Adultcentrism is the tendency of adults to view children and their problems from a biased, adult perspective, thus creating barriers to effective practice with children. The author (1) examines the roots of social work's adultcentrism in history and developmental theory, (2) discusses how adultcentrism influences practice, and (3) considers ways in which practitioners can combat adultcentrism in practice.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.) Washington, DC: Author.
2.
AriesP. (1962). Centuries of childhood.London: Jonathan Cape.
3.
Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. (1981). Graduate study in behavior therapy: Social work departments.New York: Author.
4.
BarthR. P. (1988, Winter). Disruption in older child adoptions. Public Welfare, 46, 23–29.
5.
BarthR. P., & BerryM. B. (1987, March). Outcomes of child welfare services under permanency planning. Social Service Review, 61, 71–90.
6.
BenedictR. (1934). Patterns of culture.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
7.
BushM. (1980). Institutions for dependent and neglected children: A therapeutic option of choice or a last resort?American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 50, 239–255.
8.
BushM., & GordonA. C. (1982). The case for involving children in child welfare decisions. Social Work, 27, 309–314.
9.
Children's Defense Fund. (1990). Children 1990: A report card, briefing book and action primer.Washington DC: Author.
10.
Child rights become law. (1990). Action for Children, 5(2), 1, 4.
11.
ClappG. (1988). Child study research: Current perspectives and applications.Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
12.
ComptonB. R., & GalawayB. (1989). Social work processes (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
13.
CookT. D., & ReichardtC. S. (Eds.). (1979). Qualitative and quantitative methods in evaluation research.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
14.
DenzinN. K. (1977). Childhood socialization.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
15.
The Family Therapy Networker. (1991). 15(4).
16.
FineG. A., & SandstromK. L. (1988). Knowing children: Participant observation with minors.Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
17.
Gallup Organization. (1988). A study of the parental experience of American parents.Chicago: Family Resource Coalition.
18.
GergenK. J. (1983). Toward transformation in social knowledge.New York: Springer-Verlag.
GoodeD. (1986). Kids, cultures, and innocents. Human Studies, 9, 85–106.
21.
GrazianoA. M., & BythellD. L. (1983). Failures in child behavior therapy. In FoaE. B., & EmmelkampP. (Eds.), Failures in behavior therapy (pp. 406–424). New York: John Wiley.
22.
GrotbergE. H. (1976). Child development. In GrotbergE. H. (Ed.), Two hundred years of children (pp. 391–420). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
23.
HepworthD. H., & LarsenJ. (1990). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
24.
HoffmanL. (1981). Foundations of family therapy.New York: Basic Books.
25.
JohnsonH. (1986). Emerging concerns in family therapy. Social Work, 31, 299–305.
26.
JohnsonL. C. (1989). Social work practice: A generate approach (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
27.
KadushinA. (1980). Child welfare services (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
28.
KaganJ. (1984). Continuity and change in the opening years of life. In EmdeR. N., & HarmonR. J. (Eds.), Continuities and discontinuities in development (pp. 15–44). New York: Plenum Press.
29.
KaganR. M., & ReidW. J. (1986). Critical factors in the adoption of emotionally disturbed youths. Child Welfare, 65(1), 63–73.
30.
KnitzerJ.SteinbergZ., & FleischB. (1990). At the schoolhouse door.New York: Bank Street College of Education.
31.
MackayR. W. (1973). Conceptions of children and models of socialization. In TurnerR. (Ed.), Ethnomethodology (pp. 180–195). Baltimore, MD: Penguin.
32.
MahlerM.PineF., & BergmanA. (1975). The psychological birth of the human infant: Symbiosis and individuation.New York: Basic Books.
33.
MeltonG. (1982). Children's rights: Where are the children?American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52, 530–538.
34.
MoralesA., & SheaforB. W. (1989). Social work: A profession of many faces (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
35.
PetrC. G. (1988). The worker–client relationship: A general systems perspective. Social Casework, 69, 620–626.
36.
PetrC. G., & SpanoR. (1990). Evolution of social services for children with emotional disorders. Social Work, 35, 228–234.
37.
PhillipsK. (1990). The politics of rich and poor: Wealth and the American electorate in the Reagan aftermath.New York: Random House.
38.
PincusA., & MinahanA. (1973). Social work practice: Model and method.Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock.
39.
ReidW. J.KaganR. M.KaminskyA., & HelmerK. (1987). Adoption of older institutionalized youth. Social Caseuwrk, 68, 140–149.
40.
SchragP. (1978). Mind control.New York: Pantheon Books.
41.
SgroiS. M. (1982). Handbook of clinical intervention in child sexual abuse.Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
42.
ShulmanL. (1984). The skills of helping individuals and groups (2nd ed.). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock.
43.
SmollerJ. W. (1986). The etiology and treatment of childhood. In EllenbogenG. C. (Ed.), Oral sadism and the vegetarian personality (pp. 3–14). New York: Ballantine Books.
44.
SnowC. W. (1989). Infant development.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice–Hall.
45.
SpechtH. (1988). New directions for social work practice.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice–Hall.
46.
SternD. (1985). The interpersonal world of the infant.New York: Basic Books.
47.
StolzS. B. (1978). Ethical issues in behavior modification.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
48.
StoneL. J.SmithH. T., & MurphyL. B. (Eds.). (1973). The competent infant.New York: Basic Books.
49.
SumnerW. G. (1906). Folkways.New York: Ginn.
50.
ThyerB. (Ed.). (1989). Behavioral family therapy.Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
51.
TrattnerW. I. (1974). From poor law to welfare state.New York: Free Press.
52.
WakslerF. (1986). Studying children: Phenomenological insights. Human Studies, 9, 71–82.
