Individual vs. Structural-Cultural Theories

To understand the complexities of poverty and marginalization, a social worker must integrate theoretical perspectives that capture individual behavior and other systemic catalysts. In this case, the theories of “The culture of poverty” and “Social Structure” are compared with the intention of examining how a social worker can conceptualize them to intervene when a client is facing a problem: Individual vs. Structural-Cultural Theories.

A social worker can conceptualize the presenting problem using these two theories in the following way. A social worker may address a client with long-term unemployment, inadequate housing, and limited education using the Culture of Poverty Theory (Turner & Lehning, 2007). In this case, the social worker will be focusing on learned behaviors and values from a historically deprived community, highlighting fatalism and dependence.

On the other hand, the social worker may also use the Social Structure Theory. In this case, the social worker may observe that the marginalization of the client results from systemic inequalities like racism, labor market discrimination and poor schools and learning institutions (Turner & Lehning, 2007). Therefore, poverty, in this case, does not come from the client’s behavior but from the disparities in the society where they live.

The differences in conceptualization between the two theories are in the lenses used by the social worker. A theory like Culture of Poverty focuses on the individual, placing the blame on the person’s environment of origin (Turner, 2023). On the other hand, theories like the Social Structure Theory focus on external systems and social forces that constrain choices and opportunities, requiring systemic interventions to redress inequality.

Since the two theories look at the source of poverty from different lenses, they also offer different interventions. When a social worker uses an individual-related lens, they will focus on solving the problem by developing personal motivation, helping the client set goals and other interventions like life skills training. Typically, the intervention would aim to change learned patterns (Turner, 2023).

However, when the social worker uses a cultural-related lens, they will seek to use advocacy for policy changes to address the issues causing poverty. Generally, they will seek to change the environment. For instance, if the client is living in areas where there are poor schools that lack infrastructure and resources, they will seek to have these schools improved for better academic outcomes.

Social workers use individual-related and structural/cultural-related theories to understand the cultural context, address inequality, and validate clients’ experiences, promoting a holistic, ethical approach.

References

Turner, F. J. (Ed.). (2023). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (7th ed.).   Oxford University Press.

Turner, K., & Lehning, A. J. (2007). Psychological theories of poverty. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 16(1–2), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1300/j137v16n01_05

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Instruction: 

Complete the “Comparing Individual-Related and Structural/Cultural-Related Theories” handout in the Learning Resources to help you craft your response. (Note: You do not need to upload the handout to the Discussion forum.Post a response to the following:

Individual vs. Structural-Cultural Theories

1. Describe how a social worker would conceptualize a presenting problem related to structural issues or barriers that contribute to a client’s marginalization using the two theories you selected.
2. Explain how this conceptualization differs from an individual-related versus a structural/cultural-related theoretical lens.
3. Compare how the two theoretical lenses differ in terms of how the social worker would approach the client and the problem and how the social worker would intervene.