Gabriela Thompson

Hello everyone,

When it comes to social work and sociology, there are many who think that these words are synonymous, and if I am being sincere, I was one of those people until comparing the differences in this week’s readings. While both sociology and social work are interested in people and society, sociology focuses specifically on how, when, and why a person behaves in the manner that they do in association with those around them (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). Psychology is the study of the mind and focuses on understanding an individual’s thought process to form an understanding of their behavior (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). In many cases, psychologists and social workers will work closely together as understanding the cause of an individual’s behavior can allow the social worker to provide them with the necessary help and recourses. Anthropology is the study of what it truly means to be human, and it is a never-ending search to understanding what the human experience is (Teicher, 2015). Social work incorporates information learned from all the social sciences and applies it to the members of their community to provide them with a healthy state of well-being.

The social worker’s role at the micro-level would be working with individuals one on one with their social, psychological, or biological needs that impact that individual’s way of life (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). At the mezzo level, the social worker would be working with groups that have impacts on other individuals. One example of this would be working with an entire family to help a particular member of that family. At the macro level, the social worker would be working with much larger groups which could include communities, organizations, and institutions (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011).

Breanna Williams

Social work and sociology both are based on people and understanding their behaviors. Sociology is focused more on the how, when, and why people behave the way that they do whereas social workers not only focus on understanding but helping solve the problems they may have (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). Psychology is the study of the mind and the behavior of individuals. According to Farley, Smith, & Boyle, (2011) psychology is focused more on individual behavior whereas social workers are more focused on social functioning. Anthropologists study society and cultures to understand how people live within their societies. They focus more on the broader aspects of society both past and present, but social workers may have a basic understanding of cultural differences, their focus is to help solve issues.

The varying levels of social work in regard to employment have some differences but also overlap to some degree. The micro-level of social work can be found in schools, health care settings, or in police departments. This level is the most common level of social work and involves direct interactions with individuals (University of Southern California, USC, 2018). The mezzo level of social work looks at groups rather than individuals. Many times, the micro and mezzo levels of social work can be used together to help solve problems. Though both levels aid in solving issues, the main difference is the micro works with individuals, but the mezzo works with groups. Lastly, there is the macro-level of social work, which involves interventions and advocacy on a larger scale that impacts communities, states, and countries (USC, 2018). As with the micro and mezzo levels, the macro level also is focused on solving problems, but on a much larger scale which typically in the form of creating new policies or creating new laws.