Structuralism and Post-Structuralism

Structuralism and Post-Structuralism

Introduction

Social work is a discipline derived from professional practice and social worker assistant, which aims to promote change, i.e. the society building and problem solving in human relationships to enhance well-being by applying various theories human behaviour and social systems and a methodology that integrates the social work case, group and community. For all this, social justice and human rights are fundamental to social work. Social work draws on theories about the development of human behaviour and social systems to analyse situations and facilitating change. Its methodology is based on a set of knowledge gained from the experience derived from practical assessment and research. The purpose of this paper is to investigate theories of social work and applies it on a murder case of two girls by a step father.

Structuralism

Structuralism is a theoretical positioning that observable social phenomena are the products of unobservable social structures, and that these hidden structures underlie the apparent randomness of things like cultures, languages, and texts.

Post structuralism

Post-structuralism emerged as a critique of structuralism's search for underlying structures and emphasizes the importance of both the individual and historical/cultural contexts in creating reality.

The next section of the paper will discuss one theory of structuralism and one of the post structuralism.

Critical Theory

Critical theory is a structural theory that explains the social work from a different perspective i.e. critical theory perspective. The assumptions of this theory include the existence of contradictions in contemporary capitalism as a result of the clash of interests classes between the demands leaders that domain and is reflected in the second term in the series of materials requirements and social needs that generates change and reproduction existing system phenomena that influence the proposition and implementation of economic policy.

Problems of social work and gender are closely related (Sturrock, 2009). First of all, most clients of social services are women (poor, lonely elderly, single mothers, mothers with many children, mothers of children with disabilities, the unemployed). On whether the social workers recognize gender inequalities at the individual level, in direct interaction with customers or at the structural level in the organizational, social and political relations, prospects depend on anti-discriminatory social service, social justice and social development. Daily communication is realized in the process of social work and applied nature of the profession are at the same time justified the need and importance of social work for gender equality.

On the one hand, the practice of social services is based on the principles of human rights and social legislation, which recognize the right of citizens to help and support, regardless of sex. On the other hand, the experience of the difficult situation the client is always gender-coloured. The same problems are perceived differently by girls and boys, women and men because of gender-specific system of social stratification, as well as due to peculiarities of gender roles and stereotypes, ideals and social expectations that exist in each society.

What are the social problems or social workers would interact - poverty, drug addiction, child care ...