Hector soon found himself leaving school once again, but this time it was because of a full-time offer of employment with the Social Security Administration. Two years later his job transferred him to California, where he would gain more experience. It was during this time that his father sought treatment for his drinking and was able to quit. Hector is very proud of his father’s ability to overcome his problem. A social worker can gain knowledge about a client as they age and by applying Erikson’s stages of development throughout the individual’s life time help the client to better understand their selves. “According to Erikson’s psychoanalytic perspective, all individuals are involved in working out aspects in their psychosocial identity:
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This enables the individual to gain the appropriate knowledge and tools needed so that they can deal with the challenges they are presented with throughout their lifetime. As for the social worker, it is imperative that they acquire the ability to properly evaluate and apply knowledge in order to understand the client and their environment and this includes understanding the aging process. According to Kirst-Ashman and Zastrow (2013) a generalist social worker, “Uses a wide range of knowledge and skills to help people with an extensive array of problems and issues. These include anything from “individual personal issues” to “very broad problems that affect whole communities” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2009, pp.4)” (pp.6). Therefore, aging is a process that all individuals go through where they are affected by the environment while also influencing the environment in which a person ages. There also are other factors, besides aging, that affect how an individual functions as a human being. These include such things as the cultural context, ecological, and other systems, while focusing on various social factors, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that have affected the individual. Truly understanding cultures that are different then your own will not only make someone a better social worker but will help build better communities. As Oyserman and Lee (2008) stated in their research, ‘The stakes are high. As we engage more with others from different societies, intergroup conflict is not withering away in the modern age” (pp.331). Therefore, it is better to better understand others in order to avoid conflicts and work
This enables the individual to gain the appropriate knowledge and tools needed so that they can deal with the challenges they are presented with throughout their lifetime. As for the social worker, it is imperative that they acquire the ability to properly evaluate and apply knowledge in order to understand the client and their environment and this includes understanding the aging process. According to Kirst-Ashman and Zastrow (2013) a generalist social worker, “Uses a wide range of knowledge and skills to help people with an extensive array of problems and issues. These include anything from “individual personal issues” to “very broad problems that affect whole communities” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2009, pp.4)” (pp.6). Therefore, aging is a process that all individuals go through where they are affected by the environment while also influencing the environment in which a person ages. There also are other factors, besides aging, that affect how an individual functions as a human being. These include such things as the cultural context, ecological, and other systems, while focusing on various social factors, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that have affected the individual. Truly understanding cultures that are different then your own will not only make someone a better social worker but will help build better communities. As Oyserman and Lee (2008) stated in their research, ‘The stakes are high. As we engage more with others from different societies, intergroup conflict is not withering away in the modern age” (pp.331). Therefore, it is better to better understand others in order to avoid conflicts and work