Social Work Notes / Misconceptions of Social Work / UGC-Net / Kerala PSC Notes

 Social Work Notes / Misconceptions of Social Work / UGC-Net / Kerala PSC Notes

 Social Work Notes / Misconceptions of Social Work / UGC-Net / Kerala PSC Notes

Social Work as a profession is of recent origin and therefore, people are not aware about the real meaning of social work. They define in their own terms and knowledge. The following are the few areas which are generally known as the fields of social work.

Social Work as an Alms-giving Activity

It is a traditional concept. The desire to help the needy fellow men has been present from the very inception of human society. Such a desire has generated by the feeling of belongingness. It was a religious duty of a man to provide care and protection to the people suffering from various kinds of distresses. In India, alms-giving was considered as a path of moksha. Still today alms-giving to the poorer is considered a social welfare activity and therefore, it is called social work. But alms-giving is not social work because, the aim of help in social work is to solve client’s problems scientifically. Social Worker attempts to regenerate self-confidence and self-dependency. Causative factors are investigated and diagnosis is confirmed. Later on therapeutic models are pushed into service.

Shramdan as a Social Work

Voluntarily to provide physical help to any individual, group or community is known as shramdan, ie, construction of public roads, public sanitation, help to flood victims etc… But this is not social work because in such activities labour is given without any remuneration whereas in social work activities. Worker is paid. There is no need of training in Shramdan whereas social worker is a trained person. Adjustment problems are not taken up in Shramdan but the basic aim of social work is to solve adjustmental problems. This is an absence of scientific methodology in shramdan but in social work problems are solved scientifically.

Leadership Activities are Social Work

Leaders are known as social workers. Even national prizes are given to them as social workers. The political worker and social worker have become interchangeable terms. It is detrimental of social work. The process of clarification is urgently needed. Political workers are not social workers because they are neither trained in social work profession nor use social work methodology in their practice.

Work in Voluntary Welfare Agencies is a Social Work

Few people think that a person working in voluntary welfare organization is a social worker and his service rendered in such as institution is social work. But it is not social work because these services are not based on scientific knowledge and values of social work.

 Social Work Notes / Misconceptions of Social Work / UGC-Net / Kerala PSC Notes