ERIC Number: ED222607
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1981
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Competent Communities: A Critical Analysis of Theories and Public Policy.
Padilla, Amado M.
Blacks, Native Americans, Mexicans, Asians, Hispanics, and other minority groups have managed to survive many consequences of racial/ethnic bias and discrimination in the United States. However, certain theoretical models that social scientists apply to studies of social problems reflect majority group biases that tend to perpetuate discrimination against these groups. The social pathology model, in assuming that social problems result from social diseases in the individual, fails to locate alternative causes of problems in the larger society. The social deviance model tends to concentrate responsibility for deviant behavior to minority groups, rendering majority groups largely nondeviant. The social disorganization model has been used to demonstrate that disintegration of values among certain minorities has led to their own group disorganization, although evidence to the contrary has been presented in several studies. Finally, the cultural deficit model assumes the universality of dominant group standards, considers the absence of those standards in other groups as deficiencies, and does not recognize the advantages of knowing other languages and cultures. To reduce racism, social science research must be made more objective and scientifically valid. Furthermore, a cultural strength model for studying the competence of communities as support systems must be developed. (Author/MJL)
Descriptors: Community Role, Cultural Differences, Ethnic Bias, Minority Groups, Public Policy, Racial Bias, Social Problems, Social Science Research, Social Systems, Social Theories
Not available separately; see UD 022 565.
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Inst. of Mental Health (DHEW), Rockville, MD.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper originally given at the Annual Community-Clinical Workshop (6th, Lanham, MD, November 4-6, 1976).