Bshs 325 Macro Systems - Describe the Concept of Personal, Interpersonal, and Political Empowerment

Week 5: Macro Systems Paper

                                                                  Marcy Ross

    BSHS/325 Human Systems and Development

                                                             December 02, 2013

                                                                Tanisha Laidler

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Describe the concept of personal, interpersonal, and political empowerment 

Each individual within themselves has a concept of personal empowerment. Having the ability to have a personal influences on events that occur in your life, as well as people you interact with on an intimate level greatly impacts your personal empowerment. It is about being in a solid place where an individual is sure of where they want to be in life and has set attainable goals, and welcome any change that may come their way. For example there is a mother and wife who has been in an abusive marriage, physically and mentally, throughout her marriage. She finally decides that continuing to stay only because she wants to have a nuclear family for the sake of her children, and living in an abusive environment, causes more harm than good. She knows that she must take the necessary steps to make a better life for herself, and most importantly her children. Her safety as well as the safety of her children depends on her making this positive change. Collaboration between one or more people to make sound decisions and aggressively having an action plan to effectively get tasks done relates to interpersonal empowerment. Political empowerment consists of the government working to help the community and promoting political participation on specific issues for the community population (Zastrow & Krist-Ashman, 2010).

• Explain an individual's involvement in multiple social systems--micro, mezzo, and macro--within the environment.

There are three dynamics involved in social systems that correspond and have a tendency to impact one another. The systems are micro, mezzo and macro. Micro practice is considered as one of the more common form of social work. This is a style of service most individuals imagine social workers should be participating on his or her behalf. Mezzo practice deals with groups considered a smaller and medium size group. Macro practice empowers clients by involving them in systematic change. (Macro, mezzo, and micro social work, 2012). The practice of macro social work is the effort to help clients by intervening in a larger system, such as at the neighborhood, institution, or at a smaller group level (Zastrow & Krist-Ashman, 2010). An example of macro practice refers to a social change in association to a greater scale. Mezzo practice focuses on a local neighborhood, or any school system at the community level. The primary goal is to address all needs and challenges a client may have in conjunction with larger social issues. In the micro practice, a human service professional assist the client and their family by being involved in finding effective solutions to their problems. Referring them to housing programs, helping them find employment, and collaborating with other human service professionals in regards to proper health care and other social services that would help in their growth and development into rehabilitation. These are all examples of the services that micro practice provides.

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