Social Action• Social action is not only concerned as opposed to individual

action but it involves a legal methods as opposed to illegal, and objectives that are social in character or effect as opposed to those that are anti-social (Finch J A 1939: Social Work Year Book)

• In the beginning waned under the spell of psychoanalysis and the constraints of a respective political climate

• This continued until 1960s• Used as a means to fill up the empty space in the

community and occupy power vacuum (Rossi, P 1961)• A process of individual, group or intergroup endeavor,

within the context of social work philosophy, knowledge and skills. (Solender S 1957; SW Year Book: NASW)

• Methods : research; organised advocacy ; direct effort to influence policy making

Continued..• Wickenden relates social action to policy and change.

It is that aspect of organised social welfare activity directed towards shaping, modifying, or maintaining the social institutions and policies that collectively constitute the social environment. They focus on policy and its administration (Wickenden, E. 1965; Thursz 1971)

• Social action is the public promotion of a cause, measure, or objective in an effort to obtain support or official action (Dunham, A. 1970)

• Distinguish two forms of social action : 1. Procedural or political action which is carried on through

established parliamentary or formal organisational procedures

2. Direct action –implies greater physical and emotional involvement of the participant , often accompanied by a militant spirit and deep commitment

Continued…• Jack Rothman (1970) – three model of community

organisation practices : community development , social planning and social action

• Social action model presupposes a disadvantaged segment of the population that needs to be organized, perhaps in alliance with others, in order to make adequate demands on the larger community for increased resources

• Social action within the context of power and the struggle over community resources

• Social action refers to those organised and planned activities that attempt to influence the social distribution of status, power and resources (Joseph A Paull 1971 )

• A linkage to the theory of social conflict – key concepts –power and conflict and social action is associated with movement – leading to redistribution of resources

Continued….• The concept of organisation as the framework for

studying all forms of community work and social planning. The focus is on the change in power relationships and resources or redressing a power imbalance as the central to social action ( Robert Perlman and Arnold Gurin 1972; John Levin Ecklein and Armand A Lauffer 1972)

• A strategy to obtain limited social change at the intermediate or macro levels of society which is generally used in nonconsensus situations and employs both ‘non-adhering’ and norm –testing modes of intervention ( S K Khinduka and Bernard J Coughlin 1975)

• Three concepts are fundamental to this definition: the scope of change, the use of power in effecting and resisting change, and the change strategies applied.