My Philosophy of Social Work

Mackie (2007) writes that a philosophy of social work is “a set of truths and principles that guide us in how we conduct ourselves and define what we expect from others.” My philosophy of social work is the following: I believe social workers must help others secure the basic human rights. I believe people are best helped through respect and empowerment. I believe that social workers are most effective when they exercise their signature strengths.

Social Workers Must Help Others Secure Their Basic Human Rights

I grew up in a conservative-libertarian family and as a result came to adopt a you leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone mentality. Put differently, I accepted the principle of non-aggression, which, as stated by libertarian philosopher Murray Rothbard (1978), holds that no one may aggress (that is, use violence or the threat of violence) against the person or property of anyone else (pp. 27-28). For years I believed this principle was axiomatic, but then in my mid-twenties I started reading Noam Chomsky, and this man’s prodigious intellect and sincerity seized me. The more of him I read, the more persuaded I became that libertarianism would pave the way for “unaccountable private tyranny” (Chomsky, 2013). In other words, I came to see that the state, although not without its problems, is at least somewhat amenable to the people, something that cannot be said of private corporations.

Two other thinkers also helped convince me that the state must make some provision for the vulnerable. The first was Martha Nussbaum (2001), who argued that Aristotle and the Greek tragedians had it right when they maintained that luck (that is, external factors beyond our control) are requisites for the excellent life. The second thinker was John Rawls (1999), who argued that our accomplishments are largely based on luck, e.g., innate abilities, opportunities we have been given, our family and country of origin. I could no longer accept the libertarian notion that the poor are poor because they have not tried hard enough and agreed with Rawls that social goods should be more justly distributed.

I have consequently come to affirm the UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948). This document affirms many rights that libertarians would heartily accept, but it also affirms rights that they reject. For example, Article 25 affirms that everyone “has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” I also affirm other international documents, including the Constitution of the World Health Organization. The Constitution defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being” and declares that “[t]he enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being” (World Health Organization, 2006).

Not only do I believe that all people are entitled to these rights, but I also believe that those with privilege should do what is in their power to ensure these rights for others. As Chomsky puts it, “The more privilege you have, the more opportunity you have. The more opportunity you have, the more responsibility you have” (“Noam Chomsky,” 2013). As a social worker, this means I feel responsible for helping people on the micro and mezzo levels and also advocating for macro policy changes.

People Are Best Helped Through Respect and Empowerment

My belief that people are best helped through respect and empowerment is informed by three beliefs I have about human nature. First, I believe that, along with physical survival, humans are primarily motivated by self-esteem. This belief was shaped by Ernest Becker (1973/1997), whose writings I turned to in 2009 when existence made very little sense to me, and I desperately wanted some answers. Becker argued that we humans need to feel good about ourselves, to feel that we are significant, that we matter and that the world is a better place because we are in it. As he puts it, we need to feel that we are objects of primary value in a world of meaning (pp. 4-7). It might seem that we are actually striving after different things, as some spend their lives seeking fame, others political power, others business success, others religious transcendence, and so on, but these are just different attempts to achieve the same end, assurance that we are objects of primary value in a world of meaning.

This first view about human nature informs my practice, as I believe that understanding this truth helps me to understand people and why they do the things that they do. It also shows me how to best motivate people. Given that people need to feel valuable, it follows that I can best develop the trust of my clients by affirming their value. This is similar to Carl Rogers’ belief that a critical component of effective therapy is unconditional positive regard, which he defined as “a mirroring process that aims to provide a sense of trust and instill the belief that people are inherently good even when they are facing problems” (Cheung & Leung, 2008, p. 182).

My second relevant belief about human nature is that most people are largely capable of solving their own problems. This is certainly not a view I held when I graduated from college. Back then I was something of a snob, believing that intellectual deficiencies prevented the masses, “the plebs,” from adequately running their own lives. Because of this belief, I did not believe in democracy, preferring instead a type of meritocracy much like the one Plato advocated in The Republic. Chomsky’s writings began to chip away at my snobbery, as did engagement with the world. As I got to really know some coworkers, I began to realize that when you look hard enough you cannot help but notice that most people people are remarkably intelligent and resourceful.

I now believe that effective social work must be empowering. In other words, it must strive to help “individuals, families, and communities in discovering and using the resources and tools within and around them” (S p. 298). My thinking here has largely been shaped by solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), which holds that people know the answers to their problems, even if they do not realize that they know the answers, and that they have the ability to solve their problems themselves. Insoo Kim Berg describes SFBT’s basic assumption by way of metaphor, stating that clients have “all the necessary bricks and lumber, somewhere lying around but they don’t know how to put it together” (Yalom & Rubin, 2003). The goal of therapy is to help clients discover the answers to their problems, and it assumes that once they have the answers they will be able to implement the necessary change. This therapist goes about helping clients make these discoveries by asking them different questions, which are intended to get them to start talking and thinking about ways to resolve their problems. Berg continues with her metaphor: “I think that talking to me helps them figure out how to put it together. Not only create the blueprint, but which lumber goes where, which piece goes where” (Yalom & Rubin, 2003).

Social Workers Are Most Effective When They Exercise Their Signature Strengths

I believe that I can be most effective as a social worker by exercising my personal strengths. These belief was strengthened over this past winter break when I read a few books on positive psychology. Martin Seligman (2004), one of the movement’s founders, writes that we can best live effective and meaningful lives if we identify and employ our “signature strengths,” that is, their natural, primary strengths (p. 161). I recently took the VIA Survey of Character Strengths (“Authentic happiness,” n.d.), and I found that my top three strengths are (1) “Creativity, ingenuity, and originality—Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible,” (2) “Love of learning—You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums—anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn,” and (3) “Zest, enthusiasm, and energy—Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.”

Given all this, I believe that my personal practice will be most effective if I can find ways to employ (1) creativity, ingenuity, and originality, (2) love of learning into my practice, and (3) zest, enthusiasm, and energy. I have not yet figured out exactly what this will look like, but I know that wherever I work I must carefully consider how to incorporate these strengths into my work.


References

Authentic happiness. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/

Becker, E. (1997). The denial of death. New York: Free Press. (Original work published 1973)

Chomsky, N. (2013, May). The kind of anarchism I believe in, and what’s wrong with libertarians. Retrieved from https://chomsky.info/20130528/

Cheung, M., & Leung, P. (2008). Multicultural practice & evaluation: A case approach to evidence-based practice. Denver: Love Publishing Company.

Mackie, P. F. E. (2007). Your Philosophy of Social Work: Developing a Personal and Professional Definition to Guide Thought and Practice. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 4(1), 1.

Nussbaum, M. C. (2001). The fragility of goodness: Luck and ethics in Greek tragedy and philosophy (Vol. 2). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Noam Chomsky: The responsibility of privilege. (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2013/01/201311294541129427.html

Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice (Rev. ed.). United States: Harvard University Press. 

Rothbard, M. N.(1978). For a new liberty: The libertarian manifesto. Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute.

Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social work, 41(3), 296-305.

Seligman, M. E. (2004). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Simon and Schuster.

United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

World Health Organization. (2006). Constitution. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/governance/eb/who_constitution_en.pdf

Yalom, V., & Rubin, B. (2003). Insoo Kim Berg on brief solution-focused therapy. Psychotherapy.net. Retrieved from http://www.psychotherapy.net/interview/insoo-kim-berg