Social Work Identity Research Articles

“As Inscrutable as the Sphinx, but Far More Dangerous”: Trends in Democratic–Personalist Conflict

AbstractWhile liberal democracies do not go to war with other democracies, they frequently engage in conflict with autocratic regimes. Little research has been conducted, however, to indicate what type of autocracies liberal democracies tend to target. This article demonstrates that liberal democracies are more likely to initiate conflict against personalist regimes, rather than autocracies with some form of collective leadership. I argue that, when a conflict of interest arises between a liberal democracy and a personalist regime, liberal foreign policy elites’ psychology and social identity work together to produce particular emotional responses, predisposing them to favor coercive action against personalist regimes. This paper presents new quantitative evidence regarding patterns in democratic–personalist conflict and introduces process evidence from US foreign policy decision-making during the Gulf Crisis.

Revisiting social work professional identity in the light of the impact of COVID-19

ABSTRACT The meanings and status of social work—and potentially professional identities—vary internationally according to factors such as roles, training and status, as well as political, economic and social contexts. A new contextual element for social work identity is the profession’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This paper considers recently published international literature discussing social work and social work education during the pandemic; and revisits the author’s previously published findings about social work professional identity. Following a literature search, the resulting articles were treated as texts and analyzed using the theoretical concept of interpretative repertoires. The academic literature indicates that, globally, social workers have played an essential role during the pandemic. The importance of professional identity as a source of collective support, pride and inspiration is consistently highlighted. Professional values and ethics have provided guidance for dealing with unprecedented situations, both in social work practice and social work education. Social workers and educators have mobilized around professional identity to advocate for social justice and fairer policies. Innovative fieldwork placements have expanded students’ understanding of how organizations can work for social change. The literature highlights social work education’s vital role in supporting students to explore and develop professional identity.

Field Instruction: A Relational Model to Promote A Positive Professional Identity for Social Work Students

ABSTRACT The development of a social work professional identity is an element of social work education. It is not clear how students in social work programs develop this identity; its development seems to be dependent on the integration of various learning experiences and exposure to curriculum content in the classroom, and in the fieldwork assignments. Teachers and field instructors play important roles in this process. In this paper, the authors argue that a positive professional social work identity can be fostered through the relationship with instructors in fieldwork supervision. Using Kohut’s theory of Self Psychology, the authors present a model that highlights the application of the concept of self-object needs to the field instructor-student relationship. One of the central premises of his theory is that individuals from childhood and throughout adulthood internalize the experiences provided by self-objects to meet the emotional needs of the self. The authors propose that field instructors provide self-object experiences that can sustain and foster the development of a positive professional identity for social work students in training. The application of this model underscores students’ affective changes associated with students’ professional development in social work programs.

How Workplace Social Capital Affects Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and Burnout.

Committed social workers are significant to organizational performance and service quality; therefore, it is crucial to explore the contributing factors of turnover intention to enhance social workers’ commitment. To reduce social workers’ turnover intention, this study used the first national survey data (N = 5620) of social workers in China to find out the relationship between workplace social capital and turnover intention in public service and explore possible solutions. This study treated workplace social capital as a comprehensive measure that captured employees’ overall perceptions of their interpersonal relations in the public sector. It covered the impact of many other organizational factors on turnover intention, such as job embeddedness, social networks, social relations, communication, and organizational fairness. The results confirmed that workplace social capital had a significant negative impact on employees’ turnover intention. Workplace social capital could be a better predictor of employees’ turnover intention than a single organizational factor or a combination of several factors. These findings not only deepened the theoretical understanding of social capital within the organization and brought insight into how workplace social capital affected employees’ turnover but also promoted a formation of a holistic organizational perspective from the fragmented organizational factors. Results also showed that job burnout and job satisfaction mediated the relation between workplace social capital and turnover intention. Public service agencies should endeavor to foster an organizational climate of cooperation and trust, encourage teamwork and altruistic behaviors among coworkers to reduce emotional exhaustion, and strengthen the professional identity and professional value of social work.

Thirty Years of the Polish Association of the Social Work Schools

The existence of an institutional and organizational space in which researchers, teachers of social work schools and social workers carry out research and education is an important condition for shaping the identity of social work. Such a specific space has been created for over thirty years by the Polish Association of Social Work Schools . The discussion on the role of the Association in the promotion of research and academic standards of education for social work – is a personal reflection of the author on the contribution of the organization in creating a symbolic and real space for the development of social work as a professional activity and discipline, as well as the exchange of ideas and theoretical and practical experience of social work in Poland. Not without significance is the contribution of PSSPS in creating scientific and didactic cooperation on an international basis. In the article, the author tries to recreate certain events from the past of PSSPS, as well as the spaces of experience of the community of Members, by participating in annual conventions, which, according to R. Koselleck, become a modernized past, creating the present and determining the future of the Association.

“It Helped Me Open My Eyes”: Incorporating Lived Experience Perspectives in Social Work Education

Working from a trauma informed lens is increasingly recognized as a vital component of social work practice, as is learning from and incorporating lived experience into one's approach to practice. Further, the critical and feminist informed interrogation of dominant ideas around professional power and expertise within social work practice is necessary in learning and teaching about trauma. This conceptual article describes an integrated approach to teaching fourth year Australian social work students in the area of violence, abuse, and trauma. The intentionally immersive learning and teaching framework presents and incorporates praxis as involving educator lived experience, theoretical knowledge, and practice experience. The approach aims to create transformative and embodied learning opportunities which destabilize dominant constructions of social work identities, use of professional power and different practice approaches. While honoring the valuable contributions of trauma informed practice, we seek to push students beyond this model, prompting critical feminist analysis of the socio-political complexity of trauma experiences. We describe our work, ambitions, challenges, and learnings as feminist educators, sharing these ideas in order to provoke dialogue on possibilities for pedagogical innovation, within the context of power, expertise, social work education, and lived experience.

The sociopragmatic parameters steering the reported selection of Anglicisms or their Dutch alternatives

AbstractResearchers studying language variation and change induced by contact with English initially focused on the linguistic integration of English source language (SL) material in the morphophonological structure of the receptor language (RL). Shifting the attention toward the sociopragmatic localization of English lexical material, researchers now foreground both the social identity work conducted with English material and the pragmatic functions of English lexemes and heritage alternatives. So far, however, most of these studies rely on production data, paying less attention to language users’ perception and evaluation of English lexemes. Therefore, integrating insights from language production and evaluation, this study asks the questions (i) which lexical preference speakers express when asked to choose between an English and a heritage form; and (ii) which sociopragmatic parameters help to explain this preference. To answer these questions, a forced-choice experiment was conducted in which over 1,500 Dutch-speaking participants were asked to select their preferred expression when provided with a loanword and a heritage alternative. Each participant was offered 12 target trials and 10 filler trials. The target trials, drawn from a corpus-based study, include a balanced set of loans from three semantic fields with various frequencies in usage data. Pragmatic variation was included by randomly presenting the trials in speech contexts of communicative immediacy and communicative distance. Mixed-effects logistic regression analyses show a significant impact of community-based usage statistics, the age and self-reported attitude of the participant, as well as the speech context in which the concepts were offered.

Learning activities during practice placements: developing professional competence and social work identity of social work students

ABSTRACT Social work is a demanding profession requiring a range of skills, competencies, and knowledge. Students are expected to learn about these practice related issues through immersion in real world experiences during their practice placement. A cross-sectional, retrospective survey was used to explore Finnish social work students’ (N = 95) experiences of learning activities employed by their supervisors during the practice placement, and the usefulness of these activities for developing professional competence and a sense of social work identity. Findings confirmed that students received a wide range of learning opportunities during their placement, but that there was considerable variation in the regularity of learning activities. The most useful learning activities included a collaborative working relationships and activities involving the student and their practice teacher, such as feedback, reflecting on work, feelings and values, observing others, and being assisted to learn new skills. In contrast, providing theoretical perspectives and linking theory to practice were regarded as least useful. Students with a lower overall learning activity score, were less likely to develop an understanding of social work identity during their placement. These results contribute to a growing evidence base, which can inform social work academics and practice teachers about learning activities that need to be offered to promote practice competence and professional identity of students, in preparation for professionally qualifying.

Courtesy Stigma Management: Social Identity Work among China’s “Leftover Women”

AbstractPrior consumer research has tended to focus on identity-related stigma management of individuals toward their own stigma. However, little is known about the consumption-related identity work that stigmatized individuals undertake to discharge the courtesy stigma attached to close associates such as family members. Courtesy stigma refers to the discredit directed toward people who are closely associated with a stigmatized individual or group. Drawing on interview, ethnographic, and netnographic data on China’s ‘Leftover Women,’ our research analyzes the personal and, more centrally, the social identity work related consumption counternarratives that these women construct—through combinations of specific kinds of consumption and gift-giving practices—to counteract family and courtesy stigma. Counternarratives are the resistance stories that people tell and live to either implicitly or explicitly challenge the dominant cultural narrative. The findings of our investigation help to build an enhanced understanding of how stigmatized individuals act as consumers in the market and via digital channels to tackle the family identity challenges of courtesy stigma that have not been explored in extant studies of consumer stigma identity work.

Factors Influencing Social Work Identity in Mental Health Placements

AbstractThis article shares findings from a study that explored factors contributing to the development of a social work professional identity, with a particular focus on social work students undertaking field education placements in mental health settings. Social work identity is not well recognised or articulated by experienced practitioners, nor does it appear to be adequately emphasised in social work education and training programmes. There is limited research on social work identity in mental health settings and even less pertaining to students’ efforts to construct a professional identity in such paradigmatically unfamiliar environments. This qualitative study explored how students understand, experience and articulate their developing professional identity in mental health settings. Participants were interviewed towards the completion of seventy-day (500-hour) field placements. Findings highlight that students struggled to relate to the concept of a ‘social work identity’ and were unable to articulate what it might be or involve. Students were more at ease describing specific roles they performed during their placement. However, analysis of their reflections on what they observed, what they did during placement, and reflective or integrative opportunities, provided rich descriptions of a range of the factors contributing to and influencing their developing social work identity.

I’m here! Conspicuous geomedia practices and the reproduction of social positions on social media

ABSTRACT ‘Checking in’ at or ‘tagging’ oneself to various places on social media constitute online representations that contribute to the classification, or ‘making’, of places. At the same time, users are also classified based on what they (show that they) do where. In this paper, we deploy Bourdieusian cultural sociology to the realm of place-exposing geomedia practices to understand social reproduction on social media. The study uses multiple correspondence analysis on a national survey deployed in Sweden (n=3,902). Various place-exposing practices are analyzed in relation to the contemporary Swedish class structure. Results reveal a connection between various forms and volumes of capital and the places that people visit and chose to put on display for online audiences. We are thus able to verify how the socio-technological regime of geomedia, with its new arenas for online exposure, extends deep-seated dynamics of socio-cultural reproduction and even reinforces the classificatory linkages between spatial appropriation and social identity work.

ON THE DISCOURCE OF SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONALISATION

The paper presents the discourse of the social work professionalization from the viewpoints of practice, research, academic activity, and professional identity, by revealing the expression of social worker competencies in the changing society. By means of evaluating the 20-year-experience of social worker training in Lithuania, the authors reveal the identity of social work at two levels: professional (academisation and practice) and legal (profession and study status). For the purpose, a novel approach to the formation of the social work theory, study methods, and the education of intercultural communication and lifelong learning is employed.

Diálogos entre el ser personal y profesional desde una perspectiva de género: ¿un dilema silente en el Trabajo Social con mujeres inmigrantes?

En la intervención con población inmigrante son escasos los estudios que se centren en las disyuntivas éticas que se padecen desde el Trabajo Social. Desde un enfoque cualitativo, situado y de género iniciamos una investigación en el contexto profesional de la ciudad de Jaén para conocer qué dilemas éticos sufren sus trabajadoras/es sociales desde esta área. De forma sentida y sibilina se enuncia un particular dilema expresado como un diálogo entre dos figuras: “ser personal” y “ser profesional” donde se implican cuestiones de género ligados a la propia identidad profesional y ética del Trabajo Social, así como a la de las personas con las que trabajan.

TAKING UP A SOCIAL WORK IDENTITY: PREPARING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FOR ENTRY-LEVEL GENERALIST PRACTICE

Undergraduate students who are new to the social work profession enter into a complex socialization experience. New to the profession, they are expected to absorb a variety of knowledge and skills learned in separate courses and then integrate these together into an authentic performance as a social worker. Additionally, students are trained to confront personal bias and must learn to socially locate themselves and begin to form their own critical framework for understanding and responding to the influence of oppressive discourses on everyday systems, structures, practices, and experiences. Although the socialization process is essential to the development of a social work identity, there is little description in the social work education literature about students’ experiences of that process. Through using a practice demonstration video as teaching-learning resource for an undergraduate child welfare practice course, this paper presents our effort to examine how students position themselves in relation to practices and skills shown in the social worker-service-user interactions on the video. For the purposes of this pilot study, we used qualitative content analysis to generate a descriptive analysis of students’ written responses to viewing the video interactions. Analyses of these responses revealed that, although students were able to name and discuss the practices they observed through the video demonstration, they were also challenged by the interactions that demonstrated conflict, client resistance, and the overt use of power in the worker-service-user relationship. The results demonstrate the need for greater understanding of how students become socialized into the profession and develop their own unique identities as social workers.

Identity of clients and social workers in service provision: an institutional logics perspective

This article illustrates how the theory of institutional logics can be used for analyzing the identity of social workers and clients, focusing on people processing that precedes treatment (control access, assessment, and treatment deliberation, among others). The article has two research questions: (1) What identities of social workers and clients can be distinguished by institutional logics? (2) How are identities intertwined in practice (exemplified by well-established decision-making models such as evidence-based practice, family group conference, and government by voucher)? Identity is examined using institutional logics and the findings reported in the current body of social work literature. The article derives two conclusions. The first conclusion is that institutional logics can be used for distinguishing ideal type identities: three client identities, namely taken care of community member (community logic), active citizen (participatory democracy logic), and consumer (market logic); and three social worker identities, namely professional (professional logic), bureaucrat (State logic), and executor of management directives (corporation logic). The second conclusion is that identities and institutional logics coexist in well-established models for processing people and treatment deliberation, but the conditions for coexistence differ. For instance, evidence-based practice is characterized by segregation (a bureaucratic and a professional alignment have been separated from the original version of EBP), whereas family group conference and government by voucher are typified by assimilation (logics coexist with the core elements of original logics preserved). Keywords: social work, institutional logics, people processing, decision-making

Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and Feasibility: Exploring Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Evidence-Based Practice

ABSTRACT Purpose The literature on evidence-based practice (EBP) in social work indicates a complex relationship between practitioners’ attitudes, views on feasibility, and self-efficacy related to EBP implementation. Method Qualitative interviews and a self-report questionnaire were completed with 8 social work students. A conceptual framework of their perceptions was developed through thematic analysis. Results Participants reported mixed EBP attitudes, as both a practice “ideal”, but also oppressive, rigid, and dehumanizing. Low confidence regarding research skills affected participants’ self-efficacy. Resource constraints impacted feasibility through organizational culture and available practice-relevant research. Discussion EBP misconceptions critically impacted educational practices, organizational culture, and practitioners’ attitudes. Comprehensive education mindful of professional identity may address misconceptions and enhance self-efficacy. EBP-enabling organizational change and practice-relevant research may alleviate resource constraints. Conclusion Research should expand on how EBP attitudes and social work identity intersect, the impact of research skills on self-efficacy, and EBP barriers and facilitators in education and organizations.

In Conversation with a Case Story: Perspectives on Professionalism, Identity and Ethics in Social Work

ABSTRACT In this co-authored article, one contributor presents a case story from an interview with a social worker in Slovenia, while five others offer commentaries on ethical aspects of the case. The story comes from a practitioner working with a pregnant young woman, arranging for adoption following birth. The social worker respected the woman’s request to keep her identity secret, hence not registering her in the institutional records. However, whilst the social worker was on holiday, the baby was born and anonymity was not maintained. Commentaries 1 and 2 evaluate the story through its form: as a narrative with a tempo and plot; and as a performance that creates its narrator as an agent with an ethical identity. Commentary 3 uses a normative moral philosophical framework (virtue ethics), while the final two commentaries take a more grounded approach. Commentary 4 views the social worker as using discretion to act in a space void of rules (there is no provision for anonymous birth), whereas Commentary 5 foregrounds the Slovenian code of ethics as a source of ethical standards unremarked upon by the social worker. The article ends with reflections on the value of exploring multiple perspectives and engaging in dialogue in developing ethical understandings and actions.

Perspectives on social workers from within an integrated setting

PurposeThis research explores community professionals' opinions concerning social worker's roles and statutory functions. It explores the perspectives of professionals and their understanding of collaborative and cooperative work; experiences of professional support; opinions on the aspects of anti-oppressive practices in social work; views on social work identity within multidisciplinary team structures; and perceptions regarding the challenges of cultural and contextual drivers of social work practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts an interpretivist paradigm and social constructionist epistemology in that there are multiple realities to be understood and different perspectives and perceptions to be explored. This study adopted a data collection approach of thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.Setting and participantsSocial workers and nurses working within an integrated social care and health NHS trust.MethodsSix respondents volunteered for interviews in 2017. Data were coded as follows using a multistage approach: (1) coding of comments into general categories (e.g. culture, models of practice), (2) coding of subcategories within main categories (e.g. values, knowledge and skills), (3) cross-sectional analysis to identify themes cutting across categories and (4) mapping of categories/subcategories to corresponding comparable research for comparison.FindingsMost interviewees (5) were social workers, with one from the nursing field. Respondents provided comments that fell under four overarching themes: cultural theme, the impact of economic austerity, organisational structures and the political drivers of integration.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the evidence regarding the role of social workers within integrated health and adult social care organisations (as opposed to mental health social work) and also contributes to the evidence around social work in times of austerity.

Using Simulated Instruction to Prepare Students to Engage in Culturally Competent Practice

Developing and training students to understand issues of diversity, including the development of a culturally competent social work identity, has long been a challenge for schools of social work. Nevertheless, preparing students to engage with diverse populations is paramount. Simulated learning is an effective pedagogy to enhance and broaden students’ understanding in regard to engaging with diverse populations. This article examines the use of human simulation instruction activities to prepare students to engage in culturally competent practice. More specifically, in this article, the constructs of the cultural competence practice model of Campinha–Bacote (2002) will be examined for practical application in social work education.

Professional Identity: An Exploratory Study of Undergraduate Social Work Majors Versus Minors

Social work is a profession that has struggled with its identity as it distinguishes itself from allied disciplines in an effort to define its own unique purpose. The literature is void of studies that examine the degree to which undergraduate minors differ from majors in their social work identity. Analyses revealed that the identity of minors did not differ with regard to their knowledge, philosophy, and views about social workers’ roles and expertise. However, their attitude toward the profession was more pessimistic, with minors more negatively viewing the job opportunities available to social workers and the earning potential of social workers. Minors were also less likely than majors to recommend social work as a profession. Finally, minors were less prone to self-identify as social workers after graduation when compared with those majoring in the field.