Review the Learning Resources for this week and examine how social psychology theories and research explain mate selection.

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Discussion 1: Gender Differences in Mate Selection

Evolutionary theory is often invoked to explain gender differences in mate selection. If the motive to reproduce explains men’s attraction to young (pretty) women and women’s attraction to financially stable men—as evolutionary psychologists claim—then how does it explain the increasing number of women who do not depend on men for financial stability because they are themselves economically independent?

Or, how does one explain the increasing number of women who choose not to have children? If they do not plan to have children, then they certainly do not need a financially stable mate committed to the long-term care of offspring they do not intend to have. Or, how can evolutionary theory explain the increasing number of women who are not married yet have children?

For this Discussion, you will examine conditions that influence diffusion of responsibility from the perspective of mate selection.

To Prepare
  • Review the Learning Resources for this week and examine how social psychology theories and research explain mate selection.
  • Compare evolutionary theory and social psychology theories as they apply to mate selection.
By Day 3

Post whether or not the rules of attraction change for women as a function of their economic independence. Explain whether or not the rules of attraction are biological imperatives or cultural constructions, or both. Please use social psychology theory to refute claims based on evolutionary theory.

resources to use for post:

Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

  • Chapter 10, “Attraction and Relationships: From Initial Impressions to Long-Term Intimacy”
  • Chapter 11, “Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help?” &also peer reviewed literature

What, if any, change(s) in the policy alternative are necessary and where will they need to occur (local, state, national, and international)?

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As an astute social worker and professional policy advocate, once you have selected and identified a social problem, you begin the process of creating and implementing a policy that addresses that social problem. One of the first things you do in the implementation process is an analysis of the social policy you identified. There is always the possibility that the policy created and implemented to address the social problem you identified is not viable for a variety of reasons. In this case, you must explore a policy alternative.

In Part 4 of your ongoing Social Change Project assignment, you identify a policy alternative to the social problem you identified.

Complete Part 4 of your Social Change Project.

Address the following items within a 3-4 page paper:

  • What is the policy alternative?
  • What, if any, change(s) in the policy alternative are necessary and where will they need to occur (local, state, national, and international)?
  • Is this policy alternative congruent with social work values? Explain.
  • What is the feasibility of the alternative policy (political, economic, and administrative)?
  • Does the policy alternative meet the policy goals (e.g., social equality, redistribution of resources, social work values, and ethics)?
  • What are the forces that are for/against the policy?
  • What policy advocacy skills can be used to support the policy alternative?
  • How does the current policy affect clinical social work practice with clients?
  • What changes could be made in the policy to support the needs of clients seeking clinical services?
  • Provide an update on the advocacy activities your proposed in the Week 6 Assignment.

Required Readings

SOCW 6361 Webliography
These websites will be required throughout the semester. Become familiar with these websites, especially when doing research for your assignments.

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice  (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
Chapter 11, “Developing Political Strategy and Putting It into Action in the Policy-Enacting Task” (pp. 372-419)

Plummer, S.-B, Makris, S., Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year.Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
“Social Work Policy: Children and Adolescents. The Case of Susanna” (pp. 57–60)
“Social Policy and Advocacy: Violence Prevention” (pp. 53–55)

McNutt, J. (2011). Is social work advocacy worth the cost? Issues and barriers to an economic analysis of social work political practice. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(4), 397–403.

Sherraden, M. S., Slosar, B., & Sherraden, M. (2002). Innovation in social policy: Collaborative policy advocacy. Social Work, 47(3), 209–221.

Review several of your colleagues’ posts and respond to at least two of your peers who chose a different case study than you .

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Week 6 – Discussion

33 unread replies.33 replies.

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Issues of Advocacy and Social Justice

Prior to beginning work on this discussion read Hill (2013) “Partnering with a Purpose: Psychologists as Advocates in Organizations,” Cohen, Lee, & McIlwraith (2012) “The Psychology of Advocacy and the Advocacy of Psychology,” Heinowitz, et al. (2012) “Identifying Perceived Personal Barriers to Public Policy Advocacy within Psychology,” Lewis, Ratts, Paladino, & Toporek (2011) “Social Justice Counseling and Advocacy: Developing New Leadership Roles and Competencies,” and Fox (2008) “Advocacy: The Key to the Survival and Growth of Professional Psychology” articles.

For this discussion, you will compare the various professional activities common to clinical and counseling psychologists and assume the role of an advocate for a client in one of the case studies from Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology (Gorenstein & Comer, 2015). Select a case study that has not been covered in this course or in the PSY645 course, and identify systemic barriers, sociopolitical factors, and multicultural issues impacting the client at the micro, meso, exo, and/or macro levels. Develop an action plan that outlines how you might advocate for the client at each appropriate level of the ecological model. Identify two potential partnerships that you would establish in order to support your client and those like him or her outside of the therapeutic environment.

Guided Response: Review several of your colleagues’ posts and respond to at least two of your peers who chose a different case study than you . You are encouraged to post your required replies earlier in the week to promote more meaningful interactive discourse in this discussion.

Be sure to support your responses with scholarly research, and include references and citations for material presented that I not your own original work. You can use first person to indicate your opinion (I, my, etc.) in lieu of listing yourself as a source

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a Short Paper: Psychological Report Writing

Choose a psychological report from the resources section.

What does it suggest? What would you include in a treatment plan based on the child’s psychological needs? Explain. Identify at least one ethical issue connected with assessment, and provide at least one strategy for addressing this potential ethical issue.

Resources:

1. Article: A Sample Assessment and Psychological Report

https://web.archive.org/web/20130527224308/http://www.education.com/reference/article/sample-assessment-psychological-report

2. Article: Assessment and Evaluation of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergencies

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychiatric-emergencies/assessment-and-evaluation-child-and-adolescent-psychiatric-emergencies

3. PDF: Psychological Assessment Report

http://www.elspsyd.com/Documents/Sample%20Report.pdf

4. PDF: Intake Assessment Checklist

http://pcit.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Section-2_Intake-Information1.pdf

While the topics vary, your papers, at a minimum, should do the following:

·Answer the question or address the issue(s) described in the instructions.

·Include your perspective, when applicable, and share your opinion or explain your rationale for your position.

·Be sure to support your responses with scholarly research, and include references and citations for material presented that I not your own original work. You can use first person to indicate your opinion (I, my, etc.) in lieu of listing yourself as a source.

Format: Short papers should follow these formatting guidelines: 2–4 pages, double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and citations in APA format.