Theoretical Frameworks of Our Knowledge and Understanding of Social Problems - Assignment Example

Theoretical frameworks of our knowledge and understanding of social problems Centuries ago, while the science of medical care was in its technical evolution stage, the prime area of reference was only the provision of health care. However, in today’s world, where the scientific world has come of age in its standing vis-à-vis disease care and prevention, subsidiary issues have emerged that are considered to be of prime importance in the realm of health care. The changes in society and life all around the world have brought about considerable changes in the lifestyles of people. Similarly, the profession of health care has seen its development through the ages, and many additional factors like ethical, legal and professional concerns need to be understood better. Given the aforementioned realm, understanding the crux of social care shall be made simple. It is an illusion if it is only considered in terms of a helpers’ room, much on the footsteps of Freud wherein the client would rest on a sofa and the counselor would offer advice. Social care is a proactive and dynamic activity, that primarily involves defining the vector of any body’s actions and behavior. Again, the said concept may be write vague in its concept, as this might involve everybody and anybody. The short answer is yes! Human beings have always found a multitude of ways to divide themselves. Color, creed, religion, class and ranks, all have provided a disparity in attitude and treatment over the millennia. However, defining them on grounds of social class on grounds of social care is incorrect. This is a stance that is largely misunderstood, and can only be truly clarified once the correct stance of social care is understood. It seems therefore, that issues such as race, ethnicity, gender or sexuality provide a soar point for those of the middle class as they cannot find their true place in this tug-of-war. The current face of health care is largely a product of the advancement made during and after the World Wars. However, despite the magnitude and quality of work that was done at that time, the obvious constraint due to the war was that a systematic procedure for providing health care cannot be established. Much has changed since then, and the corporate face of the organizations in the changing world has brought about a new shape to the domain of clinical practice. With the inception of concepts like quality and the ISO standards, what the world of today has realized, is that documentation, for any system of work, is not only essential, but is a must. Given that social care is a kind of treatment restricted mostly to verbal exchanges, practitioners do not have to be medically qualified. In most countries, however, helpers must be trained, certified and licensed with a range of different licensing schemes and qualification requirements in place around the world. Helpers may be health care specialists, social workers, trained nurses, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, or professionals of other mental health disciplines. Psychiatrists' training focuses on the prescription of medicines, with some training in social care. Health care specialists have special training in mental health assessment and research in addition to social care. Social workers have special training in mental health assessment and treatment as well as linking patients to community and institutional resources. “Social workers do not usually interpret or seek for unconscious motivations but bring cognitions and beliefs into the current focus of attention (consciousness) and through guided discovery encourage clients to gently re-evaluate their thinking” (Schultz, 2002). Given the fact that all human beings are susceptible to challenging situations, it becomes imperative for them to qualify for the need for social care. The issue of race has always been an element of disparity among humans. The simple reason is, that no matter what your nationality, creed, or social status, the color of your skin is an ever permanent factor. Those who might consider the Michael Jackson example, shall realize that if any body needed social care, it was him! It was not because he was crazy; but rather because he faced an identity crisis that only half a dozen life altering operations could do for him. The issue and its consequence become very clear: when Ms Berry and Mr Washington cannot believe the fact that they together could be the first black actors to win Oscars together, goes on to show the hidden suppression of racialism in the highest of American classes. And how many black American presidents can one remember? Similarly, the Chicago riots were not totally a middle class event. It was joined in, either physically or mentally by the entire African American community in the US. And this makes all of them susceptible to the science of social care. It is not a phenomena for the middle classes; till such time when race can be isolated to be a variable only applicable for the middle class – which of course it is not. “Social care may deal with one can learn about depression, phobias, anxiety, obsession, attention deficit, learning disability, and a host of other related issues; there are also sections on behavior therapy, children and adolescents, couples, biofeedback, and many more” (Richards, 2000). Primarily, though, one can come away understanding social care: What it is, how it works, why go, why stop (and when), and what should and should not happen there. When all that is identified with, it shall be appreciated that it is not something that is specific or particular to all classes. It is a science, or more appropriately, a process that is applicable to each and every living soul, without disparity. Social care is rational and accessible. It is not some esoteric, indefinable, mystical process that only some people can grasp, a faith that only converts believe in and others do not. It is a logical process which anyone can understand and follow. There is no reason for anything in a session to be unreasonable or mysterious. On the contrary, in good social care every step should make complete sense to one, the patient; one may end up in strange territory, but it should be entirely clear to one how one got there. The patient who can establish he suffered harm as a result of a helper’s failure to meet an appropriate standard of care may bring a negligence claim against the nurse as well as the care facility (Tracey et al, 2005). It has to be understood that social care is a universal process, and happens absolutely everywhere, though in grossly varied formulations. However, the acceptance of social care as a therapeutic science is not there everywhere. It is therefore interesting to note that though, a large majority of middle class may be involved in the social care process in the developed world, the same is not the case in the developing or the developed world. Routines for such practice are arbitrary, and the practice is poorly documented in the patients’ records (Kirkevold et al, 2005). There, social care and being counseled is still considered as a taboo, and only the extremely rich or the extremely poor dwell into the realm of social care as they are beyond the societal norm. So this presents for us a cultural variation in this concept. In Argentina, for example, it is extremely fashionable to have a helper or counselor. People are actually considered outdated who cannot produce the reference of a reputed helper. India, on the other hand, shows a stark contrast, wherein people who go to counselors are looked down upon as having a mental disorder and hence become a sort of an outcast. This disparity in itself shows, that when we talk about human beings as a whole, social care cannot and should not be restricted to the middle class. The case is quite the contrary. It is a generalized and universal concept for all and sundry, and anybody wishing to bear the true benefits of social care can attain them regardless of the class. Of course, it is up to the helper to help one learn this active role. If one can’t understand how to do this and one is not getting clear guidance, it’s probably time to change helpers. Social care is a dialog. It is not a teaching session. One presents data, the helper offers ideas about that data, as well as his own data -- his feelings, his past experience, his own theories -- then one pick up the ball, and so on. Has the helper helped one discover truth about oneself, one’s life, one’s feelings -- and is this material helping one make the changes one want -- or is he up a tree? If the latter, one must speak up. No helper will be right all the time, of course, and it may be that one expects for change are unrealistic or misguided. One has to sort this out together. “Sensitive and thoughtful explanations from health care staff combined with a better understanding of the nature of this condition will help grieving families cope with this difficult situation” (Swinburn, et al. 1999). But the final word is the individual’s own. A helper can tell one what’s probably going on with a person, what seems to be happening, but it is only one who can say if he is right. Without one active testing of the material, social care degenerates into a thought experiment, a series of entertaining speculations and psychobabble that have no impact on one’s life, one’s behavior, one’s feelings. Before one can say, “But I know what I feel, do, believe”: If we were perfectly aware, we would have no symptoms. We would experience reasonable emotional reactions to the ups and downs of life instead of sinking into incomprehensible panic, anxiety, depression. We would behave rationally, putting our talents, intelligence, and energy towards gratifying ends. We would learn from our mistakes; we would not hurt the ones we love nor be drawn to those who hurt us. “Social care is a set of techniques intended to improve mental health, emotional or behavioral issues in individuals, who are often called ‘clients’. These issues often make it hard for people to manage their lives and achieve their goals” (Hull, 1999). Social care is aimed at these problems, and solves them via a number of different approaches and techniques; commonly social care involves a helper and client(s), who discuss their issues in an effort to discover what they are and how they can manage them. Because sensitive topics are often discussed during social care, helpers are expected, and usually legally bound, to respect patient privacy and client confidentiality. It is not meant to create differences among people and it does not draw comparisons based on class or money. It is a humanistic process, and deals with humans as such. Inter-disciplinary and multi-faceted studies in studies always tend to generate a greater sense of insight in an individual. In the profession of medical health care, it is all the more important to consider such facts in the consideration for the benefit of the patient. This assignment helps establish learning patterns on the very same lines, wherein one is able to appreciate the dynamics and complexities involved in the science of patient care, while giving due consideration to the ethical legal and professional issues simultaneously. References Hull, B. (1999) Essentials of Social care Practice. Bangalore: Lion Art. Kirkevold Ø & Engedal K. (2005). Health care services: cross sectional study, BMJ 2005; 330:20 (1 January), doi:10.1136 Richards, C. (2000) Fundamentals of Counseling. London: Bradshaw Pub. Schultz, D. (2002). Psychology & Work Today. India: Pearson Education. Swinburn J, et al, (1999). To whom is our duty of care? BMJ;318:1753-1755 ( 26 June). Tracey M. & Nola M. R (2005). ‘Legal Issues in Patient Safety’, Healthcare Quarterly Special Issue, October, pp 140-145 Read More