Self-Determination: Cross-Cultural Implications for Social Work

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Self-Determination Cross-Cultural Implications
for Social Work

• Heather Sandala
• University of North Carolina Wilmington

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Self-Determination

• Recognized by the social work profession as the
  right and need of clients to freedom in making
  their own choices and decisions (Hollis, 1967).
• Includes the determination of everything, from
  trivial to crucial choices.

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Importance to the Social Work Profession

• Component of social works fundamental values and
  principles.
• Common base as the framework with which social
  work practitioners operate amongst various
  diverse client populations.
• This ability for adults to be capable of making
  personal choices is viewed as essential to
  functioning.

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International Social Work

• Impact of globalization
• Western-educated social workers practicing abroad
• Current social work values and ethical codes are
  too grounded in Western-oriented individualistic
  values

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Western Ideals

• Not congruent with communal-focused cultures
• Controversial

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Case Findings

• Africa
• Problematic, role-stratified culture, groupness
  and commonality
• India
• Religious implications, fate
• Denmark
• Responsibility to society and welfare for all

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Objectives

• Add to current ideals of cultural competence
• sensitivity and awareness of cultural
  implications and influences in all aspects of
  social work with clients (DuBois and Miley,
  2005).

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Objectives

• Deeper understanding of a populations values
• Inform and educate potential international social
  workers
• Better understanding of conflict between Western
  market societies which value individualism and
  self-determination, and traditional societies
  which value communal identity
• International viability

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Methods

• Measurable survey utilizing vignettes
• Vignettes modeled after social worker and client
  scenario
• Involves both client's own self-determination and
  the role of the social worker in providing
  opinions and advice.

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Methods

• Designed to measure students level of
  individualism in relation to the concept of
  self-determination
• Provide basis for each respondent to get a score
  for this concept
• Respondents will be classified according to the
  cultural group to which they belong
• Set of hypotheses will be constructed to examine
  whether individual scores vary with cultural
  groups.
• A comparative study will enable measurement of
  ones level of self-determination versus communal
  ideals

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Subjects

• Various social work students
• University of North Carolina Wilmington and
  similar programs would serve as base line
• Rosebud, South Dakota rural West Virginia
• International communities South Africa, Eastern
  countries, Eastern Europe

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Final Project

• Report that details the surveys findings
• These results will be coupled with extensive
  research of existing findings about the cultural
  ideals of self-determination

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Expected Outcome

• Measurement of the current degree of commitment
  to self-determination among social work students
  will enable insight to various dimensions.

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Bibliography

• DuBois, B. Miley, K.K. (2002). Social work An
  empowering profession (4th ed.). Boston Allyn
  and Bacon.
• Hollis, F. (1967). Principles and assumptions
  underlying case work principles. In E.
  Younghusband (Ed.), Social work and social values
  (p. 22-38). London George Allan
• Unwin Ltd.