Social welfare beliefs

In my Intro to Social Work course we talked about three of the main Value Belief Systems of the social welfare institution. Apparently most social workers fall under the Judeo-Christian model, regardless of their religious persuasion. Makes for an interesting read.

Capitalist-Puritan
Thought to be the most powerful belief system in our society. Often thought of as common sense, or even as American (part of our American heritage).

Basic Assumptions:

1. Human beings are responsible for their own success or failure.
2. Human nature is basically evil, but it can be overcome by an act of will.
3. The primary purpose of people is to achieve material prosperity through hard work.
4. The primary purpose of society is to maintain law and order which makes material prosperity possible.
5. Unsuccessful or deviant persons are not deserving of help.
6. Primary incentives to change are found in economic or physical rewards and punishments.

Humanist-Positive-Utopian
Value-belief system held by most social scientists and many liberals. There is some conflict between this system and religion.

Basic Assumptions:

1. Primary purpose of society is to fulfill man's material and emotional needs.
2. If man's needs are fulfilled, maturity, well adjustment, productivity would follow and society's problems would be solved.
3. What hampers man from attaining this state is external circumstances that are generally not under his individual control.
4. Man and society are ultimately perfectible.

Judeo-Christian
There are values which are acceptable to the other systems. Assumptions are made which underlie much activity of individuals who are concerned with helping others.

Basic Assumptions:

1. Sense of man's common vulnerability.
2. Looking at problems from the point of view of the helped person rather than from the outside (this makes you more sensitive to the needs of others).
3. Emphasis is on relationship as the principal means of helping others.