Abstract
This chapter presents some of the basics of the analysis and intervention that is clinical sociology—the concepts, ideas about intervention, theory, diagrams, and models. Concepts (important terms), diagrams (simple visual representations), and models (explanations or visualizations of how practitioners should function) help us define our field and can serve as a baseline for discussions regarding intervention. Topics that are covered include: rights-based intervention, structurally-conducive settings, creativity, inclusion, socioeconomic development, levels of intervention, approaches to intervention, research, ethical principles and client systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Additional factors might include ethnicity, citizenship, sexuality, ability, geographic setting or the context in which people function (e.g., the amount of authority or power in a work setting.
- 2.
According to James Midgley (1994), it is not a new idea to link social interventions and economic activities. In the late 1800s, for example, the volunteer workers of the Charity Organization Society in England helped impoverished individuals find employment and start small businesses. In 1954, the British authorities adopted the term social development to link social welfare and community development to the economic development efforts in their colonies. The development processes, however, were not smooth or effective for a number of reasons. For instance, postcolonial development efforts often were centralized, top-down approaches, and development strategies in the Global South frequently focused only on economic growth for the benefit of national elites and transnational corporations.
- 3.
According to Chimhowu (2018) and his colleagues (Chimhowu et al. 2019), the number of countries with a national development plan has more than doubled. There were 62 national plans in 2006 and there were 134 in 2018. This is a “stunning recovery of a practice that had been discredited in the 1980s and 1990s.”
- 4.
Some countries now have been the recipients of funds from another country (this process has been called debt-trap diplomacy) in which the terms were not seen and discussed by the public and can result in those countries losing control of their important resources. See, for instance, Parkinson et al. (2020).
- 5.
- 6.
This figure is based, in part, on Eva Soeka’s (2004) presentation on the development of a dispute .
- 7.
Research efforts (which could include initial assessments) are discussed later in this chapter.
- 8.
Epistemology, theory, and research methods are linked. The kind of research methods used and the ways in which they are used generally reflect the epistemology and theories held by the clinical sociologist or those responsible for the intervention.
References
Burke, W. W. (2002). Organization change: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Chimhowu, A. (2018). Five things we’ve learnt about national development plans. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from http://www.nationalplanning.org/index.php/en/2018/02/08/5-things-about-national-development-plans/
Chimhowu, A., Hulme, D., & Munro, L.T. (2019). The “new” national development planning and global development goals: Process and partnerships. World Development, 120, 76–89. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X19300713
Derksen, L., & Gartrell, J. (2000). Scientific explanation. In E. F. Borgatta & R. H. Montgomery (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Sociology (2nd ed., pp. 2463–2473). New York: Macmillan.
Donald, A. (2012). A guide to evaluating human rights-based interventions in health and social care. London: Human Rights and Social Justice Research Institute, London Metropolitan University. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://www.humanrightsinhealthcare.nhs.uk
Fritz, J. M. (2004). Socioeconomic developmental social work. In UNESCO encyclopedia of life support systems. UNESCO-EOLSS project on sustainable world development. Oxford. http://www.eolss.net
Fritz, J. M. (2020). Social intervention. In T. Uys & J. M. Fritz (Eds.), Clinical sociology in southern Africa. Juta: Claremont.
Johnson, C., & Forsyth, T. (2002). In the eyes of the state: Negotiating a “rights-based approach” to forest conservation in Thailand. World Development, 20(9), 1591–1605.
Kerlinger, F. N. (1973). Foundations of behavioral research. NewYork: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Lang, M. D., & Taylor, A. (2000). The making of a mediator: Developing artistry in practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Laue, J., & Cormick, G. (1978). The ethics of intervention in community disputes. In G. Bermant, H. Kelman, & D. Warwick (Eds.), The ethics of social intervention (pp. 205–232). Washington, DC: Halsted Press.
Lee, A. M. (1979). The services of clinical sociology. American Behavioral Scientist, 22(4), 487–511.
Lippett, R., Watson, J., & Westley, B. (1958). The dynamics of planned change. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
Midgley, J. (1994). Defining social development: Historical trends and conceptual formulations. Social Development Issues, 16(3), 3–19.
Parkinson, J., Areddy, J. T., & Bariyo, N. (2020, April 17). As Africa groans under debt, it casts wary eye at China. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-africa-groans-under-debt-it-casts-wary-eye-at-china-11587115804
Qu, W., Shi, W., Zhang, J., & Liu, T. (2020). T21 China 2050: A tool for national sustainable development planning. Geography and sustainability. Retieved April 29, 2020, from https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666683920300080?token=F93ED9CD880BE4AAE4BA47773DBD92A93A3
Roberts, A. R., & Ottens, A. J. (2005). The seven-stage crisis intervention model: A road map to goal attainment, problem solving and crisis resolution. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://triggered.edina.clockss.org/ServeContent?rft_id=info:doi/10.1093/brief-treatment/mhi030
Smelser, N. (1962). Theory of collective behavior. New York: Free Press.
Soeka, E. M. (2004, June). Presentation as part of a mediator training for the Ohio Office for Exceptional Children. Columbus, OH.
Sternberg, D. (1981). How to complete and survive a doctoral dissertation. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Vraneski, A. (2006). Al di là dell’arte e della scienza: Cultura e creativita nella mediazione. [Beyond art or science: creativity and culture in interactive mediation]. In L. Luison (Ed.), La mediazione come strumento di intervento sociale (pp. 58–80). Milano: Franco Angeli.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fritz, J.M. (2021). The Basics: From Concepts to Models. In: Fritz, J.M. (eds) International Clinical Sociology. Clinical Sociology: Research and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54584-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54584-0_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-54583-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-54584-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)