Empowerment and Human Diversity Chapter 3

1. Empowerment and Human Diversity Chapter 3

2. Discrimination Discrimination- the act of treating other people differently based on the fact they belong to some group rather than merit. Let’s think of some stereotypes that might led people to discriminate against others…..

3. Stereotypes • Gay and lesbians are just confused or rebellious • Black people are good athletes • People with physical disabilities are unemployable • Hispanic males only date females much younger then themselves • Women are too emotional to make good supervisors

4. Stereotypes and Predjudice • Stereotype-A fixed idea of a member of some specified group based on some attribute or attributes that reflect an overly simplified view without appreciation of individual differences • Prejudice- a negative opinion about an individual or group that is not based on fact • Stereotypes and prejudice often contribute to discrimination, oppression, and economic deprivation

5. Discrimination • Discrimination occurs at two levels: • Individual: negative treatment of one person by another. • Institutional: woven into the fabric of society.

6. Populations-at-risk • Groups of people who share some identifiable characteristic that places them at greater risk of social and economic deprivation and oppression than the general mainstream society. • Ex. Homosexuals, people of color, women, the elderly, individuals with physical or mental disabilities

7. What can Social Worker do? • Focus on the strengths of a client to solve problems and empower clients. • Empowerment is the process of increasing personal, interpersonal, or political power so that individuals can take action to improve their lives. • Examples • What is going well for you? • What are your capabilities? • Who is a support for you in your life? Everyone has strengths. Use these strengths to empower others.

8. Strength Perspective • Historically, social work focused on deficits, dysfunction, and pathology. • In recent years, Social Work shifted towards the strength perspective to mobilize competencies and build self-confidence and stimulate hope.

9. Strength Perspective • 5 Principles of the strength’s perspective as defined by Salebey (2002) • Every individual, group, family, community has strengths • Trauma and abuse, illness and struggle may be injurious but they may also be sources of challenge and opportunity • Social workers should never place limits and continue to help others aspire and grow • Collaboration is the best way to serve clients • Every environment is full of resources

10. Resiliency • Resiliency-the ability of an individual, family, group, or community to recover from adversity and resume functioning even after suffering serious trouble, confusion, or hardship. • “risk factors” – adverse environmental conditions that increase vulnerability of individuals • “protective factors”-protect against vulnerabilities

11. Importance of Human Diversity • Social workers need to appreciate the vast range of differences among groups that relate to age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, religion… WHY??? • To promote social and economic justice for population-at-risk of discrimination and oppression • To recognize the values and issues of diverse groups and to appreciate differences and build on strengths

12. Cultural Competence • Important to a develop a set of knowledge and skills in order to be effective when working with multicultural clients

13. Developing Cultural Competence • Develop an awareness of personal values, assumptions, and biases • Establish and appreciation of other cultures and nurture attitudes that respect differences • Self awareness of own culture and belief system and how that might influence interaction with clients • Recognize stereotypes and oppression of various groups • Commit to learning about different cultures • Acquire skills for working with people of various cultures

14. Race and Ethnicity

15. RACE:Reality or Myth? • Race: a group with inherited physical characteristics that distinguish it from other groups. • With a population of 6 billion, a rich diversity of human shapes and colors exist.

16. Ethnicity • Race applies to biological characteristics, Ethnicity applies to cultural characteristics.

18. Melting Potor Tossed Salad?

19. Tossed Salad • Although we are all living in the US, we maintain our individual and cultural distinctiveness • Social workers must address how people from various cultures have different ideas and expectations about what should happen during the intervention process

20. Some Common Cultural Values for Hispanics • Common language-90% of Latinos in the US continue to use the Spanish language • Familismo- Importance of extended family relationships that includes aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents • Respect for the elderly • Spirituality and religion • Strict division of gender roles (ex machismo is the idea of male “superiority” that defines that man as the provider, protector, and head of household)

21. Native Americans • Extended family and respect for elders- sense of self is secondary compared to that of the family and of the tribe • Non interference-the deep respect for rights and dignity of individuals (self-determination) (ex. Children are rarely told directly what to do but encouraged to make their own decisions) • Harmony with nature • Less formal concept of time • Spirituality

22. African Americans • Extended family ties (ex. Often children are raised not only by the nuclear family but also by extended family members) • Role flexibility • Respect for Elderly • Close relationship with the church

23. Asian Americans • Family primary unit • Interdependence (ex chinese culture emphasizes “kinship from birth until death.”) • Filial piety-a devotion to and compliance with parental and familial authority even if sacrificing individual desires and ambitions • Investment in children • Patriarchal hierarchy-father is head of household and authority is not questioned