The Blame Game in Social Work

According to Hardcastle and Powers, “Effective work with task groups, an important aspect of all social work practice, is essential for community practice. The task group is one of the main vehicles through which community practice is carried out” (2004, p 273). However, certain groups can be very difficult to work with and can sometimes seem pointless, especially with people are not taking responsibility for their actions and are blaming others for their mistakes. According to Fast and Tiedens, authors of the “Blame Game is Contagious,” blaming is increased when people feel their self image and positions are threatened. In the long run, this blaming hurts not only the individual’s reputation, but it also hurts the group and/or the organization the individual is apart of (2009).

The blame game is very apparent in politics. Generally politicians start out with good intentions. Then, as time goes on something bad happens that they refuse to take responsibility for, because if they did, it would threaten their image and their career. Fast and Tiedens mentioned Nixon as an example of someone who decided to place blame on others, which eventually led to his political downfall (2009).

Blaming it is not just limited to politics. It also comes into play in groups, committees, teams, boards, and within any other group of people where there is perceived competition. Therefore while there are many benefits of collaborating with others, when people are working in similar areas on interest, no matter how honest the intentions, there is also the potential for competition, which can create conflict and blame.

Hardcastle and Powers state, “Competition in a work group needs to be recognized and managed. While competition can be productive between groups, it is generally not productive within groups. It interferes with group cohesion, coordination, and a unity of resources and effort” (2004, p 278).

According to Fast, “when pub­lic blam­ing be­comes com­mon prac­tice — es­pe­cially by lead­ers — its ef­fects on an or­gan­iz­a­tion can be in­sid­i­ous and with­er­ing: In­di­vid­u­als who are fear­ful of be­ing blamed for some­thing be­come less will­ing to take risks, are less in­no­va­tive or cre­a­tive, and are less likely to learn from their mis­takes.”
Therefore, instead of creating a “culture of fear,” people in positions of authority need to acknowledge their own mistakes and reward subordinates for learning from their mistakes. This would then eliminate the need to self protect and encourage people to focus on creative ideas rather than defensive behaviors.

The following quote from Russell H. Ewing sums it up:
“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.”

As social workers I think it is particularly important to admit when we are wrong or have made a mistake, because like Fast pointed out, people with authority need to lead by example. Many of the clients we are working with have experienced a lifetime of being “blamed” by others, which results in them becoming defensive. In turn, they point fingers and refuse to take responsibility for their actions. This attitude can make receiving help very difficult. Thus in order to stop the blame game, people, especially those in positions of leadership, must put competition behind them, admit their shortcomings and enhance self-esteem in others. Of course this would require one to allow them selves to be vulnerable, which can be difficult. However, the end result will benefit large groups of people, because just like blame, kindness and humility is also contagious.

Forgiving the bad

So much of what the world tells us about life is about good vs. evil. Good guys and bad guys. It’s in the media, in literature, and in day to day interactions. Although many people may prefer to see the world in such clear black and white, in real life there is a lot of gray. And I think as social workers we see a bit more of the in between and realize that everyone has some good and some bad in them. How else can someone sit there and tell a violent criminal or abusive parent how much potential they have?
However, often times one or two people telling you that you are a good person doesn’t mediate the rest of the world telling you are “bad.” I’ve even noticed in some aspects of the helping professions, in an effort to support the victim, the perpetrators are demonized. I struggle with this because I can see the benefits of separating the victim from the abuser, yet often times the perpetrator was also a victim at one point or another and demonizing them may just cause more harm later on.
Personally, I’m curious when exactly a victim becomes a perpetrator. It seems as if it is as soon as one is old enough to be put in juvenile hall.
Because there is so much out there encouraging “justice” and the assurance that the good guy beats the bad guy, I am always amazed when I hear about people who have decided to forgive a person who has deeply hurt them, their family, or their culture. Take for instance the celebrity Jennifer Hudson. Her mother, brother, and nephew were all murdered, yet she still offered the killer her forgiveness. I think that is amazing.

Obviously there is a difference between forgiving and forgetting and by no means am I advocating for people to forget the pain they have experienced, whether it be because of their own actions or the actions of another. However, I truly believe that if people restrain from giving forgiveness they can’t move on. Granted, some situations are easier to forgive than others. Consider the following video


Know all and you will pardon all.
Thomas a Kempis

He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.
George Herbert

There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.
Josh Billings

The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.
Alden Nowlan

To err is human, to forgive, divine.
Alexander Pope

Organizations and the flu

According to flu.gov,
H1N1 flu (also referred to as "pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus" or “swine flu”) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is spreading from person-to-person worldwide, in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. Most people who have become ill with this new virus have recovered without requiring medical treatment. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something (such as a surface or object) with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose (extracted Nov, 10, 2009).
It has been interesting to see how organizations have gotten involved in the prevention of the H1N1 breakout. Many employers have been sending out emails about how to take care of your self if you get the flu and are planning on providing resources for their employees to get the vaccine. Some schools are even mandating the vaccine.
I’ve always thought immunization debates are interesting especially since a large group of Americans still feel as if health care should be private, and the government should not intervene in individuals' medical decisons, but what about when it interferes with other people’s health? Should organizations step up and enforce what the powers at be deem to be the most healthy? According to Hardcastle and Powers, “The whole point of establishing an organization such as a social work agency or a private business is to do what an individual or a group of people cannot do as efficiently and effectively” (p 249). Thus, for those who are in support of the swine flu vaccine, having the schools vaccinate the children is good news. For those who decide not to get their child vaccinated, they face the risk of getting harassed, shamed, and having their child die of H1N1. It is a difficult decision for a parent to make, especially when there is so much fear mongering out there on both sides of this argument. On the organizational side of things, organizations face the risk of their employees getting infected and not being able to do their job. However, Hardcastle and Powers state, “For any given organization, not only its task environment but also the structure and dynamics of the larger environment surrounding the task environment may affect organizational functioning.” Therefore, if people get sick it will not only affect that individual, their family, and their job, but also other organizations they are indirectly apart of.



The following are suggestions as to what to do to avoid getting H1N1:
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

economic development

As social workers, we are often thinking about people’s needs and what the solutions are to the problems our clients face. Frequently, the solution is finding a steady good-paying job, yet in a rural community finding employment can be difficult. Thus, some say small communities need economic development. According to Scales and Streeter, “Rural economic development strategies have been an important public policy focus since the nineteenth century” (2004, p. 209). However, although economic development in a small community is a valuable tool for job gain, it can also threaten the culture of the community, which needs to be considered.
Take for instance Del Norte County, after the logging and fishing industry crashed, the economy wasn’t doing so good. It became what Scales and Streeter refer to as a disinvested community, which is a community with few assets (2004, p. 206). Then in the late 80s, some community asset development occurred in Del Norte when a maximum security prison came in, which is now the counties largest employer, providing jobs for over a thousand people.
The prison succeeded in creating jobs for locals, not only for the people working inside the institution, but also for construction, garbage, maintenance, ect. Nevertheless, not everyone in the local community was in favor of the prison coming into town. Some concerns included bringing in outsiders, bringing criminals to the area, and having the town’s reputation change. Much of this has happened, not to mention the mental and physical health that has affected many people who work inside the institution. I recently stumbled upon this websitehttp://www.pelicanbayprisonproject.org/history.htm. It discusses the idea that Crescent City “sold its soul to the devil” by allowing the prison to set up camp in this small community.
This debate is somewhat similar to the Wal-Mart debate, which is also a business in Crescent City and where most people shop. Like the prison, we may not agree with the principles of Wal-Mark. However, Wal-Marts low prices and the prison’s jobs is what support most of the families in this community. Wal-Mart oppresses people and so do prisons. It is easy to see why these industries are harmful. However, using a strengths perspective there are some positives.
I would definitely like to see more jobs created by creating jobs in preventive services, so people don’t have to go to prison and there are still jobs, but given California’s current budget crisis and the tendency of our society to be crisis driven, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. So it’s a difficult choice. We want the best for the individuals we are working with, yet we also want what is best for the entire community in the long run. So is it the greatest good for the greatest number, or take one case at a time? Should people prevent the construction of new prisons and risk losing their economy, or create jobs for their community and contribute to the oppression of an unjust system?

assertivenss

You are not needed. Nobody really wants to hear that, but as social workers fighting for justice, isn’t that what we really want to hear? I think it is hard for some people to recognize, including myself, that social workers need to be replaceable. Being replaceable isn’t the reason people get into social work. People get into social work so they can be that one special person that makes a difference in someone’s life and sometimes that feels like being the one person who someone can depend on. However, having a client depend on you is not how social workers are supposed to operate. Social workers are not supposed to do everything in their power to meet the clients needs, but rather connect the client with resources and empower the client to meet their own needs. By doing this, hopefully, in the future the client will be able to assert their own skills and no longer need the assistance of a social worker.
Therefore, not only is it important for social workers to be assertive on behalf of their clients, but it is also important for social workers to teach their clients how to be assertive for themselves. Assertion is described as, “the act of standing up for one’s own basic human rights without violating the basic human rights of others” (Kelly, 1979, as cited in Hardcastle & Powers, 2004, p. 218). I feel that many people who don’t have proper assertive skills attempt to advocate for their needs, but inadvertently interfere with another person’s needs. For instance, consider an individual who is facing an eviction and in their experience the only way they know how to get their needs met is to use physical violence and threats. If this individual attempts this, they could face criminal charges of assault on top of an eviction. However, if they had assertive skills, they could possibly work a deal with the landlord and avoid the eviction. According to Hardcastle and Powers, professionals view assertive training as a resource for clients and believe it can enhance social functioning and self-esteem (2004).
Maslows hierarchy of needs prioritizes physiological needs above psychological needs such as self-esteem. However, I would argue that in some circumstances, if an individual had their psychological needs met before some physiological needs, such as employment, they may be more successful in fulfilling their physiological needs. Take for example career centers. They work with individuals on their confidence and prepare them for the interview that could lead to employment. Therefore, assertiveness skills are necessary at any point in a person’s life, not just when physiological needs are met.
It can be difficult for a social worker to not just fix for the client what appears to need fixing. However, just like why the teacher doesn’t do homework for their student, social workers must show their client how and then encourage them to do the work themselves. Hence, instead of cleaning up a person’s mess, teach them how to clean it up themselves. I have found that many parents get caught in this trap. Parents often care so deeply for their children that they will do anything for them, but unfortunately, the children grow up, not knowing how to survive in the real world. Thus, I believe it is more important to teach clients how to be assertive, than to be assertive on behalf of your client. Granted both can be done. Clients can learn assertive skills by watching their social worker. However, at some point they must be their own advocate. After all, who knows their situation better than the client them self.

For good or for bad, there is no doubt that social workers will always be needed. No computer can replace the work that a social worker does. However, part of a social workers job that is often forgotten about is teaching the client to become more self-sufficient and to have less of a need for professional assistance. It isn’t exactly job security, but it will assist in making individual’s lives and society better.

bullies

I know there are a lot of really great things about small communities, but from my own personal experience coming from a small community, I have learned there are also some not so good things. One of the great things is everybody knows everything about everybody, and one of the not so great things is that everybody knows everything about everybody. Thus, small communities can be beneficial to individuals who have a positive reputation, but if you come from a well-known family of trouble-makers, or have made some of your own personal mistakes in life, the stigma attached to your identity can be nearly impossible to escape and often times becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Growing up, my parents would always tell me that you don’t just represent yourself; you represent your whole family. Although that sounds a little heavy for a child, it was true. If you were good or bad at sports it reflected back on your family, and if you were running around with the “wrong crowd” that also reflected back on your family.
As most of us know, kids and young adults can be very mean, especially if there aren’t many entertainment options. Teens end up partying, making poor choices, and then they hear about it for the rest of their lives. To add to the gossip that already circulates throughout my hometown, I somewhat recently discovered a blog about my hometown’s “dirty laundry.” This site shallowly rates people on their appearance and contains multiple “hate” comments about other people, most of them mentioning intimate details about other peoples’ sexual lives. In my opinion the media and reality shows targeted at young people encourages the shallow judgments and hurtful gossip. These rumors and the gossip that comes from a community people identify with can be really painful, especially when one is young and they are searching for an identity and want to be accepted. Then, if someone really does seriously develop a problem, it is kept on the “down-low” because “the power of the fear associated with stigma often keeps families from accessing professional…services” (Scales and Streeter, 2004, p.136). Thus, families don’t want to make the pain worse by adding more humiliation by getting help.
When I was younger I was not necessarily above this bullying. I was a product of groupthink a time or two, which occurs when group members don’t speak up out of fear of upsetting the group. (Hardcastle, Powers, 2004). Hence, while my friends were bullying a “new girl,” I didn’t really do anything (I was only ten). She happened to be the principle’s daughter and came across to us a condescending. We bullied her enough that she changed schools. Although I wasn’t directly involved in this bullying later in life the girl informed one of my friends that I was a “side-kick” to the bullying. I still feel bad about that to this day. Our teasing left a large impact on her life and led her to taking the drastic measure of moving to a different community. Looking back and analyzing why the bullying took place was probably because we perceived the girl as a threat and we felt that she didn’t match our beliefs, which is no excuse, yet I’m sure this is the same reasoning other bullies have. It’s also interesting to look at the cycles of bullying. Many of us who went to that school had parents that went to that school and I assume we held similar roles as our parents. The bully cycles must be broken, and I think it is important for teachers, parents, social workers and anyone working with people to stop bulling, because the results can be dangerous. Members of communities give feedback to individuals within the community that the individuals then internalize. We want people to feel good about their communities not labeled and ostracized.

Competition in a community

One of the things that are really great about small communities is their ability to come together and support one another. This past weekend I went to a surf competition and it was a perfect example of how a geographic community can come together to support a community of culture. There were advertisements on the radio, numerous articles in the paper, local restaurants had signs that said “welcome surfers,” and there was an all around general excitement around town for the annual event.
While at the beach watching the surfers, I couldn’t help but think about how in other more populated parts of the county one would have to pay money just to walk on the beach and how lucky I was to live in a part of the world that is so beautiful. According to Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets, “Citizen participation…generates a sense of belonging to the community and gives ownership of the community to all members” (Scales, Streeter, 2004, p. 55). I could see how this is community pride is encouraged by events such as these because they are positive and memorable, which makes people proud to be apart of. The event was very family-friendly and all ages were able to compete. My favorite part of the competition was when a father and daughter went out together and the dad held his daughter up in the air as they surfed. Everyone watching on the beach clapped.
The people who put on the event are a family who owns a surf stop in town. Many other local businesses also sponsored the event, but the one thing I really appreciated was the fact that the family’s main competitor, another surf shop, also sponsored the event. Thus they were supporting a competitor in order to support surfing in general. I thought that was commendable. As said in Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets, “Solidarity, rather than competition and conflict, is what permits individuals to maintain and expand community assets by sharing common values, goals, and institutions” (Scales, Streeter, 2004, p. 56).

SURF’S UP!
They come, escaping the burnt-out
City air, board-wraps
Trailing from Amtrak doors, carrying
Glassine envelopes, precious
Invitations to the sea
Of sanity, welcomed by beach people
With joyous shouts, Surf’s Up!
The cry of life begins again,
And ends in a paddle-out with friends
That circles all our hearts to one.
Ray Clark Dickson