Social System Analysis

Social Systems Assessment

1. Biophysical System

A. Definition/Description- According to Longres (2000), The biophysical domain is the basic building block or infrastructure of the individual as a system. In addition to inborn capacities, this domain includes all those elements necessary for the functioning of the organism, such as the skeletal, sensorimotor, respiratory, endocrine, circulatory, waste elimination, sexual-reproductive, digestive, and nervous system. The biophysical domain is affected by genetic endowments as well as by disease, illness, and accidents; and because it is associated with the processes of maturation and aging, its normal functioning differs across the life span.

B. Self- Assessment- In gaining knowledge about my biophysical system, I found that it describes my makeup and how it affects my human behavior. I believe that my system is in great shape because I exercise and eat properly. I am aware of my families’ medical history and how it can affect me. I am also aware of the ways that I can avoid these things from happening to me. I constantly read about the illnesses that are hereditary in my family, and I find that reading and doing research enhances my knowledge in case I am affected by those illnesses. I believe the biophysical domain tells a lot about who you are and what you are made up of and what to expect in the future. The biophysical domain will be an asset in carrying out a role as a social work student because it helps to have a knowledge base of how to recognize a person’s biophysical domain. I want to be able to recognize things just like the social workers did in the reading Longres (2000), The Biophysical Domain and Social Work Practice. I must broaden my knowledge about the biophysical domain, what it is composed of, and its capabilities.

2. Psychological System

A. Definition/Description of the Cognitive Subsystem- According to Longres (2000), The cognitive subsystem in the psychological domain is composed of cognitive states and processes, including perception, sensation, memory, imagination, judgment, and language, as well as intelligence and other aspects of intellectual functioning such as knowledge, beliefs, and opinions. Through these processes, the individual assigns and attributes meaning and understanding to the world. The meanings attached to places, objects, and situations, to society and other human beings, and, above all, to the self are complex and the result of interactions with others.

B. Self-Assessment- As a social work student the cognitive subsystem helps me to sustain the importance of social work. I have a high concentration in the study of social work which broadens my outlook about the field. My memory has digested a lot about social work and its expectations. I know that I must continue to use what I learn in order to become a successful social worker. As a social work student I have learned to look at situations at different angles rather than look at it from one side. Piaget describes four major stages of the cognitive development, and I believe that I have passed those levels. Piaget describes each level and how the mind develops from a child and pass the adolescence stages. Piaget further explains how a persons thinking becomes more flexible. I understand social work at all levels than I would at the Sensorimotor Period. I believe that all the knowledge I have received at this time in my life is beyond the Piaget level.

C. Definition/Description of Motivational-Affective Subsystem- According to Longres (2000), The motivational-affective subsystem in the psychological domain includes states and processes usually concerned with internal, emotional life of individuals- their motives, needs, drives, feelings, sentiments, and interests. This subsystem also involves the crises individuals may be experiencing and their conscious and unconscious adaptation to them. Motives have a forward reference in time. They are concerned with the purpose and the anticipated consequences of acts.

D. Self-Assessment- I chose social work as a career because of some the experiences in my life. One of the most critical times in my life was living in a house with a drug user. That experience made me eager to know what could I do help others get out of similar situations that my family went through. The feelings, thoughts, and questions a person has but do not know who to present them to because you’re scared of what they may say. When I discovered that social work is a helping profession, I wanted to be apart of that profession. I want to provide people with the resources needed to put them back on the right