With the growth of the elderly population, the theme of empowerment and its actual negotiation will emerge as an issue of great importance. The aged are vulnerable in many ways and occupy still relatively limited social roles with restricted access to social goods. They are often undermined in their desire for self-determination. It is suggested that by introducing a postmodern approach in helping this group, the basic principles of social work can be enriched. Empowerment that includes opportunities for growth, mastery, significance, and meaning can be substantially increased. This article outlines the rationale for this approach and discusses the process of collaboration, the therapeutic relationship, and intervention strategies. While this article is limited to the elderly, the appreciation of the postmodern approach has implications for people in need for other populations as well.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AndersonH., & GoolishianH. A. (1988). Human systems as linguistic systems: Preliminary and evolving ideas about the implications for clinical theory. Family Process, 27, 371–394.
2.
AndersonS. C., & MandellD. L. (1989). The use of self disclosure by professional social workers. Social Casework, 70(5), 259–267.
3.
Boszormeny-Nagy, & SparkG. (1973). Invisible loyalties. Reciprocity in intergenerational family therapy.New York: Harper & Row.
4.
BrunerE. (1986). Experience and its expressions. In TurnerV. and BrunerE. (Eds.), The anthropology of experience (pp. 4–18). Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
5.
BrunerJ. (1990). Acts of meaning.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
6.
Byng-HallJ. (1995). Creating a secure family base: Some implications of attachment theory for family therapy. Family Process, 34(1), 45–58.
7.
CochranM. (1992). Parent empowerment: Developing a conceptual framework. Family Sciences Review, 5, 3–21.
8.
CushmanP. (1990). Why the self is empty: Towards a historically situated psychology. American Psychologist, 45, 599–611.
9.
FrankG., & VanderburghR. M. (1986). Cross-cultural use of life history methods in gerontology. In KeithJ. (Ed.), New methods for old age research: Strategies for studying diversity (pp. 185–212). South Hadley, MA: Bergen & Garvey.
10.
FranklinC. (1995). Expanding the vision of the social constructionist debates: Creating relevance for practitioners. Families in Society, 76(7), 395–404.
11.
GeertzC. (1983). Local knowledge: Further essays in interpretive anthropology.New York: Basic Books, 44, 893–904.
12.
GergenK. (1985). The social constructionist movement in modern psychology. American Psychologist, 40(3), 266–275.
13.
GergenK. J., and KayeJ. (1992). Beyond narrative in the negotiation of therapeutic meaning. In McNameeS. and GergenK. J. (Eds.) Therapy as social construction, (pp. 166–185). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14.
Grossman-DeanR. (1993). Constructivism: An approach to clinical practice. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 63(2), 127–146.
15.
HarriganM. P. (1992). Advantages and disadvantages of multigenerational family household: Views of three generations. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 11(4), 457–474.
16.
HazanH. (1994). Old age constructions and deconstructions.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
17.
HoffmanL. (1985). Beyond power and control: Toward a “second order” family systems therapy. Family Systems Medicine, 3, 381–396.
18.
HoffmanL. (1990). Constructing realities: An art of lenses. Family Process, 29(11), 1–12.
19.
KamP. K. (1996). Empowering elderly people: A community work approach. Community Development Journal, 31(1), 230–240.
20.
LairdJ. (1995). Family-centered practice in the postmodern area. Families in Society, 76(3), 150–162.
21.
PappP., & Imber-BlackE. (1996). Family themes: Transmission and transformation. Family Process, 35(5), 5–20.
22.
ParéD. A. (1995). Of families and other cultures: The shifting paradigm of family therapy. Family Process, 34(1), 1–19.
23.
ParéD. A. (1996). Culture and meaning: Expanding the metaphorical repertoire of family therapy. Family Process, 35(1), 21–42.
24.
RichardsonL. (1988). The collective story: Postmodernism and the writing of sociology. Sociological Focus, 21(3), 199–207.
25.
RosenauP. M. (1992). Postmodernism and the social sciences.Princeton: Princeton University Press.
26.
SchnitzerP. K. (1993). Tales of the absent father: Applying the “story” metaphor in family therapy. Family Process, 32(4), 441–458.
27.
SchindlerR. (1996). Normative crises of the very old and their adult children: A personal account. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 25(3/4), 3–15.
28.
SchindlerR. (1997). Re-attachments with the old, old (a personal account). International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 45(1), 39–47.
29.
SmartB. (1992). Modern conditions, postmodern controversies.London: Routledge.
30.
StullD. E.KosolskiK., & KercherK. (1994). Caregiver burden and generic well being: Opposite sides of the same coin?The Gerontologist, 34(1), 89–94.
31.
WeickA. (1993). Reconstructing social work education, In LairdJ. (Ed.) Revisioning social work education: A social constructivist approach (pp. 11–30). New York: Haworth.
32.
WellsT. L. (1994). Therapist self-disclosure: Its effects on clients and the treatment relationship. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 65(1), 25–41.
33.
WhiteM., & EpstonD. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends.New York: Norton.
34.
WolinS., & WolinS. (1993). The resilient self: How survivors of troubled families rise above diversity.New York: Villard.
35.
ZimmermanJ. L., & DickersonV. C. (1994). Using a narrative metaphor: Implications for theory and clinical practice. Family Process, 33(3), 233–245.
