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Running head: ETHICS AND JUSTICE QUESTIONS

Ethics and Justice Questions
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Social workers have sometimes been referred to as "merchants of morality'; how do the
following stories represent that perspective?
The concept of the merchant of morality was developed by Erving Goffman. He stated
that an individual's rationale choice for presenting a decent image of themselves leads them to a
suitable image in the community (Appelrouth & Edles, 2011). In the dimension of performers,
people will be apprehensive of upholding the perception that they are living up to the many
principles by which they and their products are ruled on.
Since these principles are so many and so inescapable, the characters who are performers
reside more than many might perceive in a moral world. But qua performers, people are
apprehensive not with the moral issues of achieving these standards, but with the immoral aspect
of engineering a resounding impression that these standards are achieved. Our activity, then is
most apprehensive of ethical issues, but as performers, we do not have an ethical apprehension
with them, we are primarily merchants of morality. The very responsibility and efficiency of
always seeming in the balanced moral light, of being a socialized individual, forces an individual
to be the sort of person who is adept in the traditions of the stage (Goffman, 2010).
Goffman separates out a person's impressions and ways of communication. The
impression that an individual provides involves verbal dialogues that they try to utilize to convey
an image of themselves, whereas, impressions that an individual exhibits deals with how their
non-verbal actions present itself to others (Goffman, 2002). Goffman compares human society to
a total institution.
Within its structure, everybody is detached from the rest of the society and bounded in a
space where every feature of their being is scrutinized and controlled. Entrance to these

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institutions results from when a person's performing self-comes into the front stage and not
acknowledged by the community in general. In an attempt to get rid of the undesirable self or for
self-mortification, an individual gets a referral to total institutions. Conversely, subsequent
modification occurs when a person fights to sustain their identity and refuses to accept the image
provided to them by the organization (Goffman & Asylums, 1961).
Social workers consider themselves to be the architects of society, they go out and
conduct programmatic and policy changes. They analyze how the community and society fit
together to enable them to identify existing barriers. Social workers perceive themselves as the
leaders of change (LeCroy, 2012).
It is often said that social work is a value-driven profession; how do the following stories
represent that perspective?
According to Thomas (2016), the profession of social work is grounded on a set of
fundamental morals and values that guide the profession in its pursuit of social welfare and
justice. The core value of social work comprises of cultural sensitivity, respect for dignity and
self-worth, competence commitment, social justice, integrity among others. Based on Hannah
Freese's story she realized that the purpose of getting the job at the homeless shelter was not only
to pay the rent but for self-fulfillment. She had a real affection for children and wanted to assist
them in any way possible (LeCroy, 2012).
In the stories, how do the people work with others who have a different approach than they
do?
To enable an individual to work with others that have a different approach, it is important
to implement a collaborative effort to sustain and grow the relationship between the providers

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and the clients. Social workers should not allow bureaucracy to influence the outcomes for the
clients. Despite having different ideologies, it is important to show commitment to social justice,
social advocacy, and policy changes on a wide scale (LeCroy, 2012...