CHAPTER 8

EMPOWERMENT
 INTRODUCTION

• EMPOWERMENT IS A CONCEPT AND A PRACTICE MODEL

• CLOSELY LINKED TO CONFLICT THEORY, CRITICAL THEORY, AND FEMINISM
• TRUE EMPOWERMENT HAS ITS ROOTS IN A RECOGNITION AND ANALYSIS OF
POWER DIFFERENTIALS
• FREIRE ADVOCATED FOR A MODEL OF EDUCATION THAT WAS NOT TOP-DOWN
• IN EMPOWERMENT MODELS, THE WORK TO BE DONE IS PARTICIPATORY
 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS

• THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL

• ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL FORCES CREATE AND MAINTAIN A CLIMATE OF
OPPRESSION
• PERSONAL PSYCHOSOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IS ALSO IMPORTANT IN CREATING
CHANGE
• EMPOWERMENT IS CONSISTENT WITH SOCIAL WORK VALUES
• EMPOWERMENT IS NONHIERARCHICAL AND ADAPTS TO AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
• EMPOWERMENT TRANSLATES TO SOCIAL ACTION
DEVELOPMENT OF EMPOWERMENT IN SOCIAL
WORK

• JANE ADDAMS, SETTLEMENT HOUSE MOVEMENT

• SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL SOCIAL SERVICES FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
• IDA WELLS BARNETT, NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS, HOUSES
FOR THE AGED AND CHILDREN
• BERTHA CAPEN REYNOLDS, INTEGRATED PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIAL WORK
CASELOAD AS BLEND OF PSYCHOANALYTIC WORK AND SOCIAL ACTION
DEVELOPMENT OF EMPOWERMENT IN SOCIAL
WORK, CONTINUED
• BARBARA SOLOMON, DIRECT AND INDIRECT BLOCKS TO POWER
• INDIRECT BLOCKS: RESIDE WITHIN INDIVIDUALS, INTERNALIZED UNDERSTANDINGS
OF THE SOCIAL
• DIRECT BLOCKS: OBSTACLE IMPOSED BY MAJOR SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

• BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES CONSUMER ADVOCACY
 CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES OF THE NEED
FOR EMPOWERMENT

• GAY RIGHTS AND LGBTQ ISSUES

• MANAGED CARE
 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS AND
EMPOWERMENT

• GROUP WORK INCREASED IN POPULARITY IN THE 1970S

• RUBY PERNELL ONE OF THE FIRST FOR DEVELOPING GROUP WORK,
EMPOWERMENT IS POLITICAL
• CIVIL RIGHTS
• AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT
• TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS AND
EMPOWERMENT, CONTINUED
• GUTIERREZ’S WORK WITH CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING AMONG WOMEN OF
COLOR
• INCREASES PERSONAL, INTERPERSONAL, AND POLITICAL POWER, ENABLING PEOPLE
TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES
• PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES INCLUDE INCREASED SELF-EFFICACY, GROUP
CONSCIOUSNESS, REDUCED SELF-BLAME, AND ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY TO
CHANGE
• AFFECTS THE NATURE OF THE HELPING RELATIONSHIP
• BUILD ON TRUST AND COLLABORATION
 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS AND
EMPOWERMENT, CONTINUED
• TECHNIQUES IDENTIFIED BY GUTIERREZ:
• BELIEVE THE CLIENT
• RECOGNIZE STRENGTHS
• EXAMINE POWER DIFFERENTIALS
• HELP CLIENT LEARN SKILLS
• ACTIVATE RESOURCES AND FIND VOICE
 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS AND
EMPOWERMENT, CONTINUED
• LEE, EMPOWERMENT PERSPECTIVE USES MULTIPLE LENSES: HISTORICAL, ECOLOGICAL,
CRITICAL, ETHCLASS, FEMINIST, MULTICULTURAL, AND GLOBAL
• DON’T UNDERTAKE EMPOWERMENT WITH HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED UNTIL YOU
UNDERSTAND THEIR HISTORY
• LEE IDENTIFIES THREE CONCEPTS USE IN EMPOWERMENT THAT APPEAR TO BE
CONSISTENT OUTCOMES
• DEVELOPMENT OF MORE POSITIVE AND POTENT SELF
• CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE AND CAPACITY FOR MORE CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF
THE COMPLEXITY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL REALITIES OF LIFE
• IDENTIFICATION AND NURTURANCE OF STRENGTHS AND RESOURCES FOR GOAL ATTAINMENT
 STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF
EMPOWERMENT THEORY

• IS CONSISTENT WITH SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND ETHICS

• IS BOTH POLITICAL AND CLINICAL
• NEED MICRO SKILLS TO USE
• CLIENT POSSESSES SKILLS OR CAN AWAKEN SKILLS TO CHANGE
• ADDRESSES OPPRESSION, DISCRIMINATION, AND MARGINALIZATION AS
STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS
• USES A DUAL FOCUS: PERSON IN ENVIRONMENT
 STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF
EMPOWERMENT THEORY, CONTINUED
• IS CULTURALLY SENSITIVE
• INTEGRATES WITH OTHER HOLISTIC THEORIES
• THIS IS A LIMITED FRAMEWORK
• IS NOT PRESCRIPTIVE, SO MUST USE OTHER SKILLS
• DIFFICULT TO MEASURE SUCCESS WITHOUT MEASURING EACH PART
 CONCLUSION

• HAS ROOTS IN SOCIAL/POLITICAL/ECONOMIC MOVEMENTS, AS WELL AS HUMAN

DEVELOPMENT THEORIES
• RECOGNIZES STRENGTHS WITHIN INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND
COMMUNITIES
• CLIENTS ARE THE EXPERTS AT THEIR SITUATIONS
• SOCIAL WORKERS ARE FACILITATORS
• WORK IS WITH THE CLIENT, NOT FOR THE CLIENT