Introduction

To have a clearer perception of the topics that will be presented here, we have tried to define
the concepts of social work and social environment to have a deeper understanding of the
relationship of these concepts to our subject social environment and social work.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

1. Understand and reflect the relationship of social environment and the social work profession

Definition of Social Work

Social Work is a profession recognized globally with its mandate centered on social
change, social development, social cohesion and the empowerment of people (IFSW, 2014). This
is an integral part of the global definition of social work profession duly approved by the
International Federation of Social Workers during their general meeting on July 2014. Let us try
to read with passion and commitment the definition below:

"Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social
change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people.
Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are
central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and
indigenous knowledge, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and
enhance well being."

Within the Philippine context, you have learned the humble and benevolent beginning
of social work in our country. While it is true that humanitarian acts as the root of the profession
in the Philippines, it has evolved into a discipline that requires specific competencies to be able
to help people and ultimately contribute to nation-building (Mendoza, 2008).

With the passage of Republic Act 4373 in 1965, it has sealed the mark of social work in
the country, and it was recognized as a profession. Based on the law,

"Social work is the profession which is primarily concerned with organized social service
activity aimed to facilitate and strengthen basic social relationships and the mutual adjustment
between individuals and their social environment for the good of the individual and of society by
the use of social work methods."

This definition highlights the concrete connection of the individual and the environment.
It is well emphasized in the book of Mendoza (2008) that social work is concerned with man's
adjustment to his environment: a person in relation to a person's social situation. This refers to
the person's social functioning which results from the performance of his various social roles in
society.

We cannot go on further without discussing social functioning as this is a key concept in

social work. I assume that you have already discussed what social functioning is in your previous
subjects but let us go back to this topic as this is a good start in discussing the interaction of the
individual and the environment. To give us a more comprehensive view, let us enumerate
various writings about social functioning as outlined by Mendoza (2008).

"Social work seeks to enhance the social functioning of individuals, singularity and in
groups by activities focused upon their relationships which constitute interaction between
individuals and their environments. These activities can be grouped into three functions:
restoration of impaired capacity, provision of individual and social resources, and prevention of
social dysfunction." - Wernes Boehm

"The central focus of social work traditionally seems to have been on the person in-his-
life-situation complex - a simultaneous dual focus on man and his environment. Emphasis has
been on individualizing the person- situation complex in order to achieve the best match
between each person and his environment, in which either person-behavior or environmental
situation may deviate widely from the typical or normative. We conclude that the central target
of technical social work practice matches the person with the situation that is intervening by
whatever methods and means necessary to help people be in situation where their capabilities
are sufficiently matched with the demands of the situation enabling them to make a go of it" -
William Gordon

"Social functioning is the relation between the coping activity of people and the demand from
the environment. This dual focus ties them together. Thus, person and situation, people and
environment are encompassed in a single concept, which requires that they be constantly
reviewed together." - Harriet Bartlett

"Social workers become involved when individuals are having difficulty in relationship with other
people; in growing so as to maximize their potential; and in meeting the demands of the
environment. Harriett Bartlett has described this situation as "people coping" and
"environmental demands". The bringing together of these two aspects of living in society can be
termed social functioning." - Louise Johnson

These above definitions, make it clear that social work emphasizes social functioning as the
interaction of the individual and in his situation or the individual and his environment.

There are three dimensions, with each one affecting and being affected by the other. As people
perform various roles, this affects their relationship with others and their own feelings as well.
Your relationship with others also affects your role performance and feelings of self-worth. How
about you? Try to relate this to your own experience, identify one of your roles in life and
connect it with these three dimensions and analyze your own social functioning.

Relationship of Social Environment and the Social Work

A hallmark of the social work profession is its long-standing orientation in which person-
environment perspectives serve as core components of the social work knowledge base. In social
work and other social sciences, a growing attention is being given to the reciprocal relationships
between persons and their environments, that is, the extent to which both are mutually
influential and in what ways (Thyer, 2008).

Social environment can be viewed as an overlapping social systems and social situations,
these social systems may include cultures and institutions and social situation is an imposing part
of that social environment. To give more detail, a social situation has a meaning for the individual
and that is uniquely perceived and interpreted by him, a person has one or more status, roles, or
identities. As such, when a person assumes the role of a wife, mother, and breadwinner, this is a
family situation. A collective or social situation, on the other hand, is when that person assumes
the role as a group member that constitutes the person's total situation (Mendoza, 2008).

Mendoza (2008) clearly outlined the relationship of social environment and social work.
Social work has dual focus. First, how people cope with their life tasks. Second, the demands
made by the situations or environments on people. We learned that person's coping capacity is
influenced by one's physical condition, attitudes, values, knowledge and skills, and the
perception of reality. As a social worker, it is imperative to understand all of these as this may
provide explanation for the social functioning problems. A social situation is considered
functional when it is experienced as livable and favorable, supportive and facilitative of a well-
functioning human being. Situational assessment is very important when working with the clients
and should have a framework for analyzing social situations. On the other hand, a social situation
is dysfunctional when it is structurally inadequate or disorganized, aimless, threatening or
harmful, lacks needed resources and opportunities, presents insurmountable barriers, stimulates
unacceptable stress, generates severe interpersonal role and value conflicts, requires
performance, knowledge and skills that are beyond an individual's capacity or ability and does
not validate identity.

To concretize the above discussion, let us take the case of Carlo. Let us consider the
times that his father has a job, where he can provide the basic needs of the family as well as the
medical needs of his wife and their social situation can be considered functional. However, due
to unfavorable circumstances, social situation becomes disorganized when his father was laid off
from work, this became a barrier for his father not to perform his role and worse, it leads to a
more harmful scenario and conflicts within the family. For a social worker, assessment of the
problem is crucial in order to determine the sources of the problems which lies within the social
environment.

In order to develop the social worker's competency in connecting the individual situation
to the social environment, one must be knowledgeable about the range of social systems and its
influence in maintaining and deterring individual's health and well-being. One concept that will
guide the social worker is the understanding of paradigm.

Paradigm and Social Work.

According to Lincoln and Guba, (1985) as cited in Schriver, (2015) paradigm is a world
view, a general perspective, a way of breaking down the complexity of the real world. For Kuhn,
(1970) as cited in Schriver, (2015), paradigm is the entire constellation of beliefs, values, and
techniques shared by the members of a given community. For social workers, the notion of
paradigm is particularly important, because if we can become conscious of the elements that
result in different worldviews, this awareness can provide us with tools to use, to think about,
and to understand ourselves, others, and the environments we all inhabit. The notion of
paradigm can help us understand more completely the past perspectives, current realities, and
future possibilities about what it means to be human. Using the concept of paradigm can help us
understand the individual, family, groups, organization, community and global context. Equally
important for social workers, it can help us understand the way things might be.

This paradigm comes in two types. First is the traditional or dominant paradigm, which
simply means the paradigm or worldview that have most influenced the environment that make
up our world. Second is the alternative or possible paradigm, which means worldview that have
had less influence and have been less prominent in shaping our own and others' views about
humans and their environments. However, alternative or possible paradigms reflect worldviews
that are of significant importance to social workers. They are called alternative paradigms in the
sense that they have for too long been overlooked and undervalued in a world that
disproportionately reflect traditional or dominant worldviews (Schriver, 2015).

Review of Person-In-Environment Concept

In social work, emphasis is given to the relationships between the persons and their
environment, on which both influence one another (Thyer, 2008). Social work views client
problems within its environmental context in which they occur, it is the cornerstone of social
work practice (Rogers, 2016).

When observing and appreciating people's diverse backgrounds, a dual perspective can
provide a meaningful insight. In this perspective, "all people adapt to and interact with two
environments: (1) the family and community labeled the nurturing environment, and (2) the
larger environment, the sustaining environment. The sustaining environment contains social
systems such as employment that provides for their survival needs.

Many people experience these two environments which support them, however, there
are many individuals and groups who experience difficulties to be able to fit between the two
environments. Strong nurturing environment in family, friends, and even a neighborhood
provides emotional strength. However, the larger sustaining environment may not be at all
supportive or consistent with the more intimate nurturing environment. The sustaining
environment may pose discrimination and threat to the nurturing environment. The greater the
incongruence between the sustaining and the nurturing environments, the more difficulty people
will have. This lack of fit is an important focus for social workers.
Human beings are viewed as interacting with all elements of their environments. An
ecological model explores both internal and external factors. It views people not as passive
reactors to their environments but a dynamic and reciprocal interactors with those
environments. The individuals, families, groups and even community can have problems and
needs as they move from one life stage to another. Individuals face many changes as they grow
older. Examples may include entering first grade, adjusting to puberty, graduating from school,
finding a job, getting married, having children, seeing one's children leave home, and retiring.
Families also experience challenges that require adjustment: engagement, marriage, birth of
children, parenting, children starting school, children leaving home, and loss of a parent. Once
these problems and needs are identified, intervention approaches are selected and applied to
help the individuals, families, and small groups resolve the problems and meet their needs.
Based on ecological model, person-in-environment is depicted below.

Theories and perspectives within the person-in-environment approach also tend to

focus on client systems, which are the interrelated when consider way your astegrated whole. To
think of it in another way your body and the physiological processes that support it can be
considered as a system. The body is made up of parts that work together to allow it to function.
Families and communities are also systems; they each have members who contribute to those
systems through the relationships they share and the various roles they play. Similarly, a
workplace, a school, and a church also function as systems. Each consists of individuals,
processes, and interrelationships that keep it organized and running and that contribute, in turn,
to the lives of the individuals who are part of it (Rogers, 2016).

Levels of Social Work Assessment and Intervention

Social workers practice at three levels: (a) micro - working on a one- to-one basis with an
individual; (b) mezzo - working with families and other small groups; and (c) macro - working
with organizations and communities or seeking changes in statutes and social policies (Zastrow,
2010). This is presented in Figure 1.

Rogers (2013) explained that social work education and literature often use the terms
micro, mezzo, and macro when describing the different levels at which people can experience
problems. Rather than focusing solely on the individual, the micro-mezzo-macro approach helps
social workers to view people as active agents whose lives, relationships, and environments are
interdependent. Thus, the micro-mezzo-macro approach exemplifies the person-in-environment
idea. Although it does not provide testable constructs that help to predict behavior, it does offer
a visual framework that is useful when organizing a great deal of information about a client and
thinking about how various aspects of a person's life and environment can interact with one
another:

 The micro level incorporates facets of the individual such as biological, psychological,
developmental, spiritual, emotional, cognitive, recreational, and financial aspects of
personality and individual functioning considered vital to a person's well-being. This level
also includes factors such as age, gender, income, and ethnic background.

 The mezzo level consists of elements in a person's immediate environment. Family, friends,
co-workers, neighborhood, work environment, church activities, local resources and
services, and transportation could all fall into the mezzo level.

 The macro level includes larger social forces that might affect an individual, such as
governmental policy, discrimination, oppression, social policy, economic conditions, societal
values, and even historical events.

When assessing and developing an intervention with a client, social workers would
consider these and many other aspects on all three levels that seem relevant to the client's
particular problem and situation. Further, the micro- mezzo-macro approach can be used to
explore how past issues on different levels have affected clients as well as how they are affecting
clients' current functioning. Often, social workers use this conceptualization as a jump-off point
to explore other facets of their clients' behavior and environment.

Applying the Micro-Mezzo-Macro Approach

Let us look at how the micro-mezzo-macro conceptualization could be applied to Carlo's

situation.

As the social worker in his case, pay attention to Carlo's situation on all three levels:
 Micro: You would explore facets of Carlo's individual, or micro system, such as his
spirituality, impulse control, progress in school ethnic identity, physical and mental health,
and cognitive and emotional development.

 Mezzo: At the mezzo level, you would consider small groups and aspects of the immediate
environment that impact Juan's functioning, such as family dynamics, relationships with
peers and teachers, his connection with his church, and resources in his neighborhood.

 Macro: You would assess how components of the larger social environment impact Juan's
situation. You might look at school policies, issues of discrimination, cultural factors that
may be impeding the efforts of Juan and his family to fit into the community, and lack of
access to resources such as health care and employment opportunities.

Based on this assessment, you could identify the major problems affecting Carlo's
behavior and then design interventions to address them.

Given that all three levels of analysis work together to define a person's situation,
intervention on one level should impact Carlo's functioning on other levels. For example, you
might find that, based on a physical examination, Carlo has some health problems that need to
be addressed. Theoretically, improving Carlo's health would likely enhance his performance in
school, which in turn might improve his feelings of social and academic competence. Specifically,
as his health and academic performance improve, he is likely to feel more motivated and self-
assured, which may give him more confidence in his interactions with peers. These
improvements may also help him cope more effectively with the problems he faces at home. If
Carlo has areas in his life in which he feels successful, he may be less likely to blame himself for
problems such as his father's violence ar his mother's illness. In buffere, his feelings of
competence at school and with his peers will act as a buffer against other problems over which
he has little or no control.

Similarly, you could intervene on the mezzo and macro levels by helping the family to
access resources such as unemployment and health benefits and resources such as health
insurance or health services. As the family's situation improves, the members' relationships with
one another are likely to improve as well. For instance, Carlo's father may become more
motivated to control his drinking and his violent behavior, which in turn will have a positive
impact on Carlo's physical and mental well-being. You might also look at factors in the
community, such as hostile attitudes against ethnic minority groups or discriminatory policies
that might have detrimental effects on Carlo and his family. You could work to improve the larger
environment and its impacts on Carlo's well-being. Improvements in these areas may help Carlo
improve his academic performance, and he may feel more confident in his interactions with his
peers. Increasing these feelings ultimately might help him address his problems at school and at
home. Because the micro-mezzo- macro levels are interrelated, there is a ripple effect when
intervention takes place at one level in one particular area.

The micro-mezzo-macro approach is useful when thinking about the complexities of

clients' lives, and it helps social workers to consider the myriad factors that can affect clients,
particularly on the sociocultural level. For this reason, this approach tends to take of the focus
and "blames" the client, and instead looks for causes of problems in the client's environment.
Although social workers are likely to assess individual problems, they tend to consider these
problems along with problems on other levels. Thus, they do not consider individuals to be the
sole "cause" of the problems.
Summary

It is a refreshing week that we are able to go back on important concepts in social work
which provided you with a foundation in understanding the interconnectedness of social
environment and social work. It is embedded basically in the definition of social work which
highlights that the social environment has an impact in the individual's well being. It is the
Person-In-Environment concept that best explains the matter which is the cornerstone of social
work practice. The immense role of the social work profession in helping the individual, family,
group and community was presented in detail through the Micro-Mezzo-Macro Approach which
shows that the profession deals with the myriad factors through a multi-faceted way.