M.A. (Social Work) / The focus of the research of this dissertation was to study the movement away from the use of the medical model in social work. To facilitate the study of this movement, it was necessary for the candidate to familiarize herself with the technology and terminology associated with the medical model originally formulated by Mary Richmond (1922) and later developed by authors like Aptekar (1936), Hollis (1951), Maas (1958) and others as discussed in chapter two. As social work practice moved away from a medical procedure, substitute technology and terminology developed. From an investigation into recent publications on the subject the candidate found that the more recent models for social work practice accommodate the use of substitute technology which includes professional procedures such as assessment, gathering of base line information, the drawing up of contracts, the use of measurement scales and goal orientated helping processes. Examples of such models are included in this dissertation are the models based on life task centeredness, crisis intervention and competency. In these models, assessment is regarded as the appropriate professional activity and a substitute for diagnosis as prescribed in the medical model. As a result of technological changes in social work practice, the candidate became aware of the development of substitute terminology to endorse the technology peculiar to the profession. Medical terms like pathology, problem, symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, therapist, remediation and patient are replaced by development, dysfunction, indicators, assessment, pre-estimation, intervention or helping, counsellor, and client. The empirical investigation for this dissertation indicates that there is a movement away from medical technology an terminology in the training of undergraduate social work students.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:4044 |
| Date | 17 February 2014 |
| Creators | Meistre, Wilhelmina Jacoba |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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