10/20/11StantonSalazar,RFramework,EmpowermentAgentsDoc:9.EmpowermentAgents[FW].

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Differentiating Institutional Agents In Relation to Stratification System 1. gate-keeping agents 2. empowerment agents Empowerment Framework [focus on characterizing empowerment agents] Empowerment defined: defined as the active participatory process of gaining resources [and] competencies needed to increase control over ones life and accomplish important life goals. [Maton &
Salem (1995)]

The concept of social justice is central to the empowerment perspective. [it] refers to equity, equality, and fairness in the distribution of societal resources (Flynn, 1994).
(Gutierrez & Lewis)

providing opportunities for participants to develop knowledge and skills, Empowerment deals with a particular kind of block to problem solving: that imposed by the external society by virtue of a stigmatized collective identity (Solomon, 1976: 21). (Lee, J) empower (dictionary): to give power or authority to, to give ability to, enable, permit Staples: sees empowerment as the process of gaining power. power: o capability of doing or accomplishing something; o capability of persons carrying out their will, even in the face of obstacles (e.g., often others)---thus, we are talking about a relationship (often conflictive) carrying out ones will through the mobilization of resources (political, economic resources, social capital) [see p. 519 of Soc. Dictionary] [Three interlocking dimensions of empowerment]: (Lee, J) 1) the development of a more positive and potent sense of self, 2) [political] the construction of knowledge and capacity for a more critical comprehension of the web of social and political realities of ones environment, and o effective interventions to deal with individual painwhen taking social forces into account 3) the cultivation of resources and strategies, or more functional competence, for attainment of personal and collective goals.

[objective]: .they [the client] experience a transition to a situation of o more control over their lives and environment, [efficacy] o discover new insights and abilities, [intellectual development] and o contribute some of their knowledge, energy and talent to society [social justice component]. [Elisheva Sadan]

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[the importance of the group]: A person whose circumstances and conditions have led her to participate in an empowerment-encouraging group has a better chance of becoming empowered than someone who has not participated in such a group also testified about how much the activity in the group had influenced him [Elisheva Sadan]

Method/Approach empowerment is a process of transforming powerlessness and increasing individuals' control over their lives. The emphasis is on: reducing professional domination and increasing individual choice and self-determination. (Arai) Empowerment begins with the individual's self-defined needs and aspirations and then looks at the capacity development, resources and supports that are required to achieve those goals. (Arai) Awareness. The empowerment process begins with the individual developing an awareness on some level of a desire for change. (Arai) Connecting and learning. Based on this awareness of a need or desire for change, in the second stage, the individual begins a process of 1) connecting with other individuals, groups and resources, and 2) learning new skills or information (Arai, in press; Lord, 1991). Mobilization/action. As people learn new skills, acquire new information, or connect with people with similar interests, they become ready to take action (see Table 1). The role of the practitioner is to support action and participation through encouragement and a continuation of the facilitating and linking role from the previous stage. The mobilization or action stage involves individual participation in the desired change area. That is, 1) the individual may become involved in activities or social groups or secure a job that is meaningful. 2) This participation may lead to increased feelings of competence and increased opportunities for participation. 3) Successful participation leads to feelings of 'hey, I can do this!', which in turn increases self esteem and 4) may prompt the individual to take further action. In a research study of people involved in a community organization, individuals began to speak out and voice their opinions in ways they never had before (Arai, in press). Individual empowerment relies on a strong network of supports and resources RSS: [begins] helping people identifying their own assets and capabilitiesand the assets and resources within their community; where people, organizations, and communities gain mastery over their lives (citations, p. 583).
(Zimmerman, 1995)

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[changes in social structuresee Stanton-Salazar, 2004(Koyama)]: the enable people to experience critical forms of power (1) the ability to influence the course of ones life, (2) to work with others to control aspects of public and institutional life, and (3) to access mechanisms of institutional decision making (citations) (Gutierrez & Lewis)

Educational methods focus on improving participants abilities to understand and act on their social environments. These methods emphasize techniques for increasing the individuals awareness of her own situation and developing skills to influence oppressive structures. [emphasis mine] (Gutierrez & Lewis) SW: the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to that goal (NASW, 1973, p. 4). RSS: empowerment agents a proclivity toward enhancing or restoring peoples capacity for social functioning and creating societal condition favorable to that goal (rework some more) o ENABLING clients [individuals] to develop capacities and strengths that will improve their social functioning [RSS: another term for social functioning [an inclination for] engaging professionals as collaborators instead of authoritative experts [BERGSMA]

Empowerment as a set of Integrated Processes where people create or are given opportunities to control their own destiny and influence the decisions that affect their lives.
(Zimmerman, 1995)

RSS: Minimally, individuals become empowerment agents by engaging in a practice of providing institutional support directly to low-status individuals, or by helping to alter institutional or organizational structures so that low-status youth and students can access institutional resources and support some degree of critical awareness that current structures inhibit the provision of resources to low-status or oppressed populations. RSS: However, empowerment agents, are by definition, engaged in various levels and forms of empowerment; RSS: IA can not cultivate in others forms of consciousness and skill sets they themselves do not possess; thus, EA are invested in empowering themselves as an integral process of empowering others;

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[processes]: They are a series of experiences in which individuals.. I. provisions by an alter as well as actions realized by alter A. Representation, defense, and advocacy

(Zimmerman, 1995)

B. [provision of valued resources, (outcome): control over resources] (accessing, seeking) receiving resources & institutional support from IA [IA/EA provides resources directly to ego]: personal resources & positions resources o enabling actions on the part of IA (e.g., funds of knowledge; advice & guidance) o opportunities: [organizational level]: participation in important organizational tasks
(Zimmerman, referencing Maton & Salem, 1995)

networking on behalf of ego [e.g., functions as a bridge] o bridging o institutional brokering o coordinating

C.

Changes [transformations] in the Individual A. Consciousness, changes in 1) Psychological: efficacy: learning to see a closer correspondence between their goals and a sense of how to achieve them, (Zimmerman, 1995); EA help low-status individuals see a closer correspondence. i. perceived control Cognitive theory: (p. 40) in excising false perceptions and beliefs based on faulty filters [cognitive distortions] clouded in internalized oppression.directed toward helping the client identify challenges, and change thinking patterns that result in dysfunctional forms of emotion, behavior and problem-solving (Lantz, 1996). Shulman (1992) divides these skills into two categories: o the skills of helping clients to manage their feelings and o of helping clients to manage their problems 2) critical consciousness: a critical understanding of ones sociopolitical context are fundamental aspects of empowering processes. (p. 583) (Zimmerman,
1995)

awareness about resources and factors that hinder or enhance ones efforts to achieve those goals [consciousness] (Zimmerman, 1995)
[see below]

the nature of praxis: the process by which we reflect, act, then reflect again in a spiraling manner. (Lee, J)

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B. Development of Skill Sets: development of skills so that [ego does not] have to be directly dependent on professionals (Zimmerman, 1995, p. 584) 1) [actions] efforts to realize goals [RSS: application of resources in fulfilling goals] 2) acquisition of specific roles (e.g., leadership in an organization) 3) complex role set; border-crossing skills (Stanton-Salazar , 1997; Stanton-Salazar & Spina; Coser) C. Knowledge Acquisition 1) acquisition of funds of knowledge associated with ascension within the educational system (includes implicit and explicit socialization into institutional discourses that regulate communication, interaction, and exchange within mainstream institutional spheres (Stanton-Salazar, 1997, p. 11) D. Changes [transformations] in the Individuals Social Network A. [consciousness] Network orientation & help-seeking orientation B. Network Development: knowledge and skills necessary to effectively negotiate with various gatekeepers and actors within and outside of the school environment (see Stanton-Salazar, 1997, p. 11) resource mobiliza-tion skills (Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995). The Interpersonal Level---Power: defined in interpersonal terms as the ability to influence others in attain desired resources and goals.

C. Opportunities for expansion of social network *** critical consciousness: a critical understanding of ones sociopolitical context are fundamental aspects of empowering processes. (p. 583) (Zimmerman, 1995) True goal of education in a democracy to help people maintain their inalienable rights by developing their uniquely human capacities to name, analyze, and collaboratively transform oppressive conditions in their lives. (81) [Alschuler] focuses on achieving an in-depth understanding of the world, allowing for the perception and exposure of social and political contradictions. Critical consciousness also includes taking action against the oppressive elements in one's life that are illuminated by that understanding [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_consciousness] Critical consciousness is the ability to perceive social, political, and economic oppression and to take action against the oppressive elements of society Freire defines conscientization as learning to perceive social, political and economic contradictions and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality (1973a: 20) (Lee, J) Critical transforming exercise intellectual skills in naming the critical rules & roles of the system (Alschuler) Domination reveals the pathology of love: sadism in the dominator and masochism in the dominated. (64)

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A crucial means for gaining power is the development of a critical consciousness: an understanding of how power relationships in the society shape ones perception and experiences, as well as an ability to identify how one can assume a role in social change (citations). [p. 7] (Gutierrez & Lewis) Critical consciousness with regard to relationships extends to understanding the location of the self and social groups in society. It involves an interpretation of the distributive system in society, a perception of ones position in the social order, an overall evaluation of that order, and a sense of group solidarity (Kleugel and Smith, 1981). ] (Gutierrez & Lewis) It includes a collective orientation to social change, feelings of discontent with the distribution of power, relative deprivation, a rejection of the legitimacy of power disparities between groups that includes blaming the system for outcomes, and an identification with shared group values and interests (citations). [italics theirs] Empowerment practice can be focused at three levels: the personal, the interpersonal, and the political o Individual Empowerment: .being able to experience oneself as powerful and capable provides a foundation for other levels of empowerment. Achieving personal empowerment involves recognizing and identifying the power one already has (Freire, 1973; Gutierrez, 1990] (Gutierrez & Lewis) o the nature of praxis: the process by which we reflect, act, then reflect again in a spiraling manner. (Lee, J) o Praxis is a way of learning that integrates activity and thinking about activity. In this method, the critical conscious is integrated into the social activity, and is not separated from it. From the perspective of planning, the separation from political practice is not permissible. [...] Critique unrelated to action is a respectable, bourgeois practice that is tolerated precisely because it is irrlevant (Friedmann, 1987, p. 268). [Sadan] o Interpersonal: 1) people increase their abilities to influence others, often through the develop of specific skills, such as training in problem solving or assertiveness (Gutierrez, Oh, and Gillmore, 1997), or o learning how to influence the political process.

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Characteristics of an Institutional Agent [drawing from the Social Work literature] Empowerment theory: Empowerment is an active, participatory process through which individuals, organizations, and communities gain: greater control, [RSS: agency] efficacy [RSS: social competencies], and [individuals, organizations, and communities gain] social justice (Rappaport, 1987; Solomon, 1976). [the SC literature] Although empowerment may be considered multilevel in nature, most empirical work has been limited to the individual level (Zimmerman, 2000). Studies have focused on participatory mechanisms (Cox, 2002; Gutierrez, 1995; Le Bosse et al., 1999; Peterson & Reid, 2003) and measurement (Frymier, Shulman, & Houser, 1996; Segal, Silverman, & Temkin, 1995; Speer, 2000; Speer & Peterson, 2000; Spreitzer, 1995; Zimmerman, 1995; Zimmerman & Zahniser, 1991) of individual-level empowerment rather than relevant processes, structures, and outcomes for organizations and communities.
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-2616643_ITM

[functions of SW] [ideological-ethical commitments]: [consciousness/disposition/character]: o non-judgmental o trust-building orientation a. [social work skill-set]: b. [network assets & network orientation, RSS] c. [sociological/socio-psychological knowledge/training] (1) Social workers have to help people feel welcome and encouraged by the social worker to enable them to function more adequately in the future. [function: to empower the client] (2) [trust-building: SCstructural properties of the medium, social relationship]: Building a solid relationship is the first step in most social work practice.

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(3) [non-judgmental] social workers don't judge them personally. Social workers accept clients as they are and work to help them overcome the problems they face. [function: to empower the client: work to help them overcome the problems they face] [RSS: SWs must first understand! the problems their clients face] (4) [ideological-ethical commitments]: Social work is more than a set of skills. It requires a humanitarian imagination and set of beliefs. social justice (Rappaport, 1987; Solomon, 1976). (5) [ideological-ethical commitments]: Social workers place their greatest emphasis on advocating for their clients and helping their clients meet their needs. That is one of the ethical principles of the profession. The primary identification of social workers is with those they serve, rather than with their employers or with their own personal interests as social workers. (6) [ideological-ethical commitments]: Ethical social work practice requires social work professionals to avoid dual relationships. That is, the social worker working with a client on personal and social problems should not also have business or personal relationships with that client or that client's immediate family. (7) [social work skill-set]: Social workers are regularly called upon to make public addresses--to community groups, civic clubs, and many other groups. Therefore, public speaking skill is essential for many social work jobs and useful in all others.

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