History of social casework in india
Answers
Answer:
Introduction to Social
Casework: Historical
Development
* Hema Mehta
Introduction
All human beings are part of society and everyone in
the society has different social role and duties. While
performing his role and duties, individual faces many
problems in one or other form, which hinder his
performance as a social being. Casework is the oldest
and the most developed method of solving individual’s
problems and improving his social relations. In this unit
we will discuss the concept of casework and its
usefulness in solving these problems. We will also study
the evolution and historical development of casework
in the West and in India.
The Nature of Individual
Every individual is unique and his/her needs are
different from others in society. Consequently, the
treatment given or approach to one individual cannot
be used for the other individual. To understand human
behaviour and the individual difference Grace Mathew
has given following proposition.
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An individual’s behaviour is conditioned by his/her
environment and his/her life experiences.
Behaviour refers to reacting, feeling, thinking, etc.
Attributes of human being are not visible to others.
The conditions and influences surrounding the
persons constitute the environment.
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For human growth and development it is essential
that certain basic needs should be met. The basic
needs may be – physical and mental. Physical needs
refer to needs for food, shelter and clothing. Mental
needs can be in the form of emotional security,
need of parents, child, and spouse.
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Emotional needs are real and they cannot be met
or removed through intellectual reasoning.
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Behaviour is purposeful and is in response to the
individual’s physical and emotional needs.
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Other people’s behaviour can be understood only in
terms of ones own emotional and intellectual
comprehension.
Each individual and every individual has his/her own
importance. As every human beinghas his/her own set
of qualities, he/she cannot be neglected.
Herbert Bisno described the following attributes of
individual nature:
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Each individual by the very fact of his/her existence
is of worth.
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Human suffering is undesirable and should be
prevented or at least alleviated, whenever possible.
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All human behaviour is the result of interaction
between the biological organism and its
environment.
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Man does not naturally act in a rational manner.
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Man is amoral and asocial at birth.
The first professional social workers who did casework in the Indian settings were trained in the American School of Social Work. ... Casework as a theoretical course and as a method of practice in the academic programme started from the year 1946.