No abstract

This study examined graduate social work students' perceptions of vulnerable populations. The results suggest that although the students were able to identify oppression as a factor in the lives of women and other at-risk populations, for the most part, their perceptions of single parents underscored the belief that the life conditions of femaleheaded families are the consequence of individual choice, rather than of societal arrangements that have a disproportionately negative impact on women.

Institutionalism is the syndrome first recognized and described in inpatient psychiatric facilities,which is now used to describe a set of maladaptive behaviors that are evoked by the pressures of living in any institutional setting. This article traces the development of the theory of institutionalization, which predicts and explains an individual’s response to that particular type of environment. The article makes note of key contributors and contributions, and of empirical studies that have advanced the theory. Underlying perspectives and assumptions are identified and earlier theoretical models are reviewed and critiqued. An updated model of the theory, which includes individual vulnerabilities, objective conditions of the institutional placement, and the resident’s perceptions of the environment, is presented. New directions in the field of institutional care and implications for social workers, particularly for those working in nursing home and prison settings, are discussed, along with recommendations for next steps for theory progression.

This article contends that the unequal allocation of resources for women alcoholics is partly a result of the failure of models of addiction to take into account the special features of alcoholism in women. It discusses the problems of the medical and moral models for women alcoholics and argues that the psychosocial model is a more robust alternative for describing the addictive process and for creating effective interventions.

Field education programs have historically been viewed as the single most important component of social work education at both the baccalaureate and graduate levels. However, a number of factors may affect the ability to execute quality field education programs. This article identifies and discusses seven significant threats to field education in social work programs, including the academization of schools of social work, loss of autonomy in the larger academic systems; the devaluation of field directors; growth of programs; gatekeeping; changes in the student population; and a lack of faculty commitment to field education. Two of six recommendations to address these problems are also challenged.