Disciplines and Ideas in Applied

MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)

2nd Semester Module

What is this module about?

This course introduces some Applied Social Sciences, namely, Counseling, Social
Work, and Communication, which draw their foundation from the theories and
principles of Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and other Social Sciences. The
course highlights the seamless interconnectivity of the different applied social science
disciplines while focusing on the processes and applications of these applied disciplines
in critical development areas.
At the end of the course, students shall demonstrate competencies in interacting
and relating with other individuals, groups, and communities; apply social sciences
principles, practices, and tools in addressing the development areas identified by the
class; and analyze how processes in these applied disciplines work in specific life
situations
– Cited from the Deped Curriculum Guide

What you need to know

In this module, you will encounter the following topics:

1. Introduction to the Disciplines of Applied Sciences

2. The Discipline of Counseling
a. Definition
b. Context and Basic Concepts
c. Goals and Scope
d. Principles and Core Values
e. Professionals and Practitioners in the Discipline of Counselling
3. The Discipline of Social Work
a. Definition
b. Context and Basic Concepts
c. Goals and Scope
d. Principles and Core Values
e. Professionals and Practitioners in the Discipline of Social Work
4. The Discipline of Communication
a. Definition
b. Context and Basic Concepts
c. Goals and Scope
d. Principles and Core Values
e. Professionals and Practitioners in the Discipline of Communication

References
1. Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences Self-Learning Module 1
Department of Education – Regional Office 10, Cagayan de Oro City 9000
2. Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences. Sampa, E. M. Rex
Bookstore. First Edition
3. Curriculum Guide. Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences. DepEd.

What you can achieve

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module

The BIG Task

Through this module, you will be empowered more to connect and be an active
part of this humanity – to understand, explore, deal, and propose solutions to social
problems affecting the Philippine setting and current global trend.
I should say, “Kahit sa simple mong paraan, may maiaambag ka.” You are an
important part of this universe. May halaga ka. May magagawa ka.
For your performance task, you will participate in Social Media Experiment,
entitled THE CORNERSTONE EXPERIMENT. I actually created a Facebook page
called Cornerstone, but it needs more support to flourish. Its vision is to share and
spread positivity in the social media.
So, your goal is to help me grow that page so we can inspire, bring hope and
smiles to those who will be “blessed” by our page.
Your task is to SHARE any or combinations of the following media entries:
1. Your photo with inspiring quotes and captions (10 points)
2. 1 video showing you sharing positive and inspiring story/vibes ( 15
points)
3. 3 videos showing you interpreting a song or dance with positive
message (20 points – Tiktok accepted)
4. At least 10 photos of beautiful places, events, smiles, etc. which you
personally captured (25 points)
5. Daily posting of inspiring or Biblical posts for a minimum of 5 days
(30 points)

NOTE:

ONLY the
outputs shared
until April 15
will be graded.

For your concerns

and questions, you
may message me at
my messenger/ Fb
account or text/ call
me at 09085372811.

SOURCE: https://rhowellredefined.com/2018/12/25/christmas-in-the-eyes-of-the-poor-and-miss-
universe-2018/
LESSON 1
Introduction to the Disciplines
2 of Applied Social
Science
 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module

What are you expected to know, do, and value?

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

1. clarify the relationships between pure social sciences and applied social sciences
2. cite differences among the applied social sciences

What do you need to know?

Welcome to Lesson 1! Here you will explore the nature of Social Sciences and
how differs with the Applied Social Sciences. This lesson explains the nature of social
sciences and its different disciplines. In this lesson you will be dealing on questions
such as:
1. What are the main concerns of Social Sciences and Applied Social Sciences?
2. How do social scientists and applied study society?

DEFINING PURE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Social Science is a field of knowledge which aims in predicting and explaining

human behavior.

Humanities seeks to understand human reactions to events and the meanings

impose on experience as a function of culture, historical era and Life History.

Natural Sciences aims to predict natural phenomena and its studies are based on
experimentally controlled existence.

Social Sciences explore the historical, cultural, sociological, psychological, and

the political forces that shape the actions of individuals and their impact on society. The
different disciplines under social sciences all help us in providing better understanding
and appreciation of the complex issues that we face society. Take a look in the diagram
below.

SOURCE: https://slideplayer.com/slide/12815666/

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
In the field of Pure social sciences, we consider in the study the different
disciplines as we face the different issues we try to solve in the society. For example, the
problem of poverty, we consider these disciplines as to how they see the problem. How
does it exist? And why poverty continue to exist? In the field of Economics, perhaps
you could say that it exists because economically there is scarce resources and that
goods and services are priced high and some people cannot attend or meet these needs
and also some are underemployed or unemployed. People who study to solve social
problems are called social scientist. In their study, they solve these social problems
systematically in a process called scientific method.

Scientific method refers to standardized ways of techniques for building

scientific knowledge systematically such as how to interpret and generalize results
which start from identifying problems and ends with conclusions and
recommendations.

Steps in Scientific Method:

1. Defining the problem
2. Reviewing the related Literature
3. Forming Hypothesis
4. Collecting and Analyzing Data
5. Drawing Conclusions and Recommendations

DEFINING THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

To trace the history of Applied Social Sciences, this began as a result of the
reaction during late 1990’s when the different disciplines of social sciences, the history,
psychology history, political science, demography and others were seen as highly
segmented or divided. Scholars argued that these disciplines should work together to
solve social problems. This approach of working together, like combining the different
disciplines in solving different social problems became the focus of the applied social
sciences.

Applied Social Sciences focus on the use and application of the different
concepts, theoretical models, theories from Pure Social Sciences to help understand
people and the society including the different problems and issues it faces.

Applied Social Scientists can use his/her training in different work settings and
use the different theories in analyzing social problems and help to solve these.

DISCIPLINES OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
1. Counseling is a field/discipline of applied social sciences which provides
guidance, help and support to individuals who
experience a diverse set of problems in their lives. In
this discipline you can learn about how important it
is to listen to some problems of other people and
provide guidance to them to help them solve their
own problems.
Counseling provides healing, courage, and
strength for an individual to face his/her issues and
take up the best possible options in moments of life SOURCE:https://
crises. www.verywellhealth.com/grief-loss-
and-mourning-quotes-1132589

2. Social Work is another professional activity of the

applied social sciences. Here practitioners or those
who practice a certain work, help individuals and
families to improve their collective being. In the
succeeding lessons, you will surely learn about this
discipline.
Social work promotes social change, problem
solving in human relationships, and the
empowerment and liberation of people to enhance
SOURCE: Philippine Information
their holistic well-being. Agency

3. Communication Studies provide adequate

training for careers in the field of journalism and
mass communication. If it happened you see
news in TV, those people who work to provide
us information through any media or means fall
in this discipline. Good communication skills are
also important in counseling as well as in social
work.
Communication provides information and
thereby serves the rights of an individual and
the public to be informed and to be heard by SOURCE:https://www.youtube.com/watch?
app=desktop&v=buwp-EAQC3I
their elders and communities.
Remember that through the application of
good journalism together with the correct
knowledge of the different disciplines in the
social sciences, applied social scientists have
enough skills to be able to write, produce,
report and deliver news accurately and
creatively to the viewing public.

SOURCE:
https://www.philstar.com/pilipino-star-
ngayon/opinyon/2018/12/25/1879719/
editoryal-bullying-sa-school

Go to page 20 and accomplish the Learning Task 1.

LESSON 2
The Discipline
5 of Counseling
 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module

What are you expected to know, do, and value?

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. Develop a comprehensive definition of counseling as an applied social science;
2. Describe the context involved in counseling;
3. Identify the principles of counseling;
4. Clarify how the different factors contribute to successful counseling based on the
concepts and principles of counseling;
5. Determine life situations that are within the goals and scope of professional
counseling;
6. Demonstrate how the core values of counseling can be infused in counseling
sessions; and,
7. Identify some career opportunities for counselors.

What do you need to know?

The Discipline of Counseling is a relationship characterized by the application of
one or more psychological theories and a recognized set of communication skills
appropriate to a client’s intimate concerns, problems, or aspirations (Feltham & Dryden,
1993). These clients are individuals or a group in a demoralized, distressed, or in a
negative state of mind about their situation or context. Therefore, a counseling can be
for one person or a group and may be delivered through a number of methods such as
through face-to-face dialog, group work, telephone, e-mail, or other written materials.

I. DEFINITIONS OF COUNSELING

1. Collins Dictionary of Psychology:

Counseling is a process of guiding a person during a stage of life when
reassessments or decisions have to be made about himself or herself and his or
her life course.

2. As a discipline:
It is allied to psychology and deals with normal responses to normal life
events, which may sometimes create stress to some people who, in turn, choose
to ask for help and support.
Counselors exist in a wide range of areas of expertise: marriage, family,
youth, student and other life transitions dealing with managing of issues of loss and
death, retirement, divorce, parenting, and bankruptcy.

3. In School:
It is the heart of guidance services in schools. It is done as individual or
group intervention designed to facilitate positive change in student behavior,
feelings, and attitudes. It helps learners to understand and clarify their views of their
life space and to learn to reach their self-determined goals through meaningful, well-
informed choices and through resolution of problems of an emotional or interpersonal
nature (Burks & Steffire, 1979).

4. As an assessment:

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
Counseling utilizes appraisal and assessment to aid counseling by gathering
information about clients through the use of psychological tests and non-
psychometric devices. Psychometry is a branch of psychology that deals with the
design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement
of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, interests, and personality traits.

II. CONTEXT AND BASIC CONCEPT OF COUNSELING

Context includes peers, the culture, the neighborhoods, the counseling, the client, the
counseling, and the process factor.

1. Peers as Context. Friend’s attitudes, norms, and behaviors have a strong

influence on adolescents. Many personal issues are often introduced to the
individual by their peers. Parents can have much influence over their adolescent
children. Critical family issues involve family roles, both positively and
negatively. In most cases, the impact of parent influence can help counter the
negative influence that peers have on the adolescents’ issues.

2. Neighborhood as Context. A family functions within a particular neighborhood,

wherein, the families work against crime and social isolation that may impact
them. This is much easier in countryside communities where a community
network of parents, teachers, grandparents, and civic leaders exist and where a
sense of collaboration in raising the children is being shared with families.

3. Culture as Context. Culture is the source of norms, values, symbols, and

language which provide the basis for the normal functioning of an individual. It
provides meaning and coherence of life to any orderly life such as community or
organization. Understanding the cultural context of a client makes it easier for a
counselor to appreciate the nature of their struggles. Effective counseling
considers the culture of both the counselor and the client.

4. Counseling as Context. Regardless of the approach in use, the counseling

situation in itself is a context. There is a deliberate specific focus, a set of
procedure, rules, expectations, experiences, and a way of monitoring progress
and determining the results (Corey, 1991). Other success factors include:

a. Client Factors. The client is considered the active part of the process. The
expectations and attitude of the client define the result of the counseling
process and experience. The success or failure of the counseling process
depends so much on the client.

b. Counselor Factors. The personality, skills, and personal qualities of a

counselor can significantly impact the outcomes of the counseling
relationship (Velleman 2001).

c. Contextual Factors. Counselors must consider the environment and

atmosphere where to conduct the sessions. The physical noise and
distance trigger the feeling of emotional safety of the client. Noisy place
can be a distraction that prevents healing. A client has to feel comfortable
and positive. Ideally, counseling should take place in a quiet, warm, and
comfortable place away from any distraction.

d. Process Factors. Velleman (2001) presents the following six stages, which
for him apply to all problem areas in the process of counseling.

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module

i. Developing trust – involves providing warmth, genuineness, and

empathy
ii. Exploring problem areas – involves providing a clear and deep
analysis of what the problem is, where it comes from, its triggers,
and why it may have developed.
iii. Helping to set goals – involves setting and managing goal-directed
interventions
iv. Empowering into action – means fostering action to achieve set
goals.
v. Helping to maintain change – means providing support and other
techniques to enable the client to maintain positive changes.

vi. Agreeing when to end the helping relationship – assures that the
process is being directed by the client and toward independence.

III. GOALS AND SCOPE OF COUNSELING

Counseling is aimed at empowering a client. The general goal is to lead an
individual client or group to self-emancipation (freedom) in relation to a felt problem.
The client should attain insight and understanding of oneself, achieve better self-
awareness, and look at oneself with increased self-acceptance and appreciation, and be
able to manage oneself positively.
Client empowerment means that they develop skills and abilities that require
self-management and improved motivation toward actions that are good for one’s self
and develop a positive outlook toward the past leading to some sense of closure and
termination of the “helping relationship”.

IV. PRINCIPLES OF COUNSELING

Counselors must try to keep these principles in mind at all times to be effective:

A. ADVICE. A counselor makes judgment about the client’s problem and lays-out
options for a course of action. Advice-giving has to avoid breeding a relationship in
which the counselee feels inferior and emotionally dependent on the counselor.

B. REASSURANCE. A counselor provides reassurance (kasiguraduhan) which gives the

client courage to face a problem or confidence that they are pursuing a suitable
course of action. It can bring a sense of relief (kagaanan) that may empower a client to
function normally again.

C. RELEASE OF EMOTIONAL TENSION. Counseling provides clients the

opportunity to get emotional release from their frustrations and personal issues. The
release of tension helps remove mental blocks by providing a solution to the
problem.

D. CLARIFIED THINKING. Clarified (malinaw) thinking encourages a client to accept

responsibility for problems and to be more realistic in solving them.

E. REORIENTATION. It involves a change in the client’s emotional self through

change in basic goals and aspirations. It enables clients to recognize and accept their
own limitations.

F. LISTERNING SKILLS. Good listening skills helps counselors to understand the

concerns and problems of the client.

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
G. RESPECT. Clients must be treated with respect, no matter how peculiar, strange,
disturbed, weird, or utterly different from the counselor.

H. EMPATHY AND POSITIVE REGARD. Empathy (paglalagay ng sarili sa katayuan ng

iba) requires the counselor to listen and understand the feelings and perspectives of
the client and positive regard is an aspect of respect.

I. CLARIFICATION, CONFRONTATION, AND INTERPRETATION. Clarification is

an attempt by the counselor to restate what the client is either saying or feeling, so
the client may learn something or understand the issue better. Confrontation and
interpretation are other advanced principles used by counselors in their
intervention.

J. TRANSFERENCE AND COUNTERTRANSFERENCE. When clients are helped to

understand transference reactions, they are empowered to gain understanding of
important aspects of their emotional life. Countertransference helps both clients and
counselors to understand the emotional and perceptional reactions and how to
effectively manage them.

IV. CORE VALUES OF COUNSELING

A. Respect for human dignity – A counselor must provide unconditional

positive regard, compassion, non-judgmental attitude, empathy, and trust.
B. Partnership – A counselor has to foster partnerships to support an integrated
healing - physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual.
C. Autonomy – Respect for confidentiality and trust in a relationship of
counseling and ensuring a safe environment needed for healing.
D. Responsible caring – Means respecting the potential of every human being to
change and to continue learning throughout his or her life.
E. Personal integrity – Counselors must reflect personal integrity, honesty, and
truthfulness with clients.
F. Social justice – Means accepting and respecting the diversity of the clients –
their culture, languages, lifestyles, identities, ideologies, intellectual capacities,
personalities, and capabilities – regardless of the presented problems or issues.

IV. CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR COUNSELORS

A. Educational and school counselors
B. Vocational or career counselors
C. Marriage and family counselor
D. Addictions and behavioral counselors
E. Mental health counselors
F. Rehabilitation counselors
G. Genetics counselors

Go to page 21 and accomplish the Learning Task 2.

LESSON 3
The Discipline of Social Work

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module

What are you expected to know, do, and value?

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. Define social work
2. Explain the context and the basic concepts of social work
3. Discuss the goals and scope of social work
4. Discuss the principles of social work;
5. Explain the core values of social work; and,
6. Identify some career opportunities for social work profession.

What do you need to know?

The Discipline of Social Work is closely associated with government welfare and
social programs aimed at achieving social justice, fairness, and attainment of social
equilibrium "The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in
human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-
being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes
at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights
and social justice are fundamental to social work." (International Federation of Social
Workers 2013)

SOCIAL WORKERS
 aim to protect vulnerable people from abuse, neglect, or self-harm and to help
enhance their well-being and quality of life. Drawing upon a rich knowledge-
base and theoretical perspectives derived from the social and psychological
sciences, social workers aim to promote positive individual and social change.

 operate within legal frameworks for protecting and supporting vulnerable

people. For example, local authority social workers working with children and
families use child protection policies and procedures to intervene in families to
protect vulnerable children and provide support, while those working with
adults aim to ensure that their needs for care and protection are met.

 Social workers practicing in statutory contexts such as local authorities or

National Health Service (NHS) Trusts commonly assess the need for care,
support and protection of individuals or families, develop care plans, and
provide or manage the provision of care. They are also responsible for
implementing policies, which aim to safeguard vulnerable children or adults and
ensure that people have as much choice and control over services they use as
possible.

 Social workers work closely with other professionals, often known as inter
professional working Mental health social workers, for example, often work in
teams alongside community mental health nurses, occupational therapists,
psychologists, and psychiatrists. However, inter-professional working is
common for all social workers.

FROM SOCIAL CARE TO SOCIAL WORK

Social work has evolved from being a domestic common sense care to
professional service. A wide variety of people in the community, from friends to

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
parents, relatives, volunteers to all people of goodwill participate in providing social
care. This includes providing personal care, supporting individuals with daily living,
and supporting people to engage with their communities and involve more direct
contact with people. There had been no qualifications or professional license required to
do social care. To move from social care giving to social work professional practice, one
has to go through special training to join the social work profession. In the Philippines
and the United Kingdom, social work is a qualified, registered profession with a
protected title. Unlike social care, social work is generally more detached in dealing
with its clients. However, a relationship-based social work does exist in which emphasis
is put on the importance of the relationship social workers have with the people they
are working with (Hartman 2015).

I. DEFINITION OF SOCIAL WORK

The Policy, Ethics, and Human Rights Committee of the British Association of
Social Workers (2012) provides the definition of social work: "the social work profession
promotes social change problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment
and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior
and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their
environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social
work." It is understood here that social work is a profession that fulfills the social
welfare mandate to promote well-being and quality of life. As such, it encompasses
activities directed at improving human and social conditions and alleviating human
distress and social problems through enhancing people's competence and functioning,
ability to access social supports and resources, creating humane and responsive social
services, and expansion of the structures of society that provide opportunities for all
citizens (DuBois & Miley 2008).

II. CONTEXT AND THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF SOCIAL WORK

To appreciate the context and the basic concept of social work, one has to look
into its professional history (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005). The aim of social work is to
help individuals fit better into their environment and change the environment so that it
works better for them.

The context of social work is a place that requires professionals to direct their
service on the needs and empowerment of people who experience some forms of
vulnerability, oppression, and living in poverty.

III. GOALS AND SCOPE OF SOCIAL WORK

DuBois and Miley (2008) highlight the following goals and scope of social work
calling them tenets.

1. Empower people, individually and collectively, to utilize their own problem-

solving and coping capabilities more effectively Support a proactive position
with regard to social and economic policy development to prevent problems for
individuals and society from occurring.
2. Uphold the integrity of the profession in all aspects of social work practice.
3. Establish linkages between people and societal resources to further social
functioning and enhance the quality of life.
4. Develop cooperative networks within the institutional resources system.

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
5. Facilitate the responsiveness of the institutional resource systems to meet health
and human service needs.
6. Promote social justice and equality of all people with regard to full participation
in society.
7. Contribute to the development of knowledge for social work profession through
research and evaluation.
8. Encourage exchange of information in those institutional systems in which both
problems and resources opportunities are produced.
9. Enhance communication through an appreciation of diversity and through
ethnically sensitive, non-sexist social work practice.
10. Employ educational strategies for the prevention and resolution of problems.
11. Embrace a world view of human issues and solutions to problems.

The goal and scope of social work as laid down here is noble and broad - to help an
individual be included in society and to transform the very society that creates
structures that marginalize individuals from full participation in the enjoyment of
social services and resources of the community. Change sought is one that makes an
individual and the community a better place for everyone.

IV. PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL WORK

The Policy, Ethics, and Human Rights Committee of the British Association of
Social Workers (2012) has the following principles that apply in general to other
professionals in the social work profession.

A. Principles Relative to Respect for Human Rights

1. Upholding and promoting human dignity and well-being. Social workers should
respect, uphold, and defend each person's physical, psychological, emotional and
spiritual integrity and well-being. They should work toward promoting the best
interests of individuals and groups in society and the avoidance of harm

2. Respecting the right to self-determination. Social workers should respect,

promote and support people's dignity and right to make their own choices and
decisions, irrespective of their values and life choices, provided that this does not
threaten the rights, safety, and legitimate interests of others.

3. Promoting the right to participation. Social workers should promote the full
involvement and participation of people using their services in ways that enable
them to be empowered in all aspects of decisions and actions affecting their lives.

4. Creating each person as a whole. Social workers should be concerned with the
whole person, within the family, community, societal, and natural environments,
and should seek to recognize all aspects of a person's life.

5. Identifying and developing strengths. Social workers should focus on the

strengths of all individuals, groups, and communities, and thus promote their
empowerment.

B. Principles Relative to Social Justice

1. Challenging discrimination. Social workers have a responsibility to challenge

discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as ability, age, culture, gender

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
or sex, marital status, socio-economic status, political opinions, skin color, racial
or other physical characteristics, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs.

2. Recognizing diversity. Social workers should recognize and respect the diversity
of the societies in which they practice, taking into account individual, family,
group, and community differences.

3. Distributing resources. Social workers should ensure that resources at their

disposal are distributed fairly, according to need.

4. Challenging unjust policies and practices. Social workers have a duty to bring to
the attention of their employers, policy makers, politicians, and the general
public the situations where resources are inadequate or where distribution of
resources, policies, and practices are oppressive, unfair, harmful, or illegal.

5. Working in solidarity. Social workers, individually, collectively, and with others

have a duty to challenge social conditions that contribute to social exclusion,
stigmatization or subjugation, and work toward an inclusive society

C. Principles Relative to Professional Integrity

1. Upholding the values and reputation of the profession. Social workers should act
at all times in accordance with the values and principles of the profession and
ensure that their behavior does not bring the profession into disrepute.

2. Being trustworthy. Social workers should work in a way that is honest, reliable,
and open, clearly explaining their roles, interventions, and decisions, and not
seeking to deceive or manipulate people who use their services, their colleagues,
or employers.

3. Maintaining professional boundaries. Social workers should establish

appropriate boundaries in their relationships with service users and colleagues,
and not abuse their position for personal benefit, financial gain, or sexual
exploitation

4. Making considered professional judgments. Social workers should make

judgments based on balanced and considered reasoning, maintaining awareness
of the impact of their own values, prejudices, and conflicts of interest on their
practice and on other people.

5. Being professionally accountable. Social workers should be prepared to account

for and justify their judgments and actions to people who use services, to
employers and the general public.

V. CORE VALUES OF SOCIAL WORK

1. Compassion can be considered as an important value for all humankind but in social
work, it occupies a special impetus to the functioning of the profession It is the basis
for someone to go out and become a voice to the voiceless and a friend to the people
who need it most.

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
2. Service, as a value, directs social workers to go beyond purely performing a service
for a pay and allow them to be generous with their time. Their work borders on
charity and professional service. Without a special interest in pure service, much of
the social work could not be properly accomplished.

3. Social justice, as a value for social workers, is a basis of their understanding of the
need to ensure that everyone get serviced and that everyone get a share of what the
community possesses in material and non-material assets, Dignity and worth of the
person is a value that provides the determination and drive for social workers to
seek the marginalized in all forms without much regard as to whether such problem
is self-inflicted or socially imposed. At the heart of social work is the belief that all
humans have dignity and worth regardless of their acts and status in life.

4. Importance of human relationships, as a value, makes it possible for social workers

to do their job as most human situations they seek to address require collaborating
with so many others professionals and individuals with a stake in the issue. It is
about relationships. After all, it is in the context of relationships where people find
themselves broken and marginalized. A relationship is the context of social
marginalization and inclusion.

5. Integrity is necessary in all human endeavors. In social work, nothing can be

accomplished without integrity. A social worker will have difficulties to be accepted
by the people to receive services and by those he/she needs to collaborate with to
facilitate problem solving and empowerment of an individual or a group.

6. Competence is a very important value for social work because it separates social
caregiving from social work professional practice. Through special training, a social
worker becomes separated from all common sense, culture, and religious-based
care.

VI. SOME CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL WORK

1. Substance Use and Recovery Treatment Counselor
2. Mental Health Counselor
3. Marriage and Family Counselor
4. Medical Social Worker
5. School Social Worker
6. Foster Care Social Worker
7. Child and Family Therapist
8. Corporate Social Responsibility
9. Policy Analyst
10. Human Resources Coordinator/Specialist

SOURCE: https://dworakpeck.usc.edu/blog/the-10-best-careers-social-work

Go to page 22 and accomplish the Learning Task 3.

LESSON 4
The Discipline of Communication Studies

What are you expected to know, do, and value?

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

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1. Define communication;
2. Describe the context and the basic concepts of communication;
3. Explain the goals of communication;
4. Describe the basic elements of the communication process;
5. Discuss the level of communication from intrapersonal to mass communication
6. Identify some career opportunities for graduates of communication degrees

What do you need to know?

The Discipline of Communication deals with how humans use verbal and non-
verbal messages to create meaning in various contexts. This can be from one person to
another, from person to groups, in government setting, private sectors setting civil
society setting, school setting, community setting to mass audiences across cultures
using a variety of channels and media. This discipline is also interested in the impact
that communication has on human behavior.

The discipline of communication is very broad. It can include: the study of

communication in interpersonal relationships, groups, organizations, and across
cultures, rhetorical theory and criticism; performance studies; argumentation and
persuasion technologically mediated communication, and popular culture, Essentially,
this discipline provides us with understanding of how we construct the world of
meanings and be able to both send and receive the same.

I. DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

The processes that bond humans together are founded on communication. It is

by communication that one opens up to another and receives confirmation of some
kind. Communication in this sense is essentially transactional, giving and receiving
content, which may take a wide variety of forms. What we communicate is meaning but
communication simultaneously involves construction of meaning. It constitutes both
the construction of meaning and the exchange of meaning. Unlike other forms of
exchange, communication accounts for so many other elements, which make the study
of communication a fascinating task. The context, the culture, the relationship, the
society, the message, and the medium all form part of the communication process.
Communication involves acting on information, responding to stimulus, a creative act,
making sense of the world, assigning meaning to experience and feelings, and can also
be intentional as well as unintentional

Alberts, Nakayama, and Martin (2007) defines communication as a "transactional

process in which people generate meaning through the exchange of verbal messages in
specific contexts, influenced by individual and societal forces and embedded in culture."
Culture here is considered as the provider of patterns of perceptions, values, and
behavior that the group transmits and makes a shared heritage. Context tends to be
culturally defined so much that the individual is made to discern from the given
options available to society; hence, culture provides the strongest fabric to societal
forces. Therefore, the role of culture cannot be underestimated, "culture affects all or
almost all communication interaction" (Alberts, Nakayama, & Martin 2007).

The human communication factors include the important role of individual and
societal forces, contexts, and culture that shape and give coherence to the
communication process. It is possible and very common to analyze the communication
process on the technical level, the semantic level, and the pragmatic level. On the
technical level, we can understand the message by ascertaining the extent to which
information or message is clearly or not clearly transmitted. On the semantic level, we

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can understand the unity of communication by clarifying the extent to which the
intended meaning of the information or message being transmitted is understood or
misunderstood by the receiver due to all forms of noise. On the pragmatic level, we can
understand a unit of communication by gauging the kind and extent of the actual
impact, effect, or outcome or result of the communication process including the
relationship field of experience and the sender-receiver dynamics.

Communication as a transaction going by the above definition, requires a more

comprehensive consideration for the specific context, the individual and society forces,
and the culture itself as a semantic unit.

Simply put, when two or more persons interact communication structure is created
and a system of relationships is formed within a cultural context. That is what
communication is and does.

II. CONTEXT AND THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMMUNICATION

Context is among the most essential aspects in human communication, and by

and large listeners base their interpretation of expressions of language and actions on
their prior knowledge and wide range of contextual information. It is the context that
gives meaning to the communication process. Even if we understand words in a
language, it is difficult to fully appreciate meaning unless it is contextualized - email,
television, with a friend, with family, a political campaign or a protest rally, a
celebration, or a religious or social event.

Many communication scholars and experts affirm that it is the context of what is
done or said that determines how that message is interpreted. Actions and words in
themselves mean less outside of context. Joking with a friend is considered normal but
joking with a grieving person may be considered being insensitive. Many conflicts,
particularly in intercultural communication, tend to be associated with context.

III. GOALS OF COMMUNICATION

 Communication conveys messages to parties involved through the different

mediums such as through speech, email, letters, and so on. In this way, people
who believe in common cause can be linked together with a view to strengthen
their relationship.

 Communication also allows people with opposing views to communicate with

one another in order to better understand each other and connect.

 It provides opportunity for communicators to disseminate information, to

transduce emotions and/or thoughts from one to another.

 Ultimately, the goal of all communication is to change behavior and that is why
people read new books or seek help to understand things or reality.

 The aim is to create social and political change, say, by exposing the absurdities
and injustices of the courts, schools, prisons, and workhouses of the context.
Communication can be deeply political in intent or shaped by a social and
political agenda: the desire to normalize certain kinds of human behavior (and

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2nd Semester Module
incidentally to demonize others), see the world in new ways, and act in new
ways as a consequence.

 Communication shapes the receiver's behavior in a way that is compatible both

with their own goals and the goals of the communicator by helping people reach
their behavioral goals, a communicator wins their consent to behave in ways that
favor his/her message too.

 Communication is essential for everyday life. The goal is to make group life
possible through socialization, enculturation, intergenerational solidarity,
nation-building, and social change.

 In more specific terms, the goals of communication are expressing one's needs
and wants; transferring or conveying information; establishing social closeness
or sustaining relationships with others; and facilitating social etiquette, that is, to
conform to the social conventions of politeness. Ultimately, when two or more
persons interact, the communication structure is erected upon which a system of
relationships is formed.

IV. BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Communication is a process where people share information feelings, and ideas.

A. Sender-Receiver
Communication means that the sender and the receiver get involved in
communication because they have ideas and feelings to share. This sharing, however, is
not one-way or turn-taking process. In most communication situations, people are
senders and receivers at the same time. They are the participants in a communication

B. Message
The message is made up of the ideas and feelings that the senders/receivers want to
share. Moreover, ideas and feelings can only be shared if they are represented by
symbols. Symbols are things that stand for something else. All communication
messages are made up of two symbols: verbal and non-verbal.

The verbal symbols are all the words in a language, which stand for a particular
thing or idea. A word is used to generally mean one thing. Verbal symbols can be even
more complicated when they are abstract than concrete. Abstract symbols stand for
ideas rather than objects. When two people use abstraction (eg., love, beauty, justice),
they may have different meanings because they had different experiences with the
concept.

The non-verbal symbols are anything we communicate without using words such as
facial expressions, gestures, posture, colors, vocal tones, appearance, etc. They have
certain meanings attached to them, which are cultural or even personally encoded and
decoded.

C. Channels
The channels are routes traveled by a message as it goes between the senders/
receivers. Sound and sight are primary channels in face-to-face communication, and
even in not face-to-face. At present, it is increasingly common to use social networking
sites for communication where we see and hear the person we are communicating with

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2nd Semester Module
in a manner similar to face-to-face. In mass media, the channels may be radio, records,
television, newspapers, magazines, etc.

D. Feedback

A feedback is a response of the receiver to the sender and vice versa. This is very
important in communication since it tells how ideas and feelings have been shared in
the way they are intended to

E. Noise
Noise keeps a message from being understood or accurately interpreted. It
occurs between senders and receivers. Noise may be an external or internal interference
in transmitting and receiving the message. External noise is any noise that comes from
the environment that keeps the message from being heard or understood. Internal noise
occurs in the minds of the senders and receivers such as prior experience, absent-
mindedness, feeling or thinking of something other than the communication taking
place. Semantic noise is also a form of internal noise caused by people's emotional
reactions to words such as reactions to ethnic or sexist remarks.

F. Setting
The setting is essentially the context where communication occurs. It may be a
venue, formal or informal seating arrangements, attire, use of sound system, etc.

In this communication process, the six elements can be summed up as: Who, the source
(sender); What, the message: How, the medium: To Whom, the recipient (receiver);
Why, the influence, impact, world view; and Where, the context.

SOURCE: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/the-process-of-communication/

V. LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION: FROM INTRAPERSONAL TO MASS

COMMUNICATION

A. Intrapersonal Communication
This refers to communication that occurs within us. This involves feelings,
thoughts, and the way we look at ourselves. The self is the only sender and receiver.
The channel is your brain. The feedback is in the form of talking to oneself or discarding
certain ideas and replacing them with others.

B. Interpersonal Communication

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2nd Semester Module
The communication that occurs on one-to-one basis usually in an informal,
unstructured setting is interpersonal communication. Messages consist of both verbal
and non-verbal symbols. The most channels are sight and sound.

C. Intercultural Communication
This is an interpersonal communication that occurs between or among members
of different cultures or people who are enculturated differently. This is more apparent
between persons coming from two different cultures of upbringing but it can also be
among people of the same culture but brought up in different times or cultural contexts.

D. Interviewing
Interviewing makes use of a series of questions and answers usually involving
two people or groups. Its purpose is to obtain information on a particular subject. In an
interview, communication takes place verbally in a face-to-face setting, and a lot of non-
verbal information are exchanged. Feedback is very high and instant and drives the
conversation.

E. Small Group Communication

Small group communication occurs when a small group of people meets to solve
a problem. There is cooperative thinking: there is a specific purpose. Communication
process in small groups is more complicated than in interpersonal communication

F. Mass Communication
The sender-receiver (speaker) sends a message (speech) to an audience in a
highly structured manner. Additional visuals may be used.

VI. SOME CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATES OF COMMUNICATION

DEGREES
1. Public Relations Specialists
2. Meeting/Event Planner
3. College Alumni and Development Officers
4. Media Planner
5. Social Media Manager
6. Human Resources Specialist
7. Business Reporter
8. Health Educator
9. Brand Manager
10. Sales Representative

Go to page 23 and accomplish the Learning Task 4.

LEARNING TASKS
Name:__________________________________ Grade/Strand/Section:_______________

General Instructions: WRITE YOUR ANSWERS CLEARLY AND NEATLY. Your

responses will be scored using the scheme below:
RATING SCHEME:
4 – Exceeds expectations
3 – Meets expectations
2 – Progressing
1 – Not there yet

Learning Task No. 1

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 Disciplines and Ideas in Applied
MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module
Compare and contrast Pure Social Science and Applied Social Science using the
Venn diagram below.

Learning Task No. 2

Discuss the discipline of Counseling using the Mind Map below.

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2nd Semester Module

Name:__________________________________

Learning Task No. 3

Discuss the discipline of Social Work using the Mind Map below.

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MARINDUQUE ACADEMY, INC. Social Sciences (DIASS)
2nd Semester Module

Learning Task No. 4

Discuss the discipline of Communication using the Mind Map below.

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