Major Questions in Sociology - Essay Example

SOCIOLOGY WHY DISAGREEMENT IS SO COMMON The progressive trend in the global media and the wide and easy access to information through the internet,cell phone and other mediums, awareness about social problems and issues have seen a dramatic rise. Issues like poverty, domestic violence, homelessness, single parenthood, child abuse, mental disorders and divorce are dealt with and discussed without constraint over a cup of coffee in many homes.The 21st century is no longer about hiding issues that concern the individuals of today even if the issues were declated "taboo" or "unspeakable" a decade ago. However, as individuals are becoming more and more aware of the problems that concern people on the other side of the world, disagreements,differing opinions, ideas and perceptions have become common as to the causes and solutions of social problems.Meanwhile, new problems are building up and catching attention leading to even more food for discussion and arguement. There are various reasons why the causes and remedies of social problems are disagreed by people around the globe. Firstly, people don't usually agree to one specific cause and solution because the problems which plague the society today have arisen due to a number of factors over a period of time and the remedial actions differ too, depending on the role people play in a society. For instance, if the case of poverty is taken up, some people may argue that the cause of it is unemployment, some people suggest that it is illiteracy, while the others maintain that it is due to inflation.From an individual point of view, it is also plausible that a person may not be exposed to the real and immediate causes of a social problem, like poverty whereas the government or organizations running in a country may have a bigger picture and statistics of the problem and its causes. Due to this, it is natural that disagreements may arise between, say, an ordinary individual and someone who is working for an organization that is functioning to alleviate poverty. Moreoever, the remedial action taken on an individual basis to reduce the level of poverty will be different from actions taken on a broader basis. An individual may think that donating or giving alms or charity may be a possible solution to the poverty related problems while the government will obviously go with the larger picture and open up more schools and businesses to reduce illiteracy and unemployment which also lead to poverty. Secondly, social problems that affect one side of the world may not be so big a problem on the other side. The problems of developed countries may certainly differ from the undeveloped countries and thus the people living in both countries will argue about the causes and solutions of a social problem, like drug abuse. In developed countries, where government has taken effective actions against drug abuse and smoking, people may think that strong marketing and advertising from the side of drug manufacturers is the cause of the problem. Infact, if the government has been very effective in its remedial actions, people in the country may not consider it as a social problem anymore whereas, people in undeveloped countries may consider it as a very fatal disease to their society and will argue relentlessly about its causes being illiteracy, lack of awareness, lack of restrictions on the part of government and easy availability and access to drugs. Thirdly, disagreements arise due to misunderstandings. Problems like poverty, unemployment and domestic violence are quite home issues and almost every individual has a defined opinion about their causes and solutions but problems like mental disorders and and issues of lone parents are not as common and people often tend to misundertsand the problems related to less common issues. In some societies, mentally challenged people are treated as outcasts and are banished from social gatherings and talks. Same goes for the case of lone parents, especially women. Societies often don't view single parents kindly and consider them as "problematic" and "unbalanced". In these kinds of socieities, people are not generally aware of the causes of mental disorders and issues like lone parenthood and its implications and how to go about solving problems related to it. But in some societies, there are full-fledged organizations working to support mentally challenged people and people living in these society will be more tolerant towards the problem and will have a different approach towards it. Likewise, more tolerant societies have forums and informal groups for single parents where they could discuss their problems and suggest solutions. Therefore, disagreements arise, when some people suggest that the issues can be resolved by making and supporting organizations that are working to help people while other remain adamant on the theory that mentally challenged people or single parents should not be allowed to mingle with other "normal" people as a solution to the problem. Lastly, disagreements arise because there is no one best method to solve a particular problem. Neither there is one agreed cause. Problems like poverty, mental illnesses, unemployment arise over a period of time and they can rarely be traced back to a one specific reason, cause or factor. That is why, people find it hard to agree on one cause or solution of social problems. Even more so, the same problems may arise due to different reasons in different countries and societies and people will therefore argue about how the problems can be resolved. Domestic violence is seen with much scepticism and when some argue that it is becausing of rise rates of unemployments, others maintain that it is due to a lack of awareness of human rights among people, illiteracy among women or lack of laws governing such issues. Thus, it is clear that disagreements are bound to appear because of these reasons. However, discourses and exchange of ideas and thoughts should be channelized to something more constructive and even amidst disagreements, individuals should contribute to their society as they see fit. Meanwhile, media coverage should not be taken away from these issues, and factual publications should appear to educate the public about the social problems and ways of dealing with it. Government, has to play the most important role and effective policies are the best way to reduce or eliminate problems like poverty and unemployment. ROLE AND TASKS OF A SOCIAL WORKER The role and tasks of social workers are many and varied. It is a profession that has a great impact on other people's lives. The first and foremost task of a responsible and professional social worker involves the welfare of communities, helpless individuals, children and the society as a whole. Social workers are responsible for taking care of the environment, resolving disputes in relationships, and they generally solve personal and family problems. They often want to assist people who are facing a social problem such as problems related to unemployment, child abuse, drug abuse, homelessness or if they are afflicted with a fatal disease or a disease they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. Few social workers often take up individual's problems who have some mental or physical disability or old people who are living in solitude and are in need of assistance, care and support. Their task involves their own professional development and they also have to develop a support relationship with their cleints so as to gather the useful information regarding their problems to help them effectively. Their task is complex and demanding and that is what makes the role of a social worker indispensable to a society. Social workers usually specialize in particular tasks, as to gain perfection in their work and to ultimately, help people in a better and flawless way. Sometimes, they offer their services to social services organization which require short-term assistance. Social workers are required to have research-based skills so as to develop newer methods of solving social problems and need to have experience in dealing with and understanding relationships to resolve conflicts and disagreements between people.Their task involves a lot of risk and has to be carried out with a lot of care and caution. They have to provide care and support for their clients while also managing and controlling their problems. Increasing social problems have enlarged the role of social workers even more. They are responsible for the advocating of social justice and bringing of equilibrium in society. Identifying the needs of individuals and communities is also one of their many tasks while also finding out ways to best fulfill the requirements of those who need their assistance. Their task is concerned with chalking out a plan for dealing with problems and reviewing it occassionally to keep it according to the changing needs and situations. They have to shoulder the responsibility of the management of the risk concerned with their problems while also demonstrating their skills in social work practice. Moreover, they are accountable and responsible for the work that they do for their clients. Social workers are required to develop an effective policy to eliminate social problems and to help people to get on with their lives in a positive way. Social workers usually interact with other professionals to discuss ideas, share skills and pool in expertise in order to provide the most effective social service to people who are in a vulnerable position in a society. There are social workers who specialize in working for children, dealing with families and school problem and their task is to bring about an improvement in the lives of the children, to better their relationship with their parents and to make their attitude towards study a positive one. Social workers are also responsible for finding alternate homes to orphaned or abandoned children or children with disability. Sometimes, they hold workshops or impart knowledge about teenage issues and they suggest ways of coping up with school problems. They also look after the health and home of elderly people who are living alone. Moreover, work-related problems may also come under their specializations and they teach various techniques to deal with continuous pressure and increasing demands at work while maintaining a calm personality. Thus, they provide assistance to employees as well and enable them to work postively and more constructively. They use professional knowledge and skills to make judgements and plans and provide advice and consultation services to their clients. Then there are medical and public health social workers who provide emotional and psychological assistance to needy individuals who are usually suffering from some fatal and long-lasting disease such as AIDS or cancer. They devise plans for the patients, identify their needs, try to find out ways to help them and work at their home to provide care and support. They may be hired by hospitals or other private and government agencies. Often the requirement of their tasks exceed the limited resources, and they need ample time to combine their share of skills and apply them to the problem at hand. They aim to make people more independent and more in control of their lives than they are now. Social workers sometimes provide help for the full-length of the client's life when needed and manages their risk and helps them get on with the disease and find ways to fight it. In doing so, they develop a relationship with their clients and thus are able to understand their needs and wants more fully. Mental healthy and substance abuse social workers are also present and they are responsible for people who are mentally challenged, afflicted with a mental disease or indulge in substance abuse, like drugs. They provide consultation and therapies to such patients and work in rehabilitation centres for the betterment and welfare of such people. They certainly have a very challenging task as they have to provide support to people with a very addictive habit or people who are not at all in control of their lives. Thus, social workers play a very positive role in today's society. They are determined to make people's live easier and the society more tolerant. They are responsible for making a plan, reviewing it, managing the risks involved, being accountable for their work, assisting people and providing them with care and support, which can be psychological as well. They can be generalist or specialist and due to the increasing requirements of our society, their task is becoming more varied and intricate and their role more important. They play a care-giver role in a society and help individuals, from school children to vulnerable adults. References: Anderson, D. (1991) The Unmentionable Face of Poverty in the Nineties: Domestic Incompetence, Improvidence and Male Irresponsibility in Low Income Families, London, Social Affairs Unit. Barash, P. (1981) Sociobiology: The Whisperings Within, London, Fontana. Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. (1967) The Social Construction of Reality, London, Allen Lane. Burr, V. (1995) An Introduction to Social Constructionism, London, Routledge. Clarke, J. and Critcher, C. (1985) The Devil Makes Work: Leisure in Capitalist Britain, London, Macmillan. CSE/NDC (eds) (1977) Capitalism and the Rule of Law, London, Macmillan on behalf of Conference of Socialist Economists/National Deviancy Conference. Dean, M. (1991) The Constitution of Poverty, London, Routledge. . IASSW (International Association of Schools of Social Work) (2001) International Definition of Social Work.http://www.iassw.soton.ac.uk/Generic/DefinitionOfSocialWork.asplang=en Jones,C., Ferguson,I., Lavalette,M. and Penketh,L. (2004) Social Work and Social Justice: a manifesto for a new engaged practice.http://www.liv.ac.uk/sspsw/Manifesto.htm Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Social Workers, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos060.htm (visited August 12, 2007). . Read More