Initial Post
Social work, whether it’s direct practice, supervision, administration, etc., is most effective when we understand our own ideas and biases, where those ideas and biases originated, and how those ideas and biases influence us in both our personal and professional lives. Often, the term bias is framed negatively; however, instead, it is helpful for social workers to begin to identify our own biases in order to understand and evaluate the areas in which we may have challenges when faced with making decisions. For example, if my own life experiences inform my idea that people with DSWs are more suited to administration positions than people with PhDs, my decisions on hiring at the agency where I work are all likely to be skewed in favor of DSWs. Further, if I have a bias in favor of paternalism because I have been tasked with making decisions on behalf of my irrational/non-rational parent, then it is likely that I will also tend toward making biased, paternalistic decisions on behalf of my clients. For these reasons, it is important for each of us to understand and be able to evaluate our own biases. The more we are able to do so, the more likely we are to be able to make professional ethical decisions while setting aside our own personal beliefs.
The Abramson (1996) (Links to an external site.) reading clearly articulates the benefits of knowing our own ethical inclinations and provides a framework for examining and understanding our beliefs and biases. The following 6 continua are based on ideas in her article: (1) Some acts are just the right thing to do vs. the rightness of an act depends on the consequence, (2) Free will vs Determinism (fate), (3) Self-determinism (autonomy) vs. paternalism (doing what you think is best for another), (4) individual rights vs. social responsibility (community good), (5) Rights, privacy, non-interference (male) vs. relationships and connections to others (female), and (6) Always telling the truth regardless of consequences vs. it is better to lie if the truth causes more harm than good.
Please reflect on where you stand on each of the 6 continua by using a Likert scale rating to identify where you stand. Use a 1 to 10 scale with 1 being the extreme left of the continuum and 10 being the extreme right of the continuum.
Describe why you stand where you do on each of the continua. Then, describe how you think your views impact your current thinking and how they may impact your future professional work.
NOTE: Please make up whatever but make it more real and deep thinking. This does not need to be so brawd and use I statements to make it more reflective and critical thinking skills. Please make sure everything is answered!
