Social Diagnosis: Types, Elements, and Characteristics

Posted on Mar 29, 2025 in Business Administration and Management (BAM)

H. Harris Perlman discusses three types of diagnosis:

  1. Dynamic Diagnosis
  2. Clinical Diagnosis
  3. Etiologic Diagnosis

C. Robertis defines diagnosis as the analysis of a situation, encompassing all elements related to a problem or lawsuit brought by a user to a social worker, and the relationship between them. These elements can include:

  • The global context in which the situation is reviewed.
  • The labor sector
  • Service
  • The social worker
  • User

GARCIA PAZ LONGORIA identifies two important interrelated concepts:

  • Research
  • Diagnosis

Research expands the theoretical basis of Social Work (SW) and presents a practical function: to provide specific data on specific situations where intervention is sought. In SW, this is called intervention research and is part of a specific methodological process. The investigation is performed to solve a social problem.

Characteristics of Evaluation in Social Work Cases

  • Continuing: Ongoing process.
  • Comprehensive: Helps to understand and plan.
  • Dynamic: In constant evolution and movement.
  • Importance of General and Specific Information: Both are needed.
  • Need for Basic Knowledge: Essential for accurate assessment.
  • Individualized: Each person and diagnosis is unique.
  • Limited Opportunities for Obtaining Information: Requires efficient data gathering.
  • Tasks: Identifying needs and problems, identifying ways to get necessary information, and ensuring information accuracy.

Major Elements of the Diagnosis: Person, Institution, and Demand

PERSON

The social worker should be aware of the social psychological aspects necessary to analyze, relating capacity (intellectual and social) with behavior, life events, and motivation to change. Diagnosis involves seeking the reasons, causes, and factors that increase or mitigate the imbalance. Personality is the set of mannerisms a person uses to deal with their environment, including physical, emotional, and intellectual aspects. The goal is to achieve or maintain a state of well-being and social adjustment. Professional support will focus on the person’s difficulties in behaving appropriately and constructively in society. It’s crucial to know the facts of the person’s everyday life, the realities that affect them, and motivational aspects of reinforcers, i.e., their aspirations and pretensions.

THE INSTITUTION

The institution is the principal tool for distributing services aimed at promoting and ensuring the welfare of the population, addressing cases of maladjustment, exclusion, or simply social problems to provide personal development. It consists of a specific organization, establishing order and arrangement of staff making up the body. Each member will have their professional status, powers, and functions, establishing appropriate channels to facilitate coordination and interdisciplinary communication. Another property of the institution is its adaptability to social reality, dynamic and constantly evolving. It is governed by rules and laws, but changes with the constant evolution and development of social needs.

DEMAND

What makes the issue a subject of social studies is the person’s inability to gather the necessary means to achieve or maintain a state of well-being and social adjustment. Professional support will focus on the person’s difficulties in behaving constructively and appropriately in society.

Characteristics of Social Problems
  • Peculiar and unique to each individual.
  • Have a cascading effect, where some impact others.
  • Have a subjective character, referring to the interpretation of the subject.
  • Every problem has a solution, dependent on each user.
  • Arouse a sense of imbalance and loss of homeostasis.
  • Represent a motivation to change.
  • Accompanied by complex emotional reactions.
  • Are the main focus for social workers.
  • Essential component for social diagnosis.
  • Involve the mobilization of resources.
  • Synonymous with difficulty.
  • Unstable and threatening situation requiring a decision.
  • Is the target user and social worker where they deposit their energy and attention.