Defining Function Essay

The “defining function” of a profession can be considered its primary purpose or what makes the profession stand out. Defining functions establish the profession’s importance in society and to the clients. Swenson (1998) identified the defining function of medicine as curing disease; of education as learning; and of law as legal justice. For the social work profession, the defining function is the ability to approach services by starting where the client is, or using a person-in-environment perspective. The person-in-environment perspective guides social work practice. It focuses on the significance of understanding individual clients and their behaviors in the context of their environments (Kondrat, 2013). The social work profession stands

During the Progressive Era, 1898-1918, African American social workers sought to understand individuals in their environment, rather than providing limited services to address only a single facet of the individual. (Carlton-LaNey, 1999, p. 313). Their work became increasingly powerful and effective as they “encouraged, taught, mentored, and role modeled race pride,” race consciousness and racial uplift for the community. (Carlton-LaNey, 1999, p. 313). It was proven that facets of the environment were interconnected. The development of recreational programs for male youth provided them a safe and healthy outlet. This promoted racial uplift, as well as combated sexual exploitation by protecting young girls from assault (Carlton-LaNey, 1999, p.

16). The relationship between the social worker and the individual is symbiotic, in that one needs the other to fully achieve identified goals and resolve environmental issues. (Anderson, 2003, p. 16). Conversation and education is key to understand the person-in-environment and to develop meaningful strategies to address the issues (Anderson, 2003, p. 16-17). Social workers must educate individuals on possible intervention techniques, and maneuvering the systems necessary to address identified issues. Social workers must also be open to being educated by individuals, as they are the experts of their lives and environments. This process also helps clients to feel empowered to make changes to positively impact their own lives and