Violence reconceptualized for social work: the urban dilemma

Within the context of the prevalence of violence in V.S. culture and current social concern about the epidemic of street and handgun violence in urban areas, a conceptual model of violence for social work is presented that addresses the diverse manifestations of violence, its multilevel nature, and its structural foundation. Examples related to poverty and drugs demonstrate the model's usefulness for social work assessment and intervention. Recommendations for social work education, practice, policy, and research are made to help social workers develop a more effective response to violence in society. A paradigm shift in social work's thinking about violence is required to address the deeply embedded and submerged structural roots of violence. Key words: model; poverty; substance abuse; urban; violence Violence is more deeply embedded in U.S. culture than this society wants to believe; it is the foundation of many revered ideals and institutions. Yet considerable ambivalence and inconsistency exist in society's concerns about violence. Although there is growing anxiety about crime and urban unrest, other forms of violence go unchallenged and are even considered legiti-mate and acceptable. If social work is to effectively deal with violence without inadvertently perpetu-ating it, increased comprehension of its nature is needed. This article provides a conceptual model of violence, with illustrations drawn from the problems of poverty and drugs, that offers a com-prehensive response to urban violence that is con-gruent with social work's traditional concern with social justice. Social Work's Perspective on Violence Current conceptualizations of violence by the profession can be gleaned from a review of th