And this inequality in the system is not due to a dysfunctionality that can be remedied through interventions such as improving communications or even empowering those without power. While the latter would seem to be a strategy that would make an unequal system into an equal one, a power-and-conflict theorists would argue that systems are necessarily unequal. Thus even if one part of a system is given more power this will not lead to an equal system since power will never stay in balance. It will simply shift from one person or group to another -- either permanently or temporarily. There is some possibility for hope in such a model. Power-and-conflict theorists believe that individual communities cannot become entirely equal because they reflect (and embody) the biases and inequalities of the larger system. (So, for example, the inequalities at play in Mott Haven reflect the racial, gender, and class inequalities of the United States as a whole and even of the world as a whole.) However, if structural inequalities can be remedied on the level of the whole system then the smaller system will absorb and reflect the new world order. Changes on this scale are, obviously, not possible to effect by any individual social worker, but she or he will act in ways that s/he believes will bring about the widest possible structural changes.

Given that power-and-conflict theorists' view of the world is so inherently and fundamentally pessimistic (or cynical or realistic, depending upon one's own perspective) it is somewhat difficult to devise interventions that will improve the situation. However, there are some possibilities, as suggested above. A social worker within this paradigm might, for example, work to organize people in the neighborhood to try to get collective bargaining rights at their workplace or to get in touch with their local and federal representatives to try to bring more jobs into the neighborhood. Actions such as this would...

While a number of the residents with whom Kozol speaks show an intelligent awareness of their situation, all of them could be empowered by learning more about the ways (for example) in which wealth is so unevenly distributed in our society. Learning more about how their situation compares to others -- both those who are more favored by society and those who are in the same position. This would help them understand that they are not at fault for many aspects of their lives while at the same time coming to understand that they remain responsible for other aspects of their lives. Indeed, this is probably the most important intervention that a social worker (or other human services worker) could suggest for this community and the people who live in it: Help them understand what is their responsibility and what problems arise from structural problems. Such an awareness does not in and of itself change the terrible aspects of their lives but it does shine the light of consciousness on the situation.
One of the major goals of any form of therapy, including that of social work, is to help individuals come to a fuller understanding of the conditions of their lives -- an understanding that will allow them to make better-informed choices. Both a systems-theory approach and a power-and-conflict approach offered to the residents in this community would help them understand both the dynamics between themselves and others in the community and their own internal processes.

Works Cited

Kozol, Jonathan. Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation. New York: Crown, 1996.