Advantages And Disadvantages Of System Theory

One skill of the ecological system is to bring an understanding to what systems are in place at every level for the individual. Once the social worker knows what systems the victim has, they can help to build up the missing support systems in their life.

Shanell Bathersfield conducted a self-assessment. She initially determined that the systems theory was one that she was not comfortable with. Through the last few course weeks, she was able to gain an in-depth perspective on several theories that are impactful in the social work field. The coursework and utilizing Juana and Adelina as case studies, truly gave an exclusive insight on how theories are used to understand the client’s circumstances and improve their well-being.

In society, there are groups that interact with each other. They may be families, churches, government agencies, or anything in between. Those groups can be defined as systems, and in the systems perspective that is what they are referred to (Hutchison, 2017). In the 1960s, Ludwig von Bertalanffy developed the general systems theory in relation to biology, but it was widely publicized and used for various subjects (Hutchison, 2017). Hutchison (2017) summarized Bertalanffy’s theory by saying, “any element is best understood by considering its interactions with its constituent parts as well as its interactions with larger systems of which it is a part.” (p.

System perspective see’s human behaviors as the outcome of interactions within and among social systems of interrelated parts. These social systems of interrelated parts consist of people within the family, friends, school and work. System perspectives can be understood as the subsystem of larger systems, where each system has its unique identity but they are all interdependent. From a system perspective, behaviors are influenced from the past which are learnt from within the family and other social systems. Within a system perspective, there are smaller systems that a Social Worker may consider for a more holistic view. This is done by considering the role the physical and social environment has on a person’s behavior as well as protective and risk factors that influences positive and negative outcomes.

According to Gardiner and Kosmitzki (2008), most recently the ecological perspective has become a leading approach towards addressing the relationships among persons and environment. In Essentials of Human Behavior, Hutchinson (2013) uses a multidimensional approach to better understand social work practice. Using this approach, one can analyze the connection between a client’s person, such as psychologically or biologically, a client’s environment, such as families or communities, and a client’s time, such as their linear time in past, present, or future. Specifically analyzing the environmental component, Uri Bronfenbrenner’s (1999) ecological perspective identifies four levels of systems a client may be associated with: microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and macrosystems.

A system is “A set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified whole” (robbins 2006), and Systems theory is the

Social work has long recognized the relationship between the behavior of an individual and the environment in which the individual interacts (Hutchison, 2008). Human behavior theories offer a framework to organize, interpret and understand this relationship (Hutchison, 2008). For this case study, the following three theories will be examined for relevancy: Life cycle theory, role theory and resiliency theory.

Hopefully, a system remains open (e.g., free exchange of energy across boundaries). If so, it will have good input (e.g. energy and resources transferred into the system). Also, if the system is being fueled by good energy sources (e.g., higher education and income) then the client will give good output. For example, the parents work to generate income, and in turn the client is able to develop talents and connections that could later be used to further enhance the family’s capabilities to meet their goals. On the other hand, if a client’s work output does not increase the energy sources available to the family, then the outcome can cause further changes in the system, which is referred to as a “feedback loop”. A social worker must understand the behavior of difficult system problems to hypothesize a realistic solution for the

This section of the paper will discuss the definition of social work, values associated with social work and arguments for and against the use of systems theory in social work practice. Social work can be described as a field of study that encompasses individuals and their environment. Social work can be defined as work trained professionals do to elevate stressors of individuals so they may become more self-sufficient and empowered to live to their fullest potential.

One of the most useful models for social workers to implement is the generalist model. Since the goal of social work is to work with individuals and assist them in solving their problems, the generalist model seeks to create three levels of practice to better aide the individuals in direct practice service (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). These three levels are the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The micro level refers to the systems that directly impact a single individual, whereas the mezzo level refers to the small groups (such as marriages and families) that impact the individual. Furthermore, the macro level refers to the large systems, such as cultures and large organizations, which can influence the person. With the establishment of the generalist model, the social worker can better aide the client and work directly with him to help him solve any problems or concerns he may have, and this model has become the most common operational model in social work, though it does have both advantages and disadvantages.

In the generalist social work practice, a social worker is a change agent due to the expansive and complex umbrella of social and human services and roles. A change agent works to promote positive changes for the well-being of an individual, family, group, organization or community. In order to fulfill the tasks of a social worker, one should be trained and equipped with a wide variety of skills: such as setting appropriate boundaries, possessing and utilizing self-awareness and the ability to counsel or advocate for clients. In addition to many skills, the generalist social work practice includes a surplus of methods to either prevent or intervene when necessary. A method often utilized by social workers is the person-in-environment conceptualization. The person-in-environment perspective considers factors, such as familial or economic, beyond the individual to better understand the client’s behaviors or situation. Another method is the strengths perspective. The strength-based perspective focuses on the client’s or client system’s positive qualities to build upon those capabilities. And the recognition of strengths helps to achieve goals in a more client-led approach. Generalist practitioners are professionals with a wide range of knowledge and a repertoire of diverse skills in order to enhance the social functioning of all within society.

It means being able to handle all systems, including community, organization, individual, and group. Their job is broad and they do not focus on just one aspect. They must solve many problems and be attentive. It prepares them to be able to handle a situation, no matter how difficult. One thing that they are held accountable for the most is their client’s well-being. They are to make sure that their clients know that they can count on them no matter what it is. It is important for them to make sure that they do all they can to meet their client’s needs. The advanced generalist method is the generalist method, but as a master social work. They are to go even further beyond what they normally would do at an even higher rate. The ecosystems perspective is something that helped develop the generalist approach. It helps them realize that when they work on one level will help them get to other levels. The levels of intentions that the social workers are to focus on, like stated before are, the individual, the family, the group, the individual, the organization, and the community. It is important that they continue to focus on that, being that it will shape them the

.I agree with the fact that social workers are using Bio psychosocial model in clients such as by looking at the clients biological, psychological ("which entails thoughts, emotions, and behaviors"), and social ("socio-economical, socio-environmental, and cultural") factors that affect the clients because by doing that the social worker will get to know the entire information about the client rather than the client problems only. As a result, that is how the social worker will help the client with his or her problem.

Healy stated “the original proponents of general systems theory used biological terminology to explain client needs, situations and the purpose of social work practice” (2005). The term that is applied for systems theory is for all systems in general. All systems have boundaries within which both physical and mental energy is exchanged. There are two types of systems that this applies to. Closed systems have no interchange across the boundaries whereas open systems have permeable boundaries or guidelines but there is also some room for movement, within reason.

Systems thinking is a method of thinking that looks at the interconnectedness between different elements rather than a linear cause and effect approach and sees patterns of change rather than fixed “snapshots”. In essence it is a view on the “whole picture” (Anderson, R 1994).