Includes references.

Each chapter begins with "Introduction" and concludes with "Chapter Exercise." Each unit concludes with "Unit Summary." I.YOU AND THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION. Introduction. 1.A Very Special Mission. Historical Perspective.Ethical Perspective.2.Merging Personal and Professional Goals. Professional Goals.Personal Goals.3.Disempowerment, Oppression, and the Professional Encounter. Learning One's "Place" in the World.The Professional Encounter.Our Clients' Experiences.Our Own Experiences.4.A Brief Look at Client Populations. "Population" Implies a Shift from "Case" to "Class."Vulnerable and At-Risk Populations.Disempowered Populations.Vulnerable, At-Risk, and Disempowered Populations are Oppressed Populations.Oppressed Populations in the United States Today.Oppression in the Social Work Encounter.Unit I Assignment: Values and Goals. II.EXPLORING SELF-IDENTITY. 5.Theories of Identity Development. Comprehensive Theories of Identity Development.Identity Crisis.Racial/Ethnic/Cultural Identity Formation.Gender Identity Development.Gay and Lesbian Identity Development.Disabled Person Identity Development.6.Exploring and Affirming Your Personal Identity. Individual Identity.Ascribed, Prescribed, and Self-Selected Identity.7.Recognizing the Influence of Others on Your Personal Identity Development. The Family.The Extended Family Group.The School and Peer Group.The Community.The College Years.The Workplace.8.Exploring "Other." "We": A Sometimes Shifting Concept.Unit II Assignment: Personal Identity. III.DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR GROWTH AND CHANGE. Introduction. 9.Viewing "Other" through the Lens of Professional and Personal Values and Commitments. Professional Values and Commitments.Personal Values and Commitments.Recognizing Conflict: Our Values and "Other."Assessing the Commitment for Change.10.A Model for Change. Selecting a Population.Intellectual Learning.Learning from Literature and Film.Learning from Immersion.Learning from Individuals.11.Reassessing "Other." Writing Your Experience.Sharing with Peers.Reexamining Your Feelings and Beliefs about Your Selected "Other."Sharing with Family Members, Friends, and Others.12.Self-Awareness as a Way of Life. Affirming Personal Identity.Defining "Other."Changing Our Definitions.Content and Process: Familiar Terms in a New Context.Using the Process.Self Awareness Is a Life-Long Project.Unit Assignment: Application of the Change Model. Bibliography.