HBSE: Chapter 4 Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Sociological Dimensions - Author Anissa Taun Rogers

Looking-Glass Self

Coined by Charles Cooley (1902), is closely related to the ideas behind symbolic interactionism and social constructionism. The looking-glass self refers to the idea that we learn who we are through our interactions with others. We develop our sense of self though our social interactions and our impression of how others view and perceive us. So our views of ourselves stem from our perceptions of what others think of us--which are not necessarily based in realicty or fact.

Ethnocentrism

Helps to explain how a dominant ideology can perpetuate cultural values that help or hinder clients. Understanding the effects of ethnocentrism can help social workers to grasp how clients may view their own culture as superior, which can create problems for clients in interfacing with other cultures, particularly if their culture is not the dominant one.

Ethnicity

How people associate themselves with a group through the use of aspects such as values, traditions, customs, language, and religion.

Ethnic Identity

How people form their identity in relation to their ethnicity.

Nonsymbolic Interaction

How people respond directly to the actions of others. For example, we respond to cues such as tone of voice, language, and hand gestures while we interact with others.

Culture

Is the result of all human endeavors. Culture can be viewed as including all things human such as norms, values, customs, symbols, thoughts, traditions, politics, religions, languages, philosophies, and material objects (Barker, 2003; Turner, 1998).

Sociological Imagination

Most sociological theories reflect this, a term coined by C. Wright Mills (1959) to describe the relationship between the individual and the wider society. According to Mills, this awareness allows us to better understand the connection between our personal lives and larger social forces that influence us. An important component is the need to view outside social forces from an objective perspective and not just from our own culturally biased point of view.

Ideology

One's dominant ideas about what is correct and how things should be.

Symbolic Interaction Theory

Refers to the unique ways in which people and systems interact and communicate with one another as well as the essence and characteristics of that interaction and communication.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one culture is superior to others and that culture serves as the norm by which others should be judged.

Cultural Relativism

The idea that different cultures should be treated equally, cultures cannot be ranked based on which is better or superior.

Medicalization of Society

The influence of the health profession. As the range of expertise in medicine has grown over the decades, the medical profession has acquired the power to influence knowledge, attitudes, opinions, and even social policy.

Ethos

The moral, ethical, and aesthetic tone of a person's life; the emotional aspect of the worldview.

Worldview

The way in which people perceive their world that gives them a frame of reference; a personal philosophy about how things are and the way things should be.

Symbolic Interaction

The ways in which we interpret the actions of others. For example, we can interpret another person's tone of voice as threatening or sarcastic, depending on the context in which the interaction takes place and the meaning that we assign to it. Similarly, we can perceive a pointing hand gesture as either informational or challenging.

Social Constructionalism

This is similar to symbolic interaction theory. This asserts that we construct our reality based on our experiences. Social constructionalism argues that there is not a single reality, but rather, multiple realities, because each of us perceives the world around us differently.

Critical Practice Theory

Views social problems as caused by oppressive societal structures and the cultural and moral assumptions generated and maintained by dominant groups. Goals of this theoretical perspective in social work are to help clients overcome limits and the oppressive nature of the existing social order and to help clients especially those who are marginalized, find and use their voices to create social change.

Dramaturgical Approach

Which likens everyday life to the drama of theater and stage. According to this approach, we go through our lives acting and projecting images that we want others to see. We have rules, rituals, and props, and we create settings to ensure that our interactions project and image that is important to us.

Dual Perspective

gives context to the ways in which people from minority groups experience different systems throughout development and how these experiences impact development

Social Class

A category for groups of people who share similar economic stratification.

Conflict Theory

An approach that views social behavior from the perspective of conflict or tension among two or more groups. This theory provides a framework from which conflict between superordinate and subordinate groups in society can systematically analyzed (Turner, 1998).

Functionalist Theory

Attempts to explain how various aspects, or functions, of a society work together to maintain stability. Specifically, functionalist theory is concerned with the ways in which values, norms, institutions, and organizations contribute to the overall good of society.