Social Action

The first Review Committee on Social Work Education (1965) felt that "for half a century the role of
the social worker in India was that of the social reformer. Now that the main aim of social reform has
been achieved, the task of the social worker has taken on a different form......he has to look after the needs
of children in orphanages, to rehabilitate the unmarried mother and to save children from the stigma of
illegitimacy with Independence has developed also the consciousness of other evils in society: poverty,
insanitation, prostitution, drunkenness. These evils are beyond the capacity of social work coalesces more
or less with the field of the social worker in the West. Now that the social worker has ceased to be the
social reformer in the old sense, it has become possible to benefit from the experience of social work
training institutions in other countries."1
The Second Review Committee on Social Work Education (1978) in its report stated that "an inquiry
into the causes of poverty and evolution of measures for its elimination was the responsibility of social
work".2 Unfortunately this emphasis was not given anywhere in the world. Our present model, takes up
the cause of assisting people in their adjustment to the social environment. It is not working for the
identification of the cause of poverty and removing these. It has now been realized that industrialization
cannot eliminate poverty even from the affluent societies. Therefore, now the emphasis is being given to
teach social action, social policy and social administration.
Mary Richmond was the first social worker and writer who used the word 'social action' in 1922 but
it could not get due place among the methods of social work though it has received much attention in the
developing countries. "In developing countries, social action is crucial and must precede social work. It is
wasteful in a developing country to start with social work and leave social action behind. Social action
creates necessary conditions and social climate in which social work could be done more effectively3
I. Definition
Some of the definitions of social action are being given below:
Richmond Mary (1922)
Social action is mass betterment through propaganda and social legislation.4
Lee, Porter R. (1937)
Social action seems to suggest efforts directed toward changes in law or social structure or towards
the initiation of new movements for the modification of current social practices. 5
Covie, Grace L. (1937)
Social action is "the attempt to change the social environment in ways which will make life more
satisfactory. It aims to affect not individuals but social institutions, laws, customs; communities." 6
Fitch, John (1940)
Social action is legally permissible action by a group (or by an individual trying to promote group
action) for the purpose of furthering objectives that are both legal and socially desirable. 7
Hill, John L. (1951)
Social Action might be described-as organized group effort to solve mass social problems or to
further socially desirable objectives by attempting to influence basic social and economic conditions or
practices.8
Wickendon, E. (1956)
Social action is a term applied to that aspect of organized social welfare activity directed towards
shaping, modifying or maintaining the social institution and policies that collectively constitute the social
environment.9
Solender, S. (1957)
Social action in the field of social work is a process of individual, group of intergroup endeavour,
within the context of social work philosophy, knowledge and skill. Its objectives is to enhance the welfare
of the society through modifying social policy and the functioning of social structure, working to obtain
new progress and services.10
Friedlander, W.A. (1963)
Social action is an individual, group or community effort, within the framework of social work
philosophy and practice that aims to achieve social progress, to modify social policies and to improve
social legislation and health and welfare services.11
Nanavati, M.C. (1965)
Social action is a process of bringing about the desired changes by deliberate group and community
effort. Social action does not end with the enactment and signing of social legislation, but that the
execution of policies was the real test of the success or failure of social action.12
Baldwin (1965)
Social action as "organized effort to change social and economic institutions as distinguished from
social work or social service, the fields of which do not characteristically cover essential changes in
established institutions. Social action covers movements of political reform, industrial democracy, social
legislation, racial and social justice, religious freedom and civil liberty, its techniques include
propoganda, research and lobbying."13
Singh, S. (1986)
Social action is a process in which conscious, systematic and organized efforts are made by some
elite (s) and/or people themselves to bring about change in the system which is instrumental in solving
problems and improving conditions which limit the social functioning of the weaker and vulnerable
sections. It is, on the practical plane, nearer to social reform than to social revolution which aims at
smashing the entire existing social structure and to build up a new social set up. It is conflictual in nature
but at the same time non-violent.14
Social action should be seen as an endeavour to bring about or prevent change in the social system
through a process of making people aware of the social, political and economic realities conditioning
their lives and by mobilizing them to organize themselves for bringing about the desired change, or to
prevent the change that adversely affects them, through the use of whatever strategies they may find
workable, with the exception of violence.15
Social action is a conflictual process of varying intensity, initiated and conducted by the masses or
by a group of elites, with or without the participation of the masses in the action against the structures or
institutions or policies or programmes or procedures of the government and/or relevant agencies and/or
power groups to eradicate/control any mass socio-economic-political problem with a view to bringing
betterment to any section of the under-privileged at a level larger than that of a sociologically defined
community.16
The Social Action is a community-oriented model that is used to increase the
problem-solving ability of entire communities through achieving concrete changes towards social justice.
That is, individuals within communities come together to redress the imbalance of powers or privileges
between a disadvantaged group and society at large. These key concepts include empowerment, critical
consciousness, community capacity, social capital, issue selection, and participation and relevance, which
are defined below.17
1. Empowerment, is any social process that allows people to gain mastery over their lives and their
community. In doing so, empowerment aims to transform power relations between communities,
institutions, and governmental agencies.
2. Critical Consciousness is a mental state by which members in a community recognize the need for
social change and are ready to work to achieve those changes. Although this process is not obvious,
it is completely necessary in achieving community involvement.
3. Community Capacity characteristics of a community that affect their ability to mobilize and identify
and solve social problems. These characteristics include the presence of leadership, participation,
skills, sense of community, and more.
4. Social Capital, are community resources that exist via relationships formed between community
members. Social resources such as trust, reciprocity, and civic engagement can connect individuals
in a fragmented community across social boundaries and power hierarchies, facilitating community
building and organization. Social networking techniques and enhancing social support are
important methods that build social capital.
5. Issue Selection is the process by which communities identify winnable, specific goals that unify and
build community strength, in this process, individuals work together to select issues they feel are
relevant to the entire community.
6. Participation and Relevance, after selecting an issue, communities need to engage members and
work on implementing their plan of action.
Objectives of Social Action
The main aim of social action is the proper shaping and development of socio-cultural environment
in which a richer and fuller life may be possible for all the citizens. 18
The following objectives have been identified:
1) prevention of needs,
2) solution of mass problems,
3) improvement in mass conditions,
4) influencing institutions,
5) policies and practices,
6) introduction of new mechanisms or programmes,
7) re-distribution of power,
8) resources (human, material and moral),
9) decision-making,
10) effect on thought and action structure,
11) improvement in health, and
12) education and welfare.19
Forms of Social Action
Britto20 has identified two types of social actions:
1. Action initiated and conducted by the elites for the benefit of the masses.
2. Popular social action.
He identifies three sub-models of each types of social action. In the first model he mentioned the
following types:
(a) Legislative action model- in this model elites try to modify the social policy by creating public
opinion against the problems.
(b) Sanction model- the elites, by gaining control over some economic, social, political or religious
weapon, try to obtain benefits for the society.
(c) Direct physical model- elites take an action and punish those responsible for the cause of injustice.
The second type of social action has the following three sub-models:
(a) Conscientization model based on Paulo Friere's concept of creating awareness among masses
through education.
(b) Dialectical model promoting conflict to exploit the contradictions in a system, with the belief that a
better system will emerge as a result.
(c) Direct mobilization whereby specific issues are taken up by the actionists and the masses are
mobilized to resort to protests and strikes to achieve the objectives.
Principles of Social Action
Britto21 has described the following principles of social action which emerged out of the analysis of
the methodology used by Gandhi ji to mobilize the masses during the freedom movement.
1. Principle of Credibility Building
It is the task of creating a public image of the leadership, the organization and the participants of the
movement as champions of justice, rectitude and truth. It helps in securing due recognition from the
opponent the reference-public, and the peripheral participants of the movement.
2. Principle of Legitimization
Legitimization is the process of convincing the reference-public and the general public that the
movement-objectives are morally right. The ideal would be making a case for the movement as a moral-
imperative. Movement makers might use theological, philosophical, legal-technical, public opinion paths
to establish the tenability of the movement's objectives.
3. Principle of Dramatization
Dramatization is the principle of mass mobilization by which the leaders of a movement galvanize
the population into action by emotional appeal to heroism, sensational news-management, novel
procedures, pungent slogans and such other techniques.
4. Principle of Multiple Strategies
There are two basic approaches to development: conflictual and non-conflictual. Taking the main
thrust of a programme, one can classify it as political, economic or social. Four developmental strategies
have been identified by Zeltman and Duncan. These are:
(i) Educational Strategy -
(a) adult education (b) education by demonstration
(ii) Persuasive Strategy
(iii) Facilitative Strategy
(iv) Power Strategy
5. The Principle of Dual Approach
Any activist has to build counter-systems moribund or revive some moribund system which is
thought to be beneficial to the needs of the mobilized public on a self-help basis without involving
opponents. Counter-system must be built up and traditional systems must be transformed or humanized
in any developmental operation.
6. The Principle of Manifold Programmes
These are of three categories:
(i) Social Programmes
(ii) Political Programmes
(iii) Economic Programmes
Skills Involved in Social Action21
Followings kills are involved in social action to serve community:
1. Relational Skills: The social worker have skills for building rapport with individuals and groups
and skills for maintaining these relations. He/she should be able to develop and maintain
professional relationship with the clients. The social worker should have the ability to identify the
leadership qualities among the clientele and should be skillful to harness these qualities for social
action.
2. Analytical and Research Skills : The social worker should have the ability to objectively study the
socio- cultural and economic characteristics of the community. He/she should be able to find out the
pressing problems and needs of the clientele analyze the social problems, the factors contributing to
 the social problems and its ramifications on the social, economic, political, ideological cultural
aspects of life.
3. Intervention Skills : The social worker should have the ability to help the clientele chalk out
practical intervention strategies to deal with the problem. The social worker must inform the
community about the consequences of taking up hard steps like sit-ins, boycotts, strikes, etc.
4. Managerial Skills: Social worker also needs the knowledge and ability to handle organisation,
which may be the outcome of the institutionalization of people's participation. Social worker should
be able to coordinate and collaborate with various groups and local leaders so as to unite the
clientele for the required intervention. Social workershould be skillful enough to make policies and
programmes, programme planning, coordinating, recording, budgeting and elementary accounting
and maintenance of various records.
5. Communication Skills: These skills are highly crucial for social action. The social worker should
have the ability to develop effective public relations with local organisations and leaders. Social
worker should be able to effectively communicate verbally (including public speaking) and in
writing as well. The social worker should be able to deliver or identify people who can deliver
powerful speeches. He/she should be able to devise indoor/outdoor media for effective
communicating with the target audiences.
6. Training Skills: The social worker should be able to train local leaders and identified leaders for
taking up the charge of mass mobilization and confrontation with the authorities. Social worker
should be able to train selected people at the local level aimed at imparting knowledge about the
social issue taken up for action and the modalities of carrying out the intervention including the
'confrontation process'.
Process of Social Action
Lees22 has suggested nine tactics which are used by social actionists:
Tactics Stage
1. Research
2. Education Developing awareness
3. Cooperation
4. Organization Organization
5. Arbitration
6. Negotiation Strategies
7. Mild coercion
8. Violation of legal norms
9. Joint Action Action
The first step in the social action process is to make people aware about the social problems and
situations responsible for these problems. The next step is to develop an organization to deal with these
situations. He will suggest certain strategies to achieve the defined goals. Now the efforts are made to
mobilize people to organize activities on the lines of strategies to achieve the goal.
Strategies of Social Action
Lees23 has identified three types of strategies for social action:
1. Collaboration
In this strategy, the social workers collaborate with the local authority and other authorities or
agencies in order to bring about improvements in the existing social policy. The basic assumption of this
approach is homogeneity of values and interests, through which substantive agreement on proposals in
obtainable. No one stands to lose a great deal of power, authority or money, since change occurs within a
consensus that includes both values and interests.
2. Competition
In this strategy contending parties utilize commonly accepted campaign tactics to persuade, to
negotiate and to bargain, with a willingness to arrive at a working agreement.
3. Disruption
This strategy signifies more militant approach and it may include strikes, boycotts, fasts, tax-refusal
'sitins' etc.
Richard Bryant24 postulates two sets of strategies- bargaining and confrontation. Bargaining means
lobbying, submitting petitions, information and publicity campaigns, etc. Whereas confrontation includes
strikes, demonstrations and 'sitins'.
Hornstein25 has mentioned the following strategies for social intervention: individual change,
techno-structural data based organizational development and cultural change, violence and coercion and
non-violent action. Accommodation, exposures, living examples, public support, presentation of
proposals, competition, lobbying, agitation and subversion etc. Sharp has identified as many as 198
methods of non-violent action.26 Hornstein27 has classified them as under:
1. Direct action tactics: picketing, marches, fraternization, haunting, leafleting and renouncing
honours.
2. Non-cooperation: strike, boycott, tax refusal
3. Intervention: Sit-in, fast, reverse strike, obstruction.
Models of Social Action
Singh28 has mentioned the following models of social action.
1. Institutional Model (State)
The state generally takes an indirect action and is directed for the benefit of the people with or
without their participation. The approach is parliamentary, representational, bureaucratic and elitist. The
action is organized or sponsored within the framework of law, or may be legalized subsequently i.e.
regularization of unauthorized settlements. State action may include residual/institutional (mixed)
models.
2. Institutional-Social Model
It visualizes social action by non-governmental institutions aided or unaided, which initiate action
directly or otherwise and in the course of time secure people's active support. In the beginning, the action
is initiated for the people but subsequently it progresses with and through them. The thrust of such an
action may be welfare or normative and may take place within the frame work of law.
3. Social-Institutional Model
Here the social action may be organized by the citizens, self help groups, elites, the deprived and
others for their benefit but in its progression and development may seek support from formal groups and
institutions), which may like to espouse its cause. Depending upon its success it may institutionalize itself
formally.
4. Populist/Movement Model
It relies on popular social base and power, rejects dependency and stresses self-reliance through
collective effort, active participation and continuing education. This is an ideal form of social action in
that participants experience thinking, deciding and working together in helping themselves and in the
process also strengthen their social base and power.
5. Gandhian Model
This model emphasizes on spirituality, purity of means and ends, non-violence as a creed, austerity
(limitation of want) and moral rearmament of people.
Role of Social Worker in Social Action
Clarke29 has mentioned the following roles of a social worker in social action.
1. All social workers are interested in promoting the welfare of the individual and as a consequence
every social agency sooner or later is concerned with some aspect of social action. Social work
practitioners have the responsibility of keeping their constituency informed of conditions creating
the problems they handle so that the agency which is composed of supporters, staff and clients can
share in achieving social change.
2. It is agreed that every social worker as a citizen has a constitutional right to participate in any form
of legal social action that he chooses whether it be as a trade union member fighting for the
principles of his group; as a member of neighbourhood camp advocating slum clearance; as an
individual espousing the cause of religious freedom racial equality, civil liberties, free birth-control
clinics, disability and health insurance; as a member of a political party; or as a member of a citizen's
political action group.
3. The Rev. Mr. Dwight J. Bradley, Director of the Religious Association of the National Citizens
Political Action Committee, urged active participation in political movements. It was bound up with
political action, hence, if we are to be realistic about social change, we cannot evade association with
political-action groups.
4. Social workers as individuals or professional persons will support specific programmes because
they believe in them, not because they have professional expertness about them.
5. Social worker may participate in social action as a primary or secondary activity.
The profession of social work in India has hitherto now not paid adequate attention either to
education or to practice of social action. Major concerns of professionals in this area have revolved largely
around disaster situations or disturbances.30
References
1. Quoted by Siddiqui. H.Y. (ed) : Social Work and Social Action, Harnom Publications, 1984, pp. 3-4.
2. Ibid, p. 5.
3. Kulkarni, V.M.: "Social Workers are not Revolutionaries" in Towards a Philosophy of Social Work, Das Gupta
(ed), Popular Book Services, New Delhi, p. 112.
4. Richmond, Marry, E., What is Social Case Work?, Russell Sage Foundation, 1922, p. 23.
5. Lee, Porter R.: "The Social Worker and Social Action", in Portar R. Lee (ed.) Social Work as Change and
Function, Columbia University Press, New York, 1937, p. 270.
6. Coyle, Grace L. : "Case Work and Group Work, Social Workers and Social Action", Survey Midmonthly, LXXIII
May 1937, pp. 138-139.
7. Fitch, John: "The Nature of Social Action" Proceedings, National Conference of Social Work, New York, 1940, p.
488.
8. Hill, John L.: "Social Action", Social Work Year Book, A.A. S.W. 1951, p. 455.
9. Wickendon, E.: 'Social Action', Encylopaedia of Social Work, SASW, New York, 1956.
10. Solender, S.:'Social' Action'-Social Work Year Book, 1957, pp. 517-18.
11. Friedlander, W.A.: Introduction to Social Welfare, Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi, 1963, p. 219.
12. Nanavati, M.C.: "Social Action and the Professional Social Work" Social Work Forum, Vol III, No. 2,1965, pp. 26-
29.
13. Baldwin, Roger N.: (1966) quoted by Siddiqui, H.Y. (ed), Social Work and Social Action, Harnam Publications,
New Delhi, 1984 p. 12.
14. Singh, Surendra: 'Social Action" in Horizons of Social Work (ed) by Surendra Singh & K.S. Soodan, op. cit, p.
161.
15. Siddiqui, H.Y. (ed) : Social Work and Social Action, Harnam Publications, New Delhi, 1984, p. 16.
16. Britto, G.A.A.: "Social Action and Social Work Education in the Eighties" in Social Work and Social Action, (ed)
Siddiqui, H.Y., op. cit, p. 50.
17. Minkler, M., Wallerstein, N., Wilson, N. "Improving Health Through Community Organization and
Community Building." Glanz, K. Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. San
Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. 291-298.
18. Jacob, K. K.: Methods and Fields of Social Work in India, Asia Publishing House, Bombay, 1963, p. 69.
19. Singh, R.R.: Social Action: Some Reflection in Siddiqui Book, op. cit., p. 107.
20. Britto, G.A.A.: Social Action and Social Work Education in the Eighties, Paper Presented at ASSWI Seminar
Kalanassery, Kerala, 1980.
21. Antony Beena and Kaushik Archan : Social action: Concept and principles Social Work intervention with
communication and institutions, SLM, IGNOU, New Delhi.
http://www.ignou.ac.in/upload/Bswe-003%20Block-3-UNIT-11-small%20size.pdf 20.10.14
22. Lees, R.: Politics and Social Work, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1972, by Siddiqui, H.Y. op. cit, p. 19.
23. Ibid, p. 21.
24. Bryant. R.: Community Action, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 2, No. 2, 1972, quoted by Siddiqui. H.Y. op.
cit. pp. 21-22.
25. Hornstein, H.A. (ed.): Social Intervention: A Behavioural Science Approach, Free Press, New York, 1971, pp. 1-
5.
26. Sharp: The Politics of Non-Violence, p. 117 quoted by Singh, R.R. op. cit. p. 121.
27. Hornstein, H.A. (ed.) op. cit. 558FF.
28. Singh, R.R.: "Social Work and Social Action: Some Reflections' in Siddiqui's book op. cit. pp. 117-19.
29. Clarke, Helen, I. : Principles and Practice of Social Work Appleton-Century Crofts Inc. New York, 1947, pp. 170-
175.
30. Ibid, p. 127.

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