give more detail about the
relationship's status. Each of these symbols can be placed over any type of line (for example, the
"separated" symbol could be placed over the "committed relationship" line or the "marriage" line).

Emotional Relationships

Emotional relationships are depicted with a line directly connecting two gender symbols (different from
family relationship connections, where the line is beneath them). These lines can be used to connect any
two people on the genogram. (Note: Your genograms will be very complicated if you connect every
person to everyone else with emotional relationship lines. Try asking about each relationship, but only
mark areas that are noteworthy or relevant to treatment.)

Children
Children are placed beneath their parents, with a line stemming from the parents' family relationship
line. Children should be listed from left to right, oldest to youngest.
Lifespan
Deaths are indicated with an "X" inside the person's symbol. In some cases, it may be important to add
extra information such as a person's age, or dates related to birth and death.

ECOMAP
Ecomaps are similar to genograms but they go beyond genograms by demonstrating visually how the
family members are affected by and react to their broader ecological context.

 In the center of the ecomap, basic genogram information is incorporated.

 Using symbols similar to those used in genogram, an ecomap diagrams a family’s relationship with
its social environment by identifying various systems with family is involved such as schools,
churches, medical clinics, extended family, work and economic activities, political and legal
organizations and media exposure.
 An ecomap may also diagram the energy flow between the family and the external systems.
Ecomap can be useful also in assessing resources for the family, uncovering hidden strengths and
determining places where services are needed or duplicated.

Example of ECOMAP
Ecological Systems Theory

It was developed by psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979). This theory explains human
development by describing aspect of the individual, the environment and the interaction between the
two. In this theory, people are actively involved in their environment and their own development.
People are born with both negative and positive tendencies and they are influenced equally by nature
and nurture.
There are four interrelated types of environmental systems in Bronfenbrenner’s classic
rendition of ecological systems theory, namely, the (1) micro-, (2) meso-, (3) exo-, and (4)
macrosystems. These levels range from smaller, proximal settings in which individuals directly interact
to larger, distal settings that indirectly influence development.
Microsystem
It consists of all the roles and relationships that a person has in the immediate environment.
Interactions within the microsystem typically involve personal relationships with family members,
classmates, teachers and caregivers. How these groups or individuals interact with the children will
affect how they grow. Bronfenbrenner showed that at the microsystem level, the bi-directional
influences (the individual is influenced by and in turn also influences) are strongest and have the
greatest impact, however, interactions at outer levels can still impact the inner structures (Ryan &
Paquette, 2001)

Mesosystem
Moving outward in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological levels is the mesosystem, which involves
processes that occur between the multiple microsystems in which individuals are embedded. There are
many microsystems that interact with activities to affect development. The key point is that what
happens in one microsystem affects what happens in another microsystem. Thus, to truly understand
development within activities, it is important to understand youth’s developmental settings beyond
activities.
Exosystem
The exosystem is the next outermost level and includes the microsystems in which
individuals are involved but not directly embedded. The exosystem “trickles down” to influence
development through the other people involved in individuals’ lives.

Macrosystem
which is defined as the set of overarching beliefs, values, and norms, as reflected in the
cultural, religious, and socioeconomic organization of society. The macrosystem influences development
within and among all other systems and serves as a filter or lens through which an individual interprets
future experiences.

RELATED READINGS / REFERENCES

Norlin, Julia & Chess, Wayne. (1997). Human Behavior and the Social Environment Social
Systems Theory 3rd Edition. Viacom Company, United States of America

Rogers, Anissa Taun. (2016). Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Perspective on
Development, the Life Course and Macro Context. Routledge. New York

Prepared by: Approved by: Noted by:

Estrella P. Galia, RSW, MSSW Emy C. India, RSW, MSSW Rito A. Camigla Jr., EdD.
Faculty Program Chair, Social Work VP for Academic & Student Affairs