A recent doctoral dissertation found that a strong majority of social work educators identify as politically progressive and support the Democratic party (Stoeffler et al., 2023). Therefore, the authors suggest social workers should embrace progressive values. Yet the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2021) makes several references to honoring and protecting political and religious diversity. Is there room for political and viewpoint diversity in social work education and practice? Join Dr. Elizabeth Spievak and Matthew Watson, LCSW as they review and critique the journal article that summarizes the dissertation. Elizabeth and Matt discuss ideology in the field of social work. They also discuss the social work code of ethics and potential conflicts created by the preponderance of progressive faculty and elaborate on the importance of diversity of thought in both social work education and social work itself. This discussion was recorded on June 19, 2024.
Dr. Stephen Stoeffler, the primary author and researcher, then graciously joined them on August 1, 2024 for a collegial discussion to address their concerns about the potential harm associated with viewpoint orthodoxy in social work practice. Dr. Stoeffler was asked about provisions for protecting religious and political views, and how social work faculty can avoid alienating their less progressive students at a time when the field needs more good candidates. Dr. Stoeffler expressed an openness and commitment to viewpoint diversity in social work classrooms and practice. He also reiterated his beliefs that the field's alignment with the progressive left is appropriate and that social work education should maintain that focus. All agreed that these are the kind of difficult conversations we need in the fields of social work and social work education.
Portions of his discussion are included at the end of their discussion. Course participants may listen to the entire interview with Dr. Stoeffler if so desired, however it is not required listening for course credit.
Should social workers embrace a particular viewpoint or ideology? Can social workers humanize others who hold different viewpoints and dialogue across differences to promote peaceful pluralism? Listen and decide for yourself. Although contributors may have started from different viewpoints, their dialogue ultimately produced consensus: There is room for viewpoint diversity in social work education and practice.
ProSocial Workers is a subsidiary of the Institute for Liberal Values, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization promoting pluralistic, free, and democratic societies. The Institute for Liberal Values is ProSocial Workers' fiscal sponsor.
The viewpoints shared are personal to the presenters and do not represent the official positions of their employer(s) or affiliated organizations.
It is intended for a beginning to intermediate social worker audience. Other helping professionals may also find the content relevant to their practice.
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