acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

Since its inception, the profession of social work has pursued the objectives of individual change and social reform. In reference to social reform, the social work literature is replete with efforts exhorting professional social workers to become more involved in the political process at the local, state, and national levels as the appropriate road to social change. Part of the discussion on political activity both in social work and in related fields generally includes the utilization of strategies and techniques for participation. One of the more common techniques mentioned is manipulation. The purpose of this research was to ascertain the extent of political activity and manipulative tendencies by professional social workers and to explore the relationship between them This study employed three questionnaires in order to gather data relative to the research questions. Besides the questionnaire that sought demographic characteristics, one was a modified version of Woodward and Roper's Political Activity Index while the other was the Machiavellian Scale developed by Christie and others at Columbia University. These three questionnaires were mailed to a sample of 470 professional social workers selected at random from the approximately 3000 members of the Michigan chapter of the National Association of Social Workers Of the 470 questionnaires mailed, 314 were returned by the final cut-off date, but 25 were unusable leaving a very respectable sample size of 289 or 61%. The demographic characteristics of this study coincided very closely with comparable information received from NASW's Manpower Data Bank. The findings of this study revealed that by any existing benchmark of participation, professional social workers are more politically active than the general population. In addition, when social workers are compared with other professional groups, they are at least as politically active. Within the profession itself, the most politically active are blacks, older workers, and those earning between $20-$25,000. Interestingly, those individuals working in Public Welfare, Education, and Politics are significantly more politically active, while those individuals in Administration, Community Organization, and Teaching are also significantly more politically active The findings also demonstrated that professional social workers have greater manipulative tendencies than the general population and have at least the manipulative tendencies as others in the helping professions. Within the profession itself, only age was a significant demographic characteristic. As age increased, the Mach score decreased which was in direct contrast to the finding for political activity. It was surprising to find that individuals who are high in manipulative tendencies are not concentrated in any single field or area of practice, but permeate every facet of the profession, though individuals in Mental Health demonstrate significantly greater manipulative tendencies than those who are not. On the crucial question of the relationship between political activity and manipulative tendencies, no correlation is apparent It is concluded from this research that professional social workers in Michigan are politically active and they have manipulative tendencies though these two variables are not related. It does seem clear from this study that social work as a profession concerned with the policies and legislation that impact the poor and disenfranchised needs to realistically debate such controversial concepts as manipulation, power, and conflict in a more constructive and empirical manner. The appropriate operationalization of these concepts within the profession is essential from both a practice and educational perspective / acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

A study sought to understand familial processes in families with a bulimic daughter. Sixty adolescent and young adult women (19 bulimic, 20 obese and 21 noneating disordered) and their mothers and fathers served as subjects. Each was administered the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III) and the following inventories, Family Satisfaction, Parent-Daughter Communication, Family Strengths and a general data questionnaire. Results showed bulimic daughters and their mothers and fathers located significantly in the extreme family type areas of the Circumplex Model of Family Systems. Although not significant, obese daughters and their parents located in the mid-range areas. Noneating disordered daughters and their parents were significantly balanced. Low cohesion was of particular importance in determining the location for bulimics. Bulimic daughters and their parents expressed significant dissatisfaction with family dynamics. Bulimic daughters expressed a significantly low perception of open communication patterns while both bulimic and obese daughters and their parents expressed significantly low perceptions of family pride / acase@tulane.edu

A research instrument was designed, pretested and given to randomly selected Air Force Social Workers (AFSWs) in order to assess the utility of expectancy theory in assessing AFSWs': (1) valence (Vk) of and rank order Vk of 15 second-level work role outcomes; (2) most instrumental (Ijk) Performance Standard Rating (PSR), and the extent of the Ijk; (3) expectancy (Ex) that effort expended at work will lead to Ijk PSRs; (4) job motivation (E); (5) job satisfaction as derived from the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), and expectancy theory's valence of work role (Vj) model; and (6) background characteristics. Data analysis indicated: (1) a significant association between AFSWs' rank ordering of work role outcomes; (2) AFSWs prefer outcomes affecting them personally and professionally; (3) the PSRs are not perceived as Ijk for attaining outcomes; (4) low Ijk scores lowered AFSWs' Vj scores, and low Vj scores lowered AFSWs' E scores; (5) AFSWs are satisfied with their supervisor, but dissatisfied with their subordinate status, pay, promotions, and work roles; (6) significant differences between AFSWs' JDI scores; (7) differences exist between AFSWs' E and Vj scores along variables of age, sex, rank, education, organizational levels, supervisory classifications, prior military social work related experience, prior military service, and prior civilian social work experience; (8) outcomes dependent on organizational policy are job demotivators and dissatisfiers; (9) AFSWs maintain identity with the social work profession; and (10) expectancy theory has utility for assessing AFSWs E and Vj. Implications for the Air Force involves restructuring AFSWs' role status and providing them with equitable rewards. Implications for the social work profession, social work education and AFSW involves a more active advocacy role for professional autonomy and equitable rewards for their social work members / acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

In this study it is theorized that sex role identity and the self acceptance of one's sex role identity are critical determining factors in positive adjustment for males in old age. The subjects of this study were 125 middle class, white males ages 62 and older. The instruments used were the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Life Satisfaction Index-A scale and a demographic questionnaire The first hypothesis states that those males with self acceptance of their sex role identity will have higher life satisfaction than those males with no self acceptance of their sex role identity. The second hypothesis states that those males with an androgynous sex role orientation will have higher life satisfaction than those males with other sex role orientations. Other demographic factors associated with high life satisfaction in elderly males were further examined along with sex role orientation and self acceptance Both hypotheses were tested using One Way Analysis of Variance. Regression Analyses and Chi Square Analyses were utilized in examining the demographic variables No significant difference between the life satisfaction scores of males with self acceptance and of males with no self acceptance was found in Hypothesis 1. Findings confirmed the second hypothesis that androgynous males did have significantly higher life satisfaction scores than those males with other sex role orientations, except the feminine males, who also had high life satisfaction scores The results of the study provide support for the importance of an androgynous or feminine sex role identity in males in later adulthood. Positive adjustment may be related to the ability to access an androgynous or feminine gender style. Self acceptance factors do not appear to be significant in the subject population; however most of the androgynous and feminine subjects also had self acceptance. The demographic findings regarding the importance of a high educational or occupational level and a high level of perceived health are consistent with those reported in previous research / acase@tulane.edu