respond to at least two colleagues: APA References
- Identify one strength and one limitation your colleague may encounter when employing an individual-related theory and a structural/cultural-related theory to formulating interventions for structural issues or barriers that contribute to a client’s marginalization.
1-PO- I chose two theories: ecological theory and empowerment theory. Empowerment theory states that a person's current condition is influenced by their low economic, psychological, and social standing, and low self-esteem. However, an individual can assist a person advance their self-esteem by providing them with the resources they require to achieve and desire better things in life, as well as providing them with access to those possibilities. The concept of “empowerment,” similar to Sen’s definition, entails providing the poor with means to acquire a greater voice to help them fight for justice within their society (World Bank, 2001). According to the ecological theory, people's behavior and thought processes are influenced by their social surroundings, both as children and as adults. This was one of the first development theories that considered the effects the social environment can have on human behavior and life course development (Turner, 2007). By assigning social classes to people, society labels them as upper class, middle class, or lower class, which shapes and brings negativity to their worldview and influences their choice of situations that they are accustomed to seeing and experiencing. Individual-related focuses on the individual's behaviors and feelings that contribute to their situation, whereas structural/cultural-related influences a wide variety of people's problems that affect society and how society views us in the larger community. Empowerment theory is more individual-related since it is about finding positive inside yourself to encourage you to succeed, even when discrimination might be a barrier to success. A society in which only a portion of its citizens (i.e., poor person) lacks empowerment implies that discrimination and prejudice is at the root of the problem (Carr, 2023). Ecological theory is a structural-cultural theory because the social environment influences people's thinking and conduct, resulting in negative consequences for our societies. As a result, psychologists have moved from blaming the individual victims of poverty to incorporating the social environment into their understanding of people in poverty (Turner, 2007). When using the ecological theory, social workers would counsel clients to address the issue harming them in their social environment to find a way to address it. There are also methods to enhance their social environment by providing them with housing and service information, which will help them feel more in control of how their circumstances influence them. Social workers would use the empowerment theory to motivate and empower individuals to improve and raise their sense of self. Social support and resources might improve their psychological, educational, and economic well-being. Since a major premise of the work is that theories need to both stand alone as well as interlock and inter-influence each other, it is important to consider different organizational methods of classification and their implications (Turner, 2017)
2-SA- When a client is presenting as experiencing poverty and identifying as part of a marginalized population, the two theories I would choose to begin with would be the Empowerment Theory and the Culture of Poverty Theory (Turner, 2017). These two theories address the institutional constructs of poverty as well as the client’s abilities to exist within or prevail over it. The Culture of Poverty Theory is a structural theory that states that poverty is a social institution that some populations are unable to escape (Turner & Lehning, 2007). The Culture of Poverty theorizes that social discrimination can be categorized into three areas of distancing: cognition, institutional, and interpersonal, which leads to generational poverty (Turner & Lehning, 2007). Once the client understands the discrimination they are experiencing is institutional and not their own, the social worker can help them learn how to advocate for themselves within that construct or in defiance of it (Turner, 2017). Understanding the societal discrimination experienced by the client is important for the social worker to begin constructing and applying the Empowerment Theory (Turner & Lehning, 2007). The empowerment theory’s focal point is to clarify the client’s relationship and perception of the oppression they experience and their decision-making process in that environment (Turner, 2017). The social worker would approach the client and the problem through the lens of the strengths-based approach. Seeing both the reality of societal norms as well as identifying the decisions that can alter those norms for the client is critical. Working with the client in areas such as skills, education, advocacy, decision-making, and self-confidence would benefit the client.
