The Spirit Catches You Analysis

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As a practice-heavy field, social work may not appear to place much importance on theory; however, theory should dictate every decision social workers make. Perspectives for practice include the well-known theories of psychodynamic and systems, as well as lesser-known perspectives such as existential. Though some theoretical perspectives are better suited for either a micro or macro setting only, social workers should possess a diverse and readily available knowledge of theories to aid their work in any setting. This expanded repertoire (of many, but not all theories) allows social workers the ability to apply at least one theory to literally any situation in any environment with any number of participants. To demonstrate the necessity …show more content…
For the social constructionist perspective, Nao Kao Lee’s viewpoint of Dr. Neil Philips will be examined. Because this aspect of the story involves direct interactions between two people only, the investigation of this relationship will represent the micro level. This level includes direct work with individuals, families, and very small groups; therefore, explaining the interactions between Lia’s father and the doctor via social constructionist perspective is appropriate for the micro level. On the other hand, the macro level will be represented through analyzing some of the interactions between the immigrated Hmong population and the American population via the conflict perspective. The macro level of social work includes practice with large populations, such as whole cities, states, or non-place populations like cultures of people; therefore, this level is appropriate for examining the interactions and power dynamics between two cultures in the context of the town of Merced in the United …show more content…
According to social constructionist theories, their exchanges shaped both their individual realities and their future interactions; specifically, Nao Kao eventually mistrusted and potentially resented Neil as well as the whole American medical system. This mistrust began developing when Nao Kao’s daughter Lia started seizing at a very early age. Nao Kao spent many nights in the hospital with Lia while doctors, including pediatrician Neil Philips, treated her, sometimes even restraining her to properly administer her medication. Nao Kao thought the doctors and nurses restraining Lia were sadistic, with his suspicions

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