Psychology for Social Work Practice

Psychology for Social Work Practice Child development is the process of human growth and changes from birth through adolescence (Smith et al 2005). It is the study of how children develop perception, thought processes, emotional reactions and patterns of social behaviour (Mussein, 1990). Observation is a vital tool in analysing and understanding child development and holds key implication of effectiveness of social work practice in recent year (McKinnon 2008). The aim of this report is to analyse my observation of a two years three month old girl. My interpretation of the behaviour observed will be analysed critically using psychological theories with detail of the steps carried out in other to gain consent for the observation. Furthermore, the skills required for my observation will be described, in relation to my future practice, and some relevant psychological theories; stages of human development will be discussed including their relevance. Finally I will reflect on my learning and how it applies to social work as a profession. Child and Family Confidentiality Prior to the observation being conducted, I familiarized myself with the General Social Care Council (GSCC) (2002) Code of Practice to enable me to carry out the observation in a professional way. The child chosen for observation is my colleagues friends daughter, at the preliminary stage, I requested if I could observe her child for my coursework. My observers mother informed me she would discuss the issue with her husband and get back to me. A few days later, I was invited to meet both parents and was able to explain the aim of my assignment. Having explained my aim, I assured them that confidentiality will be maintained; their daughters identity will not be disclosed. I reassured the couple that their privacy will be respected and the daughters wellbeing will be paramount throughout. Consequently, I was given a verbal consent by both parents with approved signatures on the letter of agreement. Child Details As stated above, for anonymity, the childs name will not be mentioned, but will be referred to as Child A for the purpose of confidentiality as stated in GSCC 2002 section (2). Child A is a two years, three month old female. The observation took place at Child As family residence; she is the second child of the family, the only female, lives with her parents and her older brother of which the family composition is middle class, the aim of the observation is to observe Child As behaviour and also to learn how different behaviours relate to different theories. Skills required for structured observation Planning, respect, communication, working as partnership, reflection, listening and being focused are necessary skills required in carrying out structured observation. In Childs A selection process, I established a relationship of collaborative/partnership work between myself and Child As parents, listening to Child A communication with her family during observation has given me the insight of the importance of attentive listening through structured observation (CDWC 2007a: 7-8). The need to be focused by looking closely at Child A and not deviating from my aim has made me to understand how child learns and develop (HNCRC 2007). I also use reflective skills for child observation, as it enables me to reflect on what I have seen and provide accurate record of child behaviour (Wood et al 2005). Psychological theories and their relevance to social work practice Psychologists have defined behaviour in terms of bodily processes and social psychology defines it in terms of peoples interactions. For example Skinner (1953) believes that behaviour modification is based on operant conditioning and it is a way of assisting someone to change their unacceptable behaviour by offering a reward or punishment. From my observation in (Appendix week1), Child A, cries whenever she needs any item from Child B, she is aware of the attention gained whenever she cries and this will result in her getting what she wants. However, this behaviour could have negative consequences as well. Skinner will relate Child As behaviour as an operant conditioning, as Child A continues to cry for her older brothers toys, having known that her behaviour leads to a particular consequences. She behaves this way as she receives attention from her brother by always getting back the toys she wanted, which is reinforcement with reward, a behaviourist perspective. On the other hand, the study of behaviour by Bandura (1977) a Social perspective would disagree with Skinner, as Skinner would say that Child As behaviour is observational based on learning imitation. Child A may have seen someone at her school or a social gathering displaying such behaviour and so copies the same behaviour. Bandura (1971) suggested that learning moral rules by the individual is not in response to their exposure to punishment or reward, but by observing the behaviour of other people (Nicolson et al 2006: 23).This relates to Child As behaviour in (Appendix week1) and shows how the end result may not be as significant as the behaviourist perspective would have believed. As a professional social worker, working with people from different backgrounds it is important to have knowledge of psychological theories as its a vital tool that can be used to understand and interpret behaviour in social work practice. Also social workers need to have a wide knowledge of different cultures and be sure when they are applying psychological perspectives they have an objective mind taking into account individual differences such as ethical, cultural and religious. Stages of human development and its relevance to social work practice. The study of human development is the progressive behavioural changes in an individual from birth. Psychologists have identified the changes that occur at a similar age for most children, from research and evidence, these changes are dependent to some extent on maturation, although certain environmental factors must be present for development to take place and so its difficult to decide whether the appearance of a new ability is simply due to learning or maturation (Woods 2000:5). For instance, Jean Piaget (1932) cited in Wood (2000) proposes that children think differently from adults, their knowledge is structured differently and shows their understanding developed in the following stages: First stage is the Sensory Motor Stage (Birth to 18 months) At this first stage the child watches moving object, reach out towards it and is able to grab the object, the child will put the object in the mouth and try to explore it by biting and smelling. Second stage is Pre-Operational Stage (18 months- 7 years old) During this stage the language are developed using words and expression, which enable the child to talk about things and express ideas. Third stage is Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years) The child is able to centre more logical thinking and able to understand that it is possible for there to be two different view of the same thing at the same time and able to decentre. While the final stage is Formal Operational Stage (11 years and older) The child can manipulate ideas in its head, for example being able to calculate by thinking through imagining the impossible sequence. From cognitive perspective, Piaget also believed that the environment can affect childs development but, argued that it will not prevent a child from skipping the cognitive development stage. However, he would have interpreted Child As behaviour, as due to the fact that she is in the pre-operational stage and she demonstrates this behaviour by using ability and memory. Her thinking is in a non-logical manner as she suddenly cries for her mothers attention in other to get what she wants (Woods 2000:227-231). Relevance to social work practice The relevance of this observation to social work practise is that the use of theories would help to understand individuals behaviour. As a result social workers need to acquire skills and knowledge to enable them to understand the reason why a particular event occurs. To achieve this, social workers need to be aware of sensitive issues around them (Thompson 2005). However this observation process increased my understanding of Child A; as a very happy chid, to appreciate her skills and unique qualities and to come into her world and see things from her perspective (Faulkner, 1995). This has become so relevant, as the failing of professionals in the Laming Report (2003) highlights; which emphasises the need for professionals to move the focus away from the parents and back to the child (Copper, 2005). Reflect on my experience In reflecting on my role on child observation, I have learnt how to focus my attention and reflect on it afterwards, trying to make my presence less obvious. It is good practice to avoid assumption and being non-judgemental is vital. Each individual is different and their needs must be tailored to individual requirements. I now understand that self-reflection is a continuous process during observation, which is to reflect on what I am doing and reflect on my reaction and interpretation of what took place by thinking, writing and recording report. Payne (1997) defines reflection as to imagine alternative ways to understand situations using observation. In addition, looking into different theories and perspectives has given me the insight into how they can be applied to practice. Children also need to be encouraged to join in to activities that they may not be interested in, taking into account their reasons for not interacting. I have also learnt that children use gesture to express what they want to say if they are not in the mood to speak. This is of an interest to me as I want to work with children with special needs who are not able to communicate through speaking and use their behaviour as a way of communicating instead. As such this assignment has made me feel a little more confident in approaching people. Conclusion In conclusion, I have learnt greatly through observation and reading. I have realised that working from ones own personal perspective can be oppressive and it is better to use different perspectives in dealing with individuals. I have also gained knowledge on behaviourism and how it can be used to relate to childrens behaviour which is relevant to social work practice and not to have general assumption about children as there are individual differences. I have also acquired good knowledge and understanding of child development. REFERENCES Bandura A (1971) Social Learning Theory General Learning Press Childrens Workforce Development Council (CDWC 2007) (online) accessed on 25/11/2010 at http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk accessed on 09/12/10 Copper A (2005) Surface and Depth in the Victoria Climbe Inquiry Report Child and Family Social Work 10 1-9 Faulkner D (1995) Play Self and the Social World In Barnes P (ed) Personal Social and Emotional Development of Children General Social Care Council (2002) (online) accessed on 26/11/2010 at http://www.socialworkconnections.org.uk/content.php?id=47 HNCRC (2007) The early years Foundation Stage: Effective Practice Observation Assessment and Planning Laming Report (2003) (online) accessed on 10/11/2010 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_110711.pdf McKinnon F (2008) Child Observation and Professional Practice In Ruch G (ed) Post-Qualifying Child Care Social Work Developing Reflective Practice Sage Mussein P (1990) (7th ed) Child Development Harper and Row publishers Nicolson P Bayner R and Owen J (2006) (3rd ed) Applied Psychology for Social Workers Payne M (1997) (2nd ed) Modern Social Work Theory Macmillan Skinner B F (1953) Science and Human Behaviour Macmillan Smith P C H and Blades M (2005) Understanding Children Development (4th ed) Blackwell Publishers Thompson N (2005) Understanding Social Work Preparing for Practice Palgrave Macmillan Woods B (2000) Basics in Psychology Hodder Stoughton Wood M Taylor J (2005) Early Childhood Studies: An Holistic Introduction Hodder Arnold

Intimate Apparel Synopsis

Tommy DelZenero Intimate Apparel Feb 6th, 2013 The character I really tried to focus on while watching Intimate Apparel was George, the man from Panama. I thought he was the best actor on the stage that night, but that’s not saying too much. For the first half of the play, the actor performed a monologue with the spotlight solely on him. After the break, the actor participated in scene work with multiple characters. George in the storyline is a man who works a very physically demanding job digging canals in Panama.He one day decides to write a letter to Ester, the unmarried woman who works with fabrics, and he immediately takes a liking to her. They exchange letters for about six months and then it happens- George sends her a letter proclaiming his love and asks Ester to be his wife. She replies and says she would love to; he comes a few weeks later for the wedding. Off the bat when they met, it seems to be a little awkward; they had never met and barely knew each other. Over time, they got closer due to their proximity but emotionally they grew distant.George doesn’t seem to be the romantic that Ester had originally talked to. Also, she finds out that he has been cheating on her. He ends up taking her money and leaving Ester. There were a lot of good things that the actor did throughout the course of the play that I have been taught to do as well. He knew his lines for the most part, his inflection changed at appropriate times, and he used a lot of good hand motions and other gestures. Also, in the first half of the play (before the intermission), the actor played a roll in which he was very romantic and sweet.When he recited the letters, he was able to come across as a very well together and in love man. I genuinely thought he was being sincere and true to Ester. Later in the play, George became very distant and withdrawn. He became a cheating man without morals, who was selfish and inconsiderate. The actor was able to portray two different extr emes in the same play, and he did a pretty good job making the transition. I think this would be hard to accomplish, but he was effectively able to do so. Another effective part in the play was the anger the man who played George was able to show.At the scene in the bedroom talking to Ester, he stomped around, making a certain amount of noise without drowning out his own vocals. Throughout the journey of the theater performance, he made a lot of hand gestures and facial expressions that showed me how he felt; he let me feel his emotions. With that said, George didn’t have a flawless performance. For the most part, I thought it was poor acting; but he did well relatively speaking as I addressed above. With that said, it was hard to understand him half the time. At certain parts it seems he wasn’t exactly sure of his lines.He stuttered at parts that didn’t call for stuttering; it wasn’t apart of the script. That just comes down to memorization. Additionally , the actor lost the role at one point, letting out a smirk mid-scene. That smile kind of threw the audience; actors must be in character at all times. Physically, the actor made the audience believe he was a physically worn man. From the clothes he wore to his whole demeanor. His facial expressions showed exhaustion; while speaking from Panama, his voice was strong but tiresome and showed uncertainty. When he came to the contiguous United States, his physical appearance changed.Although he was not in Panama any longer, his true roots came out in the way he spoke and the heavy accent he placed on his words. George became better dressed and modernized; this led to an emotional change as well. Emotionally speaking, in the beginning of the play George was such a smooth talker; he was a sweetheart who was very persuasive and manipulative. The inflection George had in his voice was very sincere. He showed his charm and passion through the words in his letters (even though they turned out to not be his own words). Regardless, he made Ester fall in love with him and want to see him.He seemed genuine. In person though, he wasn’t so loving. George showed his heartlessness and rudeness in his cheating and dialect towards Ester. He showed anger by the way he stomped about the bedroom and stormed out of rooms. He showed his impatience by the way he knocked at the door, so hard and so loud. There were subtle things that could’ve been done better, but the emotion was attempting to be displayed. Intellectually the actor had a few different motives. The first half of the play the audience thought George was all about love and being Ester’s husband.After the intermission, his true colors came out and he became a money hungry hustler. Throughout the play, the character George had many different emotions and types of person he had to show. The actor did a pretty decent job with his faces and body language that he performed. I thought overall, he did an okay job and the play was interesting. I enjoyed watching the storyline play out, though the acting could’ve been much better. It seemed as though the performers were not prepared to act in front of an actual audience. With that said, I look forward to seeing other productions in the future.

The Relationship of Music Education Essay

The turning academic accomplishment spread observed in academic establishments in the United States has prompted legion research surveies conducted to happen ways and means to better the academic public presentation of school-aged kids in the state. Based on such surveies conducted. it has been determined that the incorporation of music instruction as portion of the course of study used among pre-school. simple and high school pupils can assist better the degree of academic public presentation observed in these degrees. As such. there are now a figure of different web sites found over the Internet promoting this method of learning school-aged kids of assorted degrees. However. there are still a figure of groups that remain disbelieving about its effectivity. This paper aims to supply information turn outing that the incorporation of music instruction to school course of study of different degrees result to an betterment of the academic public presentation of school-aged kids. Apart from supplying the legion benefits advocated by different web sites back uping this. this paper would look into surveies published in academic diaries available in Internet databases turn outing its effectivity. the claims provided by sceptics that have caused them to reason that there is no relationship between the usage of music instruction and the betterment of the academic public presentation of school-aged kids would besides be presented. Music Education and Academic Performance As antecedently mentioned. there are a legion Internet web sites now recommending the usage of music instruction as a agency to better the academic public presentation of school-aged kids of different degrees. This is because research surveies have shown positive and promising consequences peculiarly among kids with particular demands such as those with autism and those that have been considered as kids at-risk. In one survey. the research worker found that the incorporation of music instruction in the schoolroom led to the creative activity of an environment where kids with autism become more successful academically since they determined that pupils with autism are able to react more expeditiously with the usage of music stimulation ( Darrow 2009 ) . In another survey. it was determined that through the incorporation of music instruction. members of the module and disposal have seen that there has been a diminution in the figure of pupils dropping out of school as compared to those that did non use these plans. In fact. they found that 93 % of pupils dropping out are those that are non included in any music instruction plan ( Olson 2008 ) . Internet websites that promote the incorporation of music instruction as a manner to supply school-aged kids the ability to develop and heighten assorted accomplishments which have been considered as indispensable for the success of school-aged kids non merely in school but besides within the corporate universe. Some of these accomplishments include mathematics. creativeness and communicating accomplishments. It was besides determined that through the usage of music instruction as a portion of the course of study of school-aged kids allow them to develop traits and personalities that would do them productive members of society. These include developing a sense of self-denial. less prone to effusions of fury and choler and substance dependence. These claims presented in these Internet web sites are supported by assorted research surveies released by such establishments such as the U. S. Department of Education and the College Board of New York ( Children’s Music Workshop 2006 ; Zhang 2007 ) . While this may be the instance. other Internet web sites have been found to rebut such claims and benefits. One of which is a web site that features the survey presented to the Australian Association for Research in Education entitled No Evidence for a Mozart Effect in School Aged Children. In this survey. the research workers have stipulated that while there have been legion surveies claiming that the usage of classical music and other methods of integrating music instruction in school course of study have caused an betterment in the academic public presentation in some academic establishments. this does non go on each and every individual case. This is due to the fact that other factors such as the cultural of the academic establishment and the quality of the instructors easing the instruction of the pupils play a major function in the overall academic public presentation of school-aged kids ( Crncec. Wilson & A ; Prior 2002 ) . In another Internet web site. it was stated that while music instruction does assist most school-aged kids with particular demands. this does non embrace all kids with particular demands. To be specific. kids with auditory upsets such as audile procedure upset. or APD. are unable to grok sound elements. As a consequence. the incorporation of music instruction to the course of study of school-aged kids would merely be unbeneficial for these kids. In fact. it may even do these kids to exhibit the really issues that Internet websites advancing the usage of music instruction are able to turn to ( Nikolaidou. Iliadou. Kaprinis. Hadjileontiadis & A ; Kaprinis 2009 ) . Conclusion The incorporation of music instruction in school course of study has. in no uncertainty. been able to assist in the betterment of the academic public presentation of school-aged kids in different degrees. The promising consequences presented by research surveies conducted have been found to be consistent when these rules have been applied by assorted academic establishments. peculiarly pre-school and simple schools. As a consequence. the incorporation of music instruction has now been endorsed by assorted local and authorities organisations involved in the betterment of the overall academic public presentation of academic establishments in the state. While there are restrictions to how much of an betterment may be observed in one academic establishment as presented earlier. the consistence observed on the part music instruction to the overall academic public presentation uninterrupted to do a feasible method to be used in schools throughout the state. Mentions Children’s Music Workshop. ( 2006 ) . Music instruction online. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. childrensmusicworkshop. com/advocacy/benefits. hypertext markup language. Crncec. R. J. . Wilson. S. J. & A ; Prior. M. ( 2002. December ) . No grounds for a Mozart consequence in school aged kids. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. Aare. edu. au/02pap/crn02420. htm. Darrow. A. ( 2009 ) . Adapting for pupils with autism. General music today. 22 ( 2 ) . 24-26. Department of the Interior: 10. 1177/1048371308328384. Nikolaidou. G. N. . Iliadou. V. T. . Kaprinis. S. G. . Hadjileontiadis. L. J. & A ; Kaprinis. G. S. ( 2009 ) . Primary school music instruction and the consequence of auditory processing upsets: pedagogical/ICT-based deductions. Retrieved from the IEEE Xplore Web site: hypertext transfer protocol: //ieeexplore. ieee. org/Xplore/login. jsp? url=http % 3A % 2F % 2Fieeexplore. ieee. org % 2Fiel5 % 2F4561602 % 2F4561603 % 2F04561902. pdf % 3Farnumber % 3D4561902 & A ; a uthDecision=-203. Olson. C. A. ( 2008 ) . Can music instruction aid at-risk pupils? Study finds positive testimony significant but quantitative research lacking. Teaching music. 16 ( 3 ) . 20. Retrieved from ERIC database ( 10697446. 20081101 ) . Zhang. L. ( 2007. March ) . Benefits of music instruction for your kid. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. articlesbase. com/education-articles/benefits-of-music-education-for-your- child-124538. hypertext markup language.

The Sociological Inequality Of Women, Equality, And Equality

We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back [Malala Yousafzai, 2013]. When you think of the word â€Å"feminism† or the term â€Å"feminist† what does it mean to you? In society, individuals are misconstrued in regard to equality, and being â€Å"equals†. People firmly believe that men, and woman are unable to be â€Å"equals† because of their physical, emotional, and mental capabilities, which holds little truth when speaking upon the bigger picture. These same individuals conclude that males, and females are not able to hold equality amongst one another due to the simplest of facts; their biological makeups are vastly different. However, when you take a moment to lookup the labels â€Å"feminism† or â€Å"feminist† they are not concerned about the visible†¦show more content†¦The answer; we have little idea. So, how can a man be a â€Å"feminist† then? Well, men do face oppression, and yes, men are subject to discrim ination under patriarchal ideals, and sociological perspectives. An article published by a National Post journalist pointed out vital imagery that men are subject to, and an insight to the oppression they encounter: â€Å"From anti-rape campaigns that stigmatize all men as potential rapists, to pedagogical strategies that favour the learning style of girls and women, and the explicit denial that men are even capable of being oppressed unless it is on grounds of race, class, disability or homosexuality, men’s issues advocates say males are becoming a campus underclass, under-represented in the student body, and vulnerable to the same marginalization that women have faced.† [Brean, 2013]. This powerful statement outlines the imagery males are subjects to, as men are treated as inherently aggressive, and violent creatures. Furthermore, if men veer from conformity, if they do not participate in physical sports such as hockey, football, or rugby, and join a gymnastics team, they are categorized as wimps or girls. 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