Person-in-Environment (PIE) theory

Person-in-environment (PIE) theory is used in social work to study how individuals’ environments impact their views, perspectives, and beliefs. Many subsets of PIE theory offer unique perspectives on how an individual’s environment and welfare interact and provide social workers with a variety of effective approaches for helping people. These approaches include strengths perspective, ecological theory, and the biopsychosocial model.

Background

Prior to the development of formal social work programs and the assistance of national governments, wealthy individuals developed systems to assist the needy with child welfare and poverty. Though these systems were only somewhat successful, they became the origin for modern social work. Following the American Civil War (1861–1865), rapid industrial changes caused periodic economic depressions, which increased the need for social workers in the United States. Following the New Deal and the expansion of federal programs, social work quickly grew into a common and important profession.

The history of person-in-environment (PIE) theory is closely tied to social work. Jane Addams, a famed activist, sociologist, and social worker, contributed to the settlement house movement of social work. Mary Richmond, another pioneer of the social work profession, developed the theory of social casework. The settlement house movement argued that the most effective means of social work focused on widespread societal reform, while proponents of social casework argued that the most effective means of social work involved focusing on individuals and families. Over time, Richmond began to work toward bringing the two schools of thought together.

Richmond argued that both schools of thought were valid, and the perfect social worker should be able to focus on both the individual and his or her environment. She recommended that social workers initially attempt to accomplish this by appealing to community services. However, she noted that in instances where social services were unable or unwilling to promote the necessary changes within an individual’s environment, skilled social workers should work independently to enact those changes. By the 1980s, this dual perspective approach had become commonplace within social work.

Overview

Person-in-environment (PIE) encourages social workers to take an individual’s environment into consideration when working to understand their actions. PIE acknowledges that the environment in which people spend time influences how they view the world. It also involves examining an individual’s prior life experiences to better understand their current perspectives and actions. Through gaining a more complete understanding of individuals’ perspectives, social workers are better able to assist them in achieving their goals.

Modern social work has developed several theories and approaches that allow social workers to incorporate PIE into their relationships with individuals. The micro, mezzo, and macro approach divides the individual’s needs into several categories, allowing social workers to better meet these needs. The micro level involves the individual’s most basic physical and psychological needs, including interpersonal relationships with family members, spiritual beliefs, and biology. The mezzo level involves studying how various small groups impact the individual, encouraging the social worker to examine an individual’s relationships with their family, coworkers, and neighborhood. The macro level involves systemic issues, such as the individual’s relationship with governments, health care, and national policy. Each of these levels has some impact on an individual’s worldview, shaping their perspectives and actions.

The bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach analyzes the connections among the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of an individual’s life. The biological component refers to the individual’s overall physical health, while the psychological component refers to their personality, beliefs, and mental health. The social component examines the individual’s relationships, while the spiritual component examines the individual’s relationship with religion.

The strengths perspective analyzes an individual’s past achievements and successes to better understand their unique skillset. Instead of focusing on the individual’s problems or difficulties, it seeks to identify the skills that the individual has developed to overcome previous difficulties. The social worker then helps the individual use these skills to overcome current problems and grow as a person.

Ecological psychology focuses exclusively on the relationship between an individual and their environment and then works to understand the rest of an individual’s difficulties through the perspective of that relationship. When implementing this theory, social workers are expected to attempt to see an individual’s problems from their own perspective to discover how the individual feels. According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model, an individual’s relationship with their environment can be broken down into five categories: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

The microsystem refers to the environmental systems that are closest to the individual, such as school or work. The mesosystem refers to how these microsystems interact with one another. The exosystem refers to any settings that directly affect the individual, but within which the individual is not an active participant. The macrosystem refers to broad cultural environments, and the chronosystem refers to how the individual’s perspective on events changes throughout various life stages.

According to systems theory, behavior is the result of a large number of factors that interact with one another. For example, an individual’s social circle, socioeconomic class, and home life all come together to influence how they view the world. Systems theory also works to categorize the roles that people fill, such as sibling, caretaker, and parent. Proponents of systems theory argue that people define themselves in accordance with these roles. For example, someone may identify themselves primarily as a father, an uncle, and a carpenter. According to proponents of systems theory, an individual's worldview and associated roles combine to play a major role in their actions.

Bibliography

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