Empowerment, Feminist, and Conflict Theory in Social Work Practice

Your Guide to Social Work Theories for the Personal Statement – Part 2: Social Justice Based Theories 

In part two of this three-part series on social work theories, I’m covering the basics of three more common social work theories. The theories highlighted in this post are empowerment theory, feminist theory, and conflict theory. These theories differ from other common social work theories like narrative theory or the task-centered model, because while those theories fit best in direct practice (or micro-level practice), the theories in this post can be used at all levels of practice! That said, they are most commonly used at the mezzo or macro level when working with communities. 

In addition, each of these theories are rooted in social justice, another concept that is at the core of social work (no surprise, given that it is called social work after all). Social justice is essentially about creating a society that is fair and equitable for everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or identity, age, geographic location, education level, and more. Aspects of society related to social justice include equitable access to physical and mental health care, wealth and resources, education, opportunities, and many more. 

When applying to Master of Social Work programs, it’s important to show that you align with the values of the profession. Connecting your experiences to social work theories in your personal statement is an excellent way to do this. Social justice and equitable opportunities are at the center of each of the theories described below. 

See part 1: Foundational Theories and part 3: Direct Practice Theories for more explanations of common social work theories and how to use them in your personal statement

Empowerment Theory

Empowerment theory is a theory that is heavily related to the core ideas of social justice. Foundational to empowerment theory is the recognition of power differentials. Social workers can employ empowerment theory by empowering their clients to take responsibility for their own change. This can be done in many ways, such as identifying and removing structural barriers, identifying personal or community strengths, or advocacy work. Unlike other social work theories, empowerment theory focuses primarily on making changes at the macro, or systems level, as opposed to only working to make change at the individual or micro level. In addition, empowerment often leads to social action, which again highlights the link between empowerment and social justice. For these reasons, empowerment theory lends well to being applied at the mezzo and macro levels but can be relevant at all levels of social work practice.  

Using empowerment theory in your personal statement 

Now that you have a basic understanding of empowerment theory, I’ll highlight some ways that it could be incorporated into your personal statement. Because empowerment theory is so broad in its implications, there is a wide range of experiences where empowerment theory could apply! For instance, one of the principles of empowerment theory is dismantling power structures, which could apply in a ton of different ways. In social work, this often means doing our best to position the client as the expert of their own lives, as opposed to positioning ourselves as the experts because we are the “professionals”. This gives people accessing services autonomy and helps them to feel heard. 

The same idea could apply even if your past experience wasn’t social work specific. For example, perhaps you volunteered or worked as a care aid in a long-term care facility for the elderly. By working to put the needs of the client first, ensuring their autonomy, and positioning them as the experts of their experience as opposed to imposing our opinions on them, you would be employing empowerment theory. In this example, client-centered theory would come into play as well.  Although empowerment theory in this case feels really similar to client-centered, the key difference is that empowerment theory is centered around equalizing power differentials, which is why it is more likely to be relevant when working with marginalized groups like the elderly, children and youth, people with disabilities, or people of colour for example. 

Feminist Theory: 

In a social work context, feminist theory is based on empowerment theory. Also, while some might argue that social work has always been feminist in nature because of its roots in social justice, feminist theory as a standalone theory is based on feminism as a social movement. It is often said that feminism has developed over time in four “waves”, and there are many different “types” of feminism, including liberal feminism, radical feminism, and postmodern feminism.

Feminist theory and social work 

For social workers, there is no one right way to practice with feminist theory in mind. As I mentioned above, feminist theory can be applied at all levels of practice. At the direct practice level, it might look like helping a client shift their focus and recognize that the source of their problems may be in part because of systemic issues for example. This relates to one of the key principles of feminist theory, which is that the personal is political. At the macro level, this might look like advocating for policy changes to make them more equitable, or empowering people to recognize patriarchal influence on society. 

Using feminist theory in your personal statement 

I’ll give a couple of specific examples of how you might incorporate feminist theory into your personal statement when talking about your previous experience. Some fairly obvious examples of how this theory could fit when describing your experience might be if you worked or volunteered in a program specifically geared to empowerment and equitable outcomes for women or girls. These experiences could be super broad; maybe you taught golf lessons to girls to encourage more girls to join the sport, or volunteered with a program that creates opportunities for girls and non-binary youths to participate in outdoor sports like hiking, rock climbing, and snowboarding. Or, maybe you worked at a shelter for women, or volunteered with a crisis line for women experiencing domestic violence. In each of these examples, and many more, you would be applying feminist theory in your work because you are helping promote more equitable outcomes for women in all aspects of society. 

Intersectionality and social work 

Another way that feminist theory could be incorporated into the personal statement is with a discussion of intersectionality. Intersectionality is a term that was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, and it refers to the idea that multiple forms of discrimination have a cumulative negative impact on people, and women of colour in particular. The applications of this concept are broad and branch far outside the bounds of feminist theory. When writing your personal statement, you could choose to just mention how intersectionality was relevant in your work when working with marginalized populations. Or, if you wanted to take it one step further, you could highlight both how the concept of intersectionality informed your experience and relate this to the term’s origins in feminist theory! 

Conflict Theory: 

Conflict theory is a social work theory that came from Marxism, which is a political and economic framework. Like the other theories described above, a key assumption in conflict theory is that there is an unequal distribution of power in relationships. Additionally, it assumes that whoever has control of the resource distribution has the most power. Also foundational to conflict theory is the critique of capitalism, specifically with regards to how it creates power differentials such as that between business owners and workers. 

Conflict theory and social work 

In the context of social work, conflict theory could be applied at all levels, but is best used at the mezzo and macro levels. At the micro level, social workers can keep conflict theory in mind by remembering that conflict in relationships is inevitable, and it can sometimes be relevant to consider power differentials that exist in interpersonal relationships when mediating conflict, such as between parents and youths, or between two colleagues. However, it is best to use caution when interpreting conflict within individual relationships based on this theory. That said, when engaging in micro-level work, in line with conflict theory, social workers should remain aware of how power differentials and competition for scarce resources may impact their work as well. 

Using conflict theory in your personal statement 

Once again, whether or not your past experience is directly social work related, it’s possible that you were using principles of conflict theory in your past work, which you can highlight in your personal statement to demonstrate your baseline level of social work knowledge. For example, broadly speaking any work or volunteer experience you may have related to wealth, resource distribution, or mutual aid definitely has elements of conflict theory involved. Perhaps you volunteered to transport groceries for a community fridge that relies on community donations to provide food for those in need. Or, maybe you have participated in political advocacy in hopes of ensuring that all children and youth receive high-quality schooling regardless of socioeconomic status. In both examples, although they aren’t exactly social work, you are working to restructure the power imbalances that exist in society and equitably distribute resources. 

What is the Difference Between Empowerment, Feminist, and Conflict Theory? 

Although all the theories described above are similar to one another (mainly on the basis of social justice and equity), they are distinct from one another. In short, empowerment theory emphasizes the self-determination of the individual or community, feminist theory emphasizes equity regardless of gender, and conflict theory emphasizes equity in the face of power differentials. 

Why Should I Use Theory When Writing My MSW Personal Statement?

When writing your personal statement, mentioning a social work theory or two can really help to show the admissions committee that you are already knowledgeable about social work when entering or continuing in the field. Depending on your personal statement and past experience, you may prefer to include a small discussion of one of these theories when describing your experience, the social justice issue, or even elsewhere in the statement! No matter where you do so, you will be sure to impress the admissions committee! 

If you are writing a personal statement for the MSW program - be sure to check out MSW Helper for free resources and personal statement editing support. 

Check out our blog post on Foundational Social Work Theories (person-in-environment, strengths based, and client-based perspective).

References

Langer C., & Lietz, C. (2014). Applying theory to generalist social work practice: A case study approach. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.