Term Paper on "Social Work Narrative Henry Schein"

Term Paper 12 pages (3920 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Empowerment Theory

First, Empowerment theory explains Schein's ability to cope and navigate change in his life (Zimmerman, 2000). It provides the orientation by which Schein locates himself in the community, and is especially helpful from the social worker's perspective. Empowerment theory extends beyond an analysis of the individual, to view the person as a part of the community and family organisms. Zimmerman's (2000) empowerment theory presents individual empowerment in terms of community. The community helps to empower the individual, while the individual derives a sense of personal power from the community. Community collective empowerment derives from individual contributions, which would explain the resilience of the Jewish immigrant communities of which Henry was a part in both New York and New Jersey.

Attachment Theory

Attachment theory is particularly important to apply to Henry Schein's case study. Henry was taken from his parents at a formative stage in his early childhood, and grew up amid the horrors of the concentration camp. Yet Henry demonstrates remarkable resilience. Attachment theory explains the paradox of Henry's healthy sense of attachment, as Henry's faith in his caregivers was transferred to faith in his Jewish community. This sense of trust developed through bonds with caregivers who looked after him in the camps, and later when he came to America. His uncle cared for him as a parent, which reinforced his trust. In fact, Bowlby's original postulation regarding attachment is that infants do develop strong attachments to their parents but these attachments may be relocated to other caregivers (Bretherton, 1992).

Continue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

Piaget's Developmental Theory

Piaget's developmental theory applies mainly to Henry's childhood. However, recent research reveals that the brain does continue to develop in ways that would suggest another stage of development. Lemieux (2012) calls the latter stage of development the post-formal stage, because it occurs after the last stage that Piaget postulated, which is the formal stage. A search for wisdom and dialectical thought are the cornerstones of this final stage of development, which applies mainly to the senior years.

Henry's childhood was traumatic, as most of it was spent in a concentration camp. During the first two years of his life, Henry was not in the camps. He lived with his parents in the town of Bamberg. This is where Henry spent the sensory-motor phase of his early development. His interactions with the world would have been strongly colored by his parents' influence, as both were teachers who were eager to encourage their child to interact with the environment, manipulate objects, learn faces, and gradually progress experimenting with language.

During the preoperational stage, Henry deepens his language skills. He learns Yiddish and German while in the concentration camps. Because he spends this critical stage in the camps, impacting the development of egocentrism typical for this age (Marlowe & Canestrari, 2006, p. 101). At this stage, young Henry was ascertaining information about the world through other people. He was observing the ways different people of different ages dealt with the trauma of being inside the concentration camp. Moreover, Henry observed and learned reactions to injustice. By being a part of the concentration camp, Henry also learned about the different roles of the German authorities, and began to use symbolic and some primitive abstract thinking in meaningful ways that would impact his intelligence in spite of his not having formal schooling.

The next stage in Piaget's theory is formal operations. It was at this stage Henry came of age, developed the abstract and formal thinking necessary to accommodate new information as an adult, and also to process that information. Henry remained at this stage throughout his adult years. After experiencing the death of his wife, and living alone, Henry has reached another critical stage of learning that relates to the impetus to transform knowledge into wisdom. Lemieux (2012) presents the post-formal stage as being critical especially to gerontological care. Older adults think qualitatively differently from younger adults, as recent neurobiological research is starting to reveal (Lemieux, 2012).

Fowler's Theory of Faith Development

Henry's life is also understood well within the framework of Fowler's theory of faith development. Fowler's faith development model merges liberal Christian theological philosophies with developmental psychology. Although Fowler's theory of faith development begins from a Christian standpoint, it can easily be applied to individuals with other ethnic and religious backgrounds like Henry Schein. The theory applies to general evolution of belief in a higher power, and how that belief impacts worldview, values, ethics, beliefs, meaning, and relationships (Fowler & Dell, 2006). Moreover, the Fowler model of faith development is rooted in empiricism, making it more grounded in psychology than religion per se. The theory accounts for the development of the individual's sense of self, personal identity, and metaphysical awareness. Thus, Fowler's theory can be applied to the way Henry is currently exploring alternative models and worldviews, leading him from a position of agnosticism toward a better defined personal spirituality.

For Henry, Judaism was a part of his identity and culture that was literally etched onto his memory from the concentration camps and the scars he has from the experience. Henry claims that as a young child, he did believe in God because the people in the concentration camps consciously developed a personal faith that helped them to cultivate hope in the midst of despair. This offered Henry a wellspring of resilience that he would not have been able to cultivate on his own, and Henry emphasizes the fact that social aspects of religion were more important to him than the actual personal relationship one develops with God. He retained a strong sense of connection to a community of individuals who, though shared ethnic heritage, created a sort of higher power even when Henry Schein did not actively pray or think about "God." This social aspect of Schein's religious experience encapsulates his development within the Fowler model of faith development.

Fowler postulates stages of development in faith, just as Piaget presents stages in intellectual and cognitive development. The first stage in Fowler's model is Primal Faith. The attachment and bonding with the parent is a formative experience, wherein the individual develops faith or trust in the caregiver.During toddlerhood and early childhood, the stage of faith development is known as intuitive-projective faith. Some survivors have, as Schein puts it, attributed their survival to God. For Schein, God may or may not have intervened in his life but he knows for sure that his sense of trust in his fellow community of survivors and the Jewish family overall has been responsible for keeping Henry from falling into depression or suicidal ideation. Henry recalls the way the people around him in the camp would sing songs and say prayers together regularly, and these prayers and songs are internalized into him and part of "who I am," as Henry puts it. According to Fowler's theory, the intuitive-projective faith stage is when the individual becomes inculcated into cultural rituals like these.

The next stage is the mythic-literal stage, during which time the individual resonates with a dualistic vision of God, and other accessible versions of complex spiritual realities. This is soon followed by a stage at which the individual develops faith within the community. Fowler's synthetic-conventional faith applies at around 12 years of age. For Henry, the synthetic-conventional faith model has become crucial to his adult life, which is why it makes sense that this stage was concurrent with Henry's being liberated from the concentration camp. It was during this critical juncture that Henry viewed Judaism as the link between himself and a community, or between himself and something greater than himself. He had no family members in the camps, but when he was sent to the United States he retained a sense of trust and faith that whoever was greeting him would be a good person. He trusted that wherever he was sent would be better than what he had known as a child. Thus, his faith in the community remained reinforced.

The individuative-reflective stage allows for critical thinking and re-evaluation of ingrained religious thought. Henry realized at some point that his religiosity was in fact qualitatively different from his wife's, because she did genuinely believe in God and was superstitious. Henry was never superstitious and believed that there may be a God but was not sure if the Bible was the key to understanding God. Fowler postulated two late-stages of spiritual development, which are conjunctive and universalizing. Although few adults will reach these stages, it would seem that Henry's recent conceptualizing of his role in the universe indicates the stirrings of conjunctive faith. Fowler's theory of faith development is perhaps the most appropriate framework for understanding Henry Schein's life.

Conflict Theory

However, Henry had innumerable experiences highlighting the importance of conflict theory too. As a Holocaust survivor, Henry was exposed to social injustice and inequity at an early age. Although he spent his adolescence and adulthood in Jewish… READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

Quoted Instructions for "Social Work Narrative Henry Schein" Assignment:

“

GRADUATE LEVEL SPELLING, GRAMMAR, IN-TEXT CITATION THROUGHOUT PAPER. No paragraph without in-text citation-I WILL BE SENDING THE FINAL PAPER AND PRESENTATION PAPER GUIDLINES THROUGH RESOURCE FILES

The purpose of the final assignment is for the student to demonstrate mastery in the application of theoretical and empirical work relevant to the biological, cognitive, and psychosocial development of the individual at the later phase of adult life. Based on a face-to-face interview with a person 70 years of age or older, the student will submit a 14-16 page paper which includes:

1) A narrative of the person*****s life with special attention to life events and experiences that were significant in his/her personality and lifespan development.

2) A theoretical analysis of the interviewee*****s development, which integrates theories and empirical work discussed in class and obtained from the course and outside readings.

3) A critical reflection of the personal and clinical insights gained as a result of conducting the interview and completing the analysis.

A supplemental reading will be distributed to assist you in completing the assignment:

Garthwait, C. (2007). A century in review: A decade-by-decade social and historical timeline.

In E.L. Csikai and B. Jones (Eds). Teaching resources for end-of-life and palliative care courses (pp. 18-31). Chicago: Lyceum Books, Inc.

Selection of the Interviewee

Do not choose a family member or a close friend of the family for this assignment. Do not choose a professor at the USC School of Social Work. The interviewee may be a neighbor, coworker, fellow church member, casual acquaintance, or anyone else who is 70 years of age or older and is willing to volunteer for the interview. The interview must be face-to-face. Skype and other real-time, in-person online communication tools are permissible. While telephone contact is fine for scheduling and follow-up communication, it is strongly discouraged for the interview itself. Asking the interview subject to return written responses to questions that you mail/e-mail is not acceptable.

Please remember to use a pseudonym in the paper to protect the confidentiality of your interview subject.

Contents of the Final Paper

1) The Narrative

For the first part of this assignment, introduce the interview subject and present the *****story***** of the person*****s life. The story can be told chronologically according to life stages (e.g., early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, adulthood, later adulthood; Erikson*****s psychosocial stages) or can be organized by categories of life experiences (e.g., significant relationships, work/career, major accomplishments, etc).

To assist you in telling the client*****s life *****story***** you may want to focus the interview on the following domains of inquiry:

1. Significant life events and their influence on bio-psycho-social development

2. Ways in which life events and normative transitions were experienced (e.g., How the person coped with a family member*****s death, and what factors affected their ability to work through the event).

3. Significant relationships in various life stages, and the quality of those relationships.

4. Significant changes in biological/physiological/cognitive function and the ways these have affected development.

5. Goals, values, beliefs that have been important to the person.

6. Successes and areas of pleasure, joy, and satisfaction.

7. Disappointments and areas of pain and distress.

8. Plans for the future.

9. Responses to the aging process as a whole. What are the client*****s ideas about what

*****getting older***** means?

10. Signs of successful aging and coping with life*****s ups and downs.

11. How has culture, gender, sexual orientation, etc., affected the client*****s

experience of and views of aging?

Sample Interview Questions: The following is a list of sample questions that you can use to get the interview started, to probe for more information, to start a new topic of discussion, etc.:

1. What is your earliest memory?

2. What were you like as a child?

3. What was your family like? Who did you "take after"?

4. What were your relationships with your parents and siblings like?

5. Who were the important people in your life? Tell me about them.

6. Did you experience any losses in childhood? Later in your life? How did you deal with these difficulties?

7. What important events did you experience in childhood through adulthood (late adulthood)?

8. How did the neighborhood in which you grew up influence you?

9. Did you ever have to make a life-changing decision?

10. What has parenting been like for you?

11. Have you ever had any serious illnesses or injuries?

12. Have you been discriminated against or limited in your life chances because of

who you are?

13. Do you have a personal motto or philosophy by which you live your life? How did it

develop? Has it changed over your life course?

14. If you had a chance to live life over, would you do it? Why (why not?)

Tips: Explain the purpose of the interview to the person, how it will be used, and how confidentially will be guaranteed. Invite the person to choose his or her own pseudonym. Ask for a quiet and private place where you can conduct the interview. Be an active and courteous listener. Keep in mind that the interview is not simply a question and answer period, but rather a conversation about the person*****s life. Many persons feel they benefit from telling their own stories. Be aware that sensitive information may be elicited during the interview. If this occurs, be empathetic, but remember your role: you are a graduate student conducting an interview for a class, not a clinician conducting a therapeutic session. Ask if the person is okay and if she/he wishes to continue. You can always take a break or reschedule. It is not uncommon to have to meet 2 or 3 times with the subject to complete the interview, so plan your time accordingly. Once the interview is finished, be sure to thank the person for helping you with the assignment and for sharing his/her life with you.

The narrative is worth 20 POINTS and should be approximately 3-4 pages.

2) Critical Analysis

The second section of the assignment is a critical theoretical analysis of the person's life. This is your opportunity to demonstrate an ability to critically apply theory to the person*****s *****case***** in order to derive a theoretically-based understanding of the his/her behavior in the social environment. In completing the analysis, make sure to do the following:

*****¢ Incorporate at least 5 different theories from 503 and 505 into your critical analysis. Remember that theory attempts to explain why people behave as they do. Therefore, do not simply list or identify relevant theoretical concepts. Your analysis should attempt to explain or make sense of patterns of bio-psycho-social development and functioning in the person*****s life. Why does the person behave as he/she does? Why did he/she make the kinds of choices that he/she has made? Your analysis should include consideration of:

o How diversity-related factors, such as gender, class, ethnicity, immigrant status, acculturation level, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, etc., have influenced the person*****s development and function.

o How resilient the person has been to life*****s challenges and why.

*****¢ Examine specific strengths and weaknesses of the theories you have chosen for understanding your interview subject*****s *****case*****. Support your claims with interview material and scholarly literature. For example, how does the person's development and/or function seems to be in accord with -- or different from ï¿½" the theories you selected?

The critical analysis is worth 45 POINTS and should be approximately 10-11 pages.

3) Personal Reflection

The third section of the assignment is a reflection on personal and clinical insights gained from the interview experience. What assumptions did you have coming into the interview and how were those confirmed or disconfirmed? How did the interview experience affect your personal view of older adults and the aging process? In what ways were you personally changed or challenged as a result of having conducted the interview? In terms of your development as a social worker, how has your understanding of clinical terms such as *****starting where the client is*****, *****self-determination*****, *****person-in-environment*****, etc., changed? What clinical or professional insights have you gained about the ways in which people integrate and make meaning of their life experiences?

The personal reflection is worth 15 POINTS and should be approximately 1-2 pages.

Style and Format

The paper should be 14-16 pages in length (not counting the title page or reference list), double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides, 12-point font, a running header, and page numbers. Use subheadings (in bold font) to organize your paper. Throughout the paper, provide examples from the *****case*****, as well as conceptual and empirical evidence to support your arguments. Reference a minimum of 10 scholarly works (at least 3 of which must be sources that do not appear on either the 503 or 505 syllabus). Avoid using direct, verbatim quotes from source material (except from the interview). Use editorial and referencing styles as specified in the APA Publication Manual 6th Edition (http://apastyle.apa.org/). Please note: If you choose to consult the HBSE textbooks (ie, Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman; Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda; Berzoff, Melano Flanagan, & Hertz), each will count as a one scholarly source regardless of the number of chapters you cite.

*****

How to Reference "Social Work Narrative Henry Schein" Term Paper in a Bibliography

“Social Work Narrative Henry Schein.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2013, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257. Accessed 1 Jul 2024.

Social Work Narrative Henry Schein (2013). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257

A1-TermPaper.com. (2013). Social Work Narrative Henry Schein. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257 [Accessed 1 Jul, 2024].

”Social Work Narrative Henry Schein” 2013. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257.

”Social Work Narrative Henry Schein” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257.

[1] ”Social Work Narrative Henry Schein”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257. [Accessed: 1-Jul-2024].

1. Social Work Narrative Henry Schein [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2013 [cited 1 July 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257

1. Social Work Narrative Henry Schein. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/social-work-narrative-henry-schein/6156257. Published 2013. Accessed July 1, 2024.

Related Term Papers: