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Social Work Values, Nonviolence,

Peace and Development
Daniel S. Sanders
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL

Issues of peace, development and the nuclear threat necessitate the

active Involvement of every profession and individual. Social work., along
with other dlscipllnes--especlally phl1osophy and rellglon--could make a
slgn1f1cant contribution In promoting peace and people-oriented
development. Historically, the SOCial work profession has had a tradttlon
of reform and peace-related efforts. Clarke Chambers refers to the
·prlestly· and the ·prophetlc·--the servIce and the reform--aspects of
social work as It deals wtth situations of change and development In
societies (Chambers, 1962>. The contribution of pioneers such as Jane
Addams, Harry Hopkins and Rene Sand, symbol1ze some of the best peace,
reform and development activities In social work.
The constructive efforts toward peace and the protest against war as a
method of settllng International confllcts, spearheaded by Jane Addams and
other pioneers, continue to be the pivotal considerations for human survival
and well being. Social work. by definition. Is eclectiC and Is open to
interdlscipllnary collaboration in peace and related activities. Currently,
there Is the trend of peace and development concerns becoming a peoples'
movement, transcending national and political boundaries in which social
work has the potential of making a vital contribution.

SocIal Work Values

SocIal work draws from humanitarIan, religIous and democratic Ideals

and philosophIes and has the potentIal of unIversal application to meet
human needs.
The commitment to peace and development stems from the values that
undergird the socIal work professIon. Two fundamental values constItute

V. K. Kool (ed.), Perspectives on Nonviolence

© Springer-Verlag New York Inc. 1990
the core of the profession's value system. They are: I) the worth and
dignity of every human being and 2) the mutual responsibility of Individuals
for each other. Another social work value that Is Increasingly Important Is
the rights of Individuals to be different from each other. The basic values
of the profeSSion, the respect for life, the appreciation of diversity, the
concern for peace and the commitment to SOCial justice, Impel social work
educators and practitioners to respond to the Issues of life and death
(Sanders, et aI., 1982, pp. 15 & 47). The ultimate test of social work's
contribution to Individuals, families and communities In diverse societies
Is the ensuring of human survival and the enhancing of the quality of life
for all people.
Social work values are directly opposed to -militarism- and war.
Militarism and war emerge from a world view based on the assumption that
human beings are by nature aggressive, Violent and that consequently
societies must be maintained by force (Brock-Utne, 1987).
Jane Addams (who In her time was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize
for Peace), In organizing social workers for peace In 1914, commented on
the Instrumentality of war as a means of settling national disputes. She
stated: ·We believed that war seeking its end through coerCion, not only
Interrupted but fatally reversed this process of cooperating good will .....
(Addams, 1922, p. 2).

Violence. DomInation and War

Thoughtful persons continue to speak out against violence, coercion and

the use or scientific and technological resources for destrUction, rather
than for development purposes. The values of competition, domination and
aggression are diametrically opposed to nonviolence and peace (Brock-Utne,
1967). Violence stemming from domination and aggression Is prevalent at
every level--the family, the neighborhood, the state and the International
arena. There is also evidence of violence in many seemingly peaceful
countries in situations such as child abuse, spouse abuse, manipulation of
clients and patients and In the brutal treatment of prisoners.
More than most other groups, social workers on a dally basis deal with
the consequences of violence In Its many forms and the reality of poverty,
hunger, resentment and hatred In people's lives. Social work could make a
valuable contribution in preventing or minimizing violence in the family, In
the work place, and at national and International levels. Given social
work's values, knowledge base and skllls, conflict resolutions, grassroots
action and empowerment of disenfranchised groups could be vital aspects
or professIonal activIty contributing to peace and development at varying
levels.

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