Social Group Work - Meaning, Understanding & History

1. Meaning, Understanding & History of Social
Group Work
Lohith Shetty
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JFM Lohith Shetty
JCI Mangalore - President 2004
Rotaract Club Mangalore City - President 2003-04
Dr NSAM PUC College Students Union - Secretary
1991-92
Mangalore University Students Union - Senate
Representative for SSW Roshni Nilaya 1996-97

2. Lohith Shetty
2
 Statutory Instructions:
 This is not a study material & only a teaching aid.
 There is constant changes made to this teaching
material & those changes are not updated in Slide
Share.
 This slide is prepared as teaching aid only, so it can
be understood & interpreted rightly only after
attending my classes.

3. Group
 How old were you when you first joined a group
 How many different groups do you belong to?
 How do you identity a group leader?
 Does your behaviour change when in or with
different groups?
 Have you even lead a group?
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Lohith Shetty

4. What is a group:
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Huse and Bowditch (1977)
 Common purpose or objective
 Internet with each other
 Aware of one another
 Perceive themselves to be part of the group.
Lohith Shetty

5. Significance of groups:
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 Belongingness – no man is an island
 Safety and security
 Esteem and growth – recognition and appreciation
 Reaching objectives
 Development of norms and control
 Emotional support
 Division of labour and responsibility
 Leadership and development
 To develop personality
 To develop self confidence
 To develop adjustment power
 Giddens 1989 “Social group is a number of people who
interact with each other on a regular basis”.
Lohith Shetty

6. Group influence on Human Behaviour:
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 Learn to solve his problems
 Formation of attitudes
 Change individual’s level of aspiration and striving
 Modify the individual’s habit of living
 Influence upon individual’s perception and his role in
given situation
 Provide psychological support and help him to express
both pleasant & unpleasant feelings.
 Tend to influence the choices
 Affects individuals speed, accuracy and productivity
 Place limits on individual’s drive for power and his needs
to controlling.
Lohith Shetty

7. Social group work:
Meaning:
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 It’s a method of social work
 To help individuals in group
 Activities are used to help individual development
 To reach common objective
 To bring positive changes
 To develop personality , leadership and learning
 Used for problem solving
 Rehabilitation
 Solve adjustment problems
 Treatment
Lohith Shetty

8. Definition of Social Group Work: 1
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 Coyle - 1937
“Social Group Work aims at the develop of persons
through the interplay of personalities in group
situation as provide for integration and co-operative
group action for common ends.
American Association of Group Workers – “Group
work is a method by which the group worker enables
various types of groups to function in such a way that
both group interaction and programme activities
continue to the growth of the individual and the
achievement of desirable social goals”.
Lohith Shetty

9. Definition of Social Group Work: 2
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 Wilson and Ryland – 1949
We see Social Group Work as a process and a
method through which group life is affected by a
worker who consciously directs the interacting
process towards the accomplishment of goals, which
in our community are conceived in a democratic
frame of reference.
Lohith Shetty

10. Definition of Social Group Work: 3
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 Konopka G – 1963
Social Group Work is a method of social work
which helps individual to enhance their social
functioning through purposeful group experience
and to cope more effectively with their personal,
group or community problem.
Lohith Shetty

11. Scope and Current use of SGWP:
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A) Group work with children and youth
B) Group work with women:
C) Group work with elderly:
D) Group work with Industrial /
Organisational workers:
E) Group work in communities
F) Correctional setting
G) Group work in self help groups
H) Group work in hospital setup
Contd...
Lohith Shetty

12. Scope and Current use of SGWP: Contd...
Lohith Shetty
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I) Social group work with poor
J) Social group work in mental hospitals
K) Social group work with family planning
L) Social group work and physical crippled
M) Social group work and labour welfare
N) Social group work and social planning –
PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal)
O) Adult education

13. Significance of Social Group Work:
Lohith Shetty
13A. Significance to Individual:
 Helping individual to cope with their problem through
GWP
 Helpful in development of skills & personality
 Molding the personality of Individuals
 It helps in meeting the objectives of group & group
members
 SGW Develops norms and control facilitating social
development
 Development of Self Conscience & Emotional support
 Division of labour and responsibility especially with SHG
& developmental group work
 Leadership and development of individuals, especially
with developmental group work

14. Significance of Social Group Work: contd…
Lohith Shetty
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B. Significance to Social Group Worker:
 SGWr can help the individuals with personal problem with the
group support
 SGWr can easily help individual to cope with their Emotional
problem through GWP
 SWr can concentrate on the development & coping of many in a
group simultaneously instead of giving individual attention. This
will reach many in need
 SWr can be more effective in guiding , directing & molding
individuals as the number of members is limited & had a formal
setup compared to open communities.
 SGWr can easily develop norms and etiquettes in Group
members, facilitating social development
C. Significance to Society:
 Directs the youth energy in a positive direction leading to
development
 Develops a sense of safety and security to the group members,
even to the deprived group members.

15. A) Group work with children and youth
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I. Recreational Groups:
 Engaging members in leisure time activities for
recreation.
 To evolve norms for decision making.
 To respect the minority opinion.
 To encourage wide participation.
 To develop a sense of fan play.
 To develop life skills.
 To inculcate the understanding of diversity.
Lohith Shetty

16. A) Group work with children and youth
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II. Educational groups:
 Informal education through activities
 Learning skills to be self employed
 Helping slow learners
 Generating awareness
 Dealing with the problems of drop out
 Health and Hygiene awareness
 To facilitate value education
 Awareness on nutrition
 Educate public on HIV
Lohith Shetty

17. A) Group work with children and youth
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III. Support groups:
 To discuss about their problems and look for solution
 Street children
 Orphan children
 Drug related
 Adolescent girls facing violence or abuse
Lohith Shetty

18. A) Group work with children and youth
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IV. Remedial groups:
 Use of group action and group programmes to modify
behavioural responses to members.
 Children’s home, observation homes, second home,
certified schools etc.
 Learning new coping strategies and thinking about
future.
Lohith Shetty

19. B) Group work with women:
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I. Education:
 Through literacy skills for legal, social and political issues.
 Providing information and awareness to deprived group in
rural and urban areas.
II. Support:
 Domestic violence – at home and work place.
 Developing network – commercial sex workers – HIV.
III. Livelihood:
 Acquire economic skills
 Small business enterprise
 Individually or collectively
 Legal Aid
 Health groups
Lohith Shetty

20. C) Group work with elderly:
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I. Supportive group for loss of active life, physical
health loneliness, loss of Spouse, children depart.
II. Recreational day care centres
III. Health groups
IV. Economic problems
Lohith Shetty

21. D) Group work with Industrial /
Organisational workers:
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 Work Groups: To provide variety of services to
employees
 Legal Aid: Union rights, collective bargaining, accidents
etc.
 Improving productivity – team work, quality circle,
training
 Welfare services: To manage canteen, transport, housing,
recreational clubs, community welfare etc.
Lohith Shetty

22. GW with other settings
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 E) Group work in communities
 F) Correctional setting
 G) Group work in self help groups
 H) Group work in hospital setup
 I) Social group work with poor
 J) Social group work in mental hospitals
 K) Social group work with family planning
 L) Social group work and physical crippled
 M) Social group work and labour welfare
 N) Social group work and social planning – PRA
(Participatory Rural Appraisal)
 O) Adult education
Lohith Shetty

23. History of Social Group Work:
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A) Development of Social Group Work in England:
 Taking care of the poor was done by Church.
 People were helping helpless, blind and other poor due to
religious feelings. But no work was being done to make them self
supporting.
 For the first time in 1531 Henry Astam posed statute of Henry
VIII, which started checking the olds and poor. They were
provided licences for begging.
 In 1572 legislation was passed directing government to provide
and facilitate the helpless.
 In 1576 house of correction were established for giving
professional training to poor.
 In 1601 Elizabeth’s legislation was passed for the poor, aged,
helpless etc and it continued for longest period.
 In 1834 a report was presented again for this poor law.
Lohith Shetty

24. In 1834 a report was presented again for this
poor law
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 Following suggestions were given in this report
 Partial help should be abolished.
 All the persons who need help should be put in work
houses.
 Outside help should be provided only for ill person, aged,
new born babies, widows etc.
 The help giving law of different perished should be
brought under Poor Law Union.
 The status of the people getting help should be lower
than the working people.
 A central counselling centre should be established for the
control in 1834
New, Poor Law was made, but not much successful.
Lohith Shetty

25. History of Social Group Work: Cont...
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 With the industrial development many new problems surfaced.
Christian, Charity, Socialists and Trade Unions did a lot of work
for this.
 In 1844 George Williams motivated girls and boys to lead the
path of Christianity and established Young Men Christian
Association and Young Women Christian Association.
 In 1873 Cannon Samual and August Varnet started living with
the poor to know their problems and through the help of
Cambridge University students they established Management
House with these 3 objectives a) Cultural and educational
develop of poor. b) To provide information about problem,
condition and social improvement of poor to students,
management and others who concerned with it. c) To develop
consciousness among people for the solution of social and health
problems.Lohith Shetty

26. History of Social Group Work: Cont...
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 Social group work professional status and
educational importance in 20th century with
Universities offering formal education, theories
from learned and approved by professional
organizations.
 Apart from charity organization, groups,
societies, association clubs use social group work.
Settlement houses give much emphasis on
dignity, integrity, relationship and self
determination.
Lohith Shetty

27. Development of social group work in
America:
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 In the beginning its nature was to provide recreational services
gradually then objectives changed to 4 parts.
a) Programme was which perform only recreational and educational
activities. Adult Education, Schools and University Education
Settlement Houses, YMCA, YWCA.
b) To provide such type of services which effect their behaviour and
social attitudes – for 9-7Y -programmes for character building and
religious, cultural and social development – develop basic human
values boys scouts, girls scouts, Comp Fire Girls, 4H club etc.
c) Having other objectives, recreational and educational activities are
secondary – India organizations, political organizations, labour
organization, American Youth Centre.
d) The recreational and educational activities are used for treatment
of physical, mental and emotional problems.
Lohith Shetty

28. Development of social group work in
America: Cont...
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 In 1866 Dostan YWCA was established and in 1867
second YWCA in New York.
 Then the first formal education in social work was
developed in 1898 by Colombia University School of
Social Work.
 Aster First World was community chest movement
which increased rapidly.
 1923 in Cleave Land, the first experience was started
in SSW. In 1926 experimental settlement houses
were established with this objective. In 1930 many
steps were taken to develop the theory of SGW.
Lohith Shetty

29. Development of Social Group Work in
India: Phase - I
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 India has been a religious country
 Ashrams were established for removing internal, external
/ both emotional and mental problems to develop social
personalities
 In the beginning Aryans were organized on the basis of
Kul – Brahman, Ksthriya, Vysya & Shudra. Economic
divisions were made & Ashrams established.
 Vidyadhan – 300 Brahmans were educated
 Rich sponsored Matts for education of maths, ayurvedha
medicine, religion, warfare, economics, politics etc
 Budhism and Jaiuism – Baudh Bikshu were helped by
rich for their education & spread of wisdom
Lohith Shetty

30. Development of Social Group Work in
India: Phase - II
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 British colonialisation – Christianity,
education, administration etc.
 In nineteenth century social reform
programmes started Brahma Samaj, Arya
Samaj, Rama Krishna Mission, Theosophical
society. Mahatma Gandhi brought in freedom
fight and transformation of society which lead
to Equitable, Humane, Just & Welfare through
SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC constitution.
Lohith Shetty

31. Development of Social Group Work in
India: Phase - III
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After gaining freedom – SW formal education
continued. Government efforts are on with NCC,
Boys Scout, Guides, NSS etc.
Lohith Shetty

32. Thank You
Lohith Shetty
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