Jane Addams discusses the incongruence between the unfortunate circumstances experienced by the poor and how the poor are judged if they do not live up to a moral standard (of hard work, temperance, religiousness, etc) that would not be assessed on an individual who is not in poverty. She also discusses many ways where the behavior of those in poverty is functional and should be expected rather than be judged.
Using Chapter 2 Above – Charitable Effort – find at least three examples of how some poor at the turn of the century were misunderstood and judged.
How do you think charitable effort has changed in the last 120 years?
Do social workers still make moral judgements?
Are there professional safeguards or techniques that help social workers know how to separate charitable giving from moral judgements.
Are some areas of social work better than others?
