HS 250 Ethical and Legal Issues in the Helping Professions

An introduction to Ernest Greenwood’s article, Attributes of a Profession, published in July 1957 in the journal Social Work.
In this classic writing, the sociologist Ernest Greenwood poses this question: what makes a profession? What distinguishes a profession from a vocation, a trade, or any other endeavor in which a person earns a living? Is it simply a matter of doing a task in exchange for monetary compensation, or does the concept of a profession, and thus those who attain membership in a profession, suggest something more? If so, what is it based on, and why would a society confer this elevated status on those who carry out certain functions and roles that are deemed “professional?”
A number of writers have reviewed this topic since Greenwood explored it for the emerging profession of social work in 1957. For example, industries such as information technology and sustainability have more recently taken up these questions. In Greenwood’s article, you will notice a few references that seem archaic –we would probably not think of using scrubwoman as an example of a workrole– and he wrote in a time when exclusive language was the norm. His analysis, however, remains a reliable way to explore what it means to belong to, or to be served by, a profession. Overall, it’s worth looking past the artifacts of the time in which he wrote; his insight into the role of the professions is thoroughly modern and tells us a great deal about the way our current society is organized.
Keep in mind that although Greenwood is addressing the profession of social work, his thinking is applicable to the developmental path of all professions – and to the role of the professions in society. As you read Greenwood’s article, be sure you comprehend these key points:
? Why do we have the concept of the profession, and how do these differ from activities that are not recognized as professions? ? What are the five markers of a profession? For our purposes in this course, pay particular attention to the way that a code of ethics and credentialing (“community sanction”) work to define, regulate, and advance a profession. ? What is the relationship between a profession and the society in which it functions? How is this relationship maintained and mediated?
We can see from Greenwood that the status of a profession is not absolute (something is either a profession or it is not), but is more correctly understood as something that grows over time as a profession attains and strengthens the five indicators of professional status. We could think of this as a continuum, with new or almost-professions at one end and the traditional professions (which are generally recognized as medicine, law, and the clergy) on the other: least developed ———————————developing———————————————-fully developed ?–1———–2————3————-4————-5————6————-7———-8————9————10—? emerging——–organizing — -attaining the five markers of professions—- recognized as a full profession
As you read Greenwood’s article, think about how this applies to the professions we are studying.
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