The General Systems Perspective

Every part of a system is affected by every other part. Usually there are several
points of intervention and types of intervention than can help client systems to
change.

1. A system can be defined as an aggregate of interrelated and

interconnected elements and activities that form an identifiable,
organized, and functioning whole.

2. A system is organized as a hierarchic, multilevel structure and displays a

particular pattern of behaviour.

3. A system consists of numerous parts called sub-systems.

4. A symbiotic relationship is assumed to exist among the parts of a system.

Each component is, to some degree affected by all other parts of the
system.

5. All systems have boundaries. The boundary of a social system

distinguishes between those who belong and those who do not.

6. All biological and social systems are open systems, which means that the
boundary is permeable and allows exchange of matter, energy, and
information across the boundary. Systems vary in degree of openness.

7. Systems are constantly changing and are often more chaotic and
unpredictable than it may seem. However, systems tend to function in
ways that preserve dynamic equilibrium, or a steady state.

8. Systems naturally seek a certain amount of growth and development, but

resist radical change, attempting to maintain a sage degree of sameness.

9. When change does occur, the system tends to move rather quickly to a
more stable level of functioning, thereby establishing a new steady state.
Helping systems move from dysfunction to function is often the goal of
clinical social work.

10. Entropy- The tendency of systems to become disorganized, to

disintegrate, or to run down and die.
11. Negative entropy- The forces that preserve a system's organization,
promote its development and keep it alive.

12.Systems functioning includes four interrelated activities:

a. Input
b. Conversion operations
c. Output
d. Feedback

13.Equifinality (same ends) tells that a single effect or outcome may result
from several different causes and multifinality (many ends) helps us to
understand that a single action (one cause) may produce many different
effects of outcomes.

14.Interface refers to the meeting or overlapping of two or more systems.

The clinical social worker works at the interface of these systems in order to
improve the interactions between the client and other relevant
systems.