The specificity of social work lies in its peculiarity to be exposed to various factors: the traditions and customs of the country, the social policy and legislative framework of the state, the development of public consciousness, etc.
Among all these factors, an important role is played by a certain system of values ​​shared by representatives of society, which forms the basis of society.

Definition 1

Value - the personal and socio-cultural significance of objects and phenomena of the surrounding reality for a person and society. Such an object or phenomenon is included in the axiological basis of worldview modern man.

Definition 2

Social well-being is the highest social value associated with the vital interests of a person.

The motivation for the activity of social subjects at all times was expressed in the pursuit of social well-being.
Social well-being is based on the use of spiritual and material resources civilization. The essence of social well-being has changed over the course of history. Social well-being depends on the consumer standards of society, the level of material wealth, ethical and religious norms, etc.

Initially, the concept of social well-being was considered from the economic side.
Researchers have studied how wealth can be achieved in an unequal society through an even distribution of income. Thus, government intervention, rational taxation and fiscal policy were proposed. In a general sense, social well-being was understood as the opposite of disorder and poverty.

The modern concept of social well-being also includes security requirements, the right to decent housing and environmental conditions, freedom of creativity, etc.

Definition 3

Social well-being is an integral indicator of the functioning social sphere, a reflection of the quality of life of the population, as well as an indicator of the social security of the public system.

It is the indicators economic growth- criterion of efficiency of the state policy.

Allocate the social well-being of man and the social well-being of society. These concepts are included in the structure of social well-being, which includes ideas about the well-being of a person, the well-being of a group of people, and the well-being of the whole society. These views are closely related to each other, but do not have to completely coincide.

The need to develop indicators of social well-being is determined by the practical tasks of improving lifestyle. Thus, representatives of various sciences have long tried to determine the quantitative indicators of social well-being, which would fully reflect the various aspects of the life of society.
Thus, social well-being can be considered as an objective social phenomenon, which is determined by the daily conditions of people's life.

Human Development Index (HDI)

At the end of the 20th century, the Human Development Index (HDI) was developed.

Definition 4

Human Development Index (HDI) - indicator social development, which reflects the degree of well-being of the country, the level of material well-being (GDP per capita), the demographic situation (life expectancy), the level of education (calculated on the basis of the literacy rate of the population and the indicator of the average duration of education in educational institutions).

Each of the listed indices individually does not always reflect the general well-being, but in aggregate they represent a picture of the well-being (ill-being) of a particular society.

The Human Development Report by Country is published every year.
According to this report in 2018, the top five countries with a high level of development were Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and Germany. Russia took 49th place (out of 189 countries).
It is important to note that the task of Russia's social policy is to modernize all aspects of public life; therefore, national projects are being developed at the state level regarding the health of citizens, housing, education, etc.

The structure of the social well-being of society includes the following elements:

• the standard of living, which is determined by indicators of average per capita income and the subsistence minimum;
• the concept of quality of life, which is determined by ideas about the state of health and sanitary well-being of the population, the availability of obtaining the necessary medical care;
• public expectations in the field of security, i.e. protection from criminal encroachments and terrorist acts.

Social security of the individual

An important place is occupied by the social security of a person.

Definition 5

Social security of a person is confidence in the operation of social instruments that help to avoid a difficult situation (poverty, hunger, illness, etc.), which guarantees support in case it is impossible to provide for oneself and one's family (assistance in case of job loss, assistance in old age, in case of disability, etc.). .d.).

Caring for the social well-being of the family is the responsibility of healthy people of working age.
However, the elderly, the disabled, dysfunctional families are not in all cases able to cope with all social problems. Social security implies the existence of regulatory guarantees for the implementation social rights.

Social security includes:

• material support of social policy;
• social care infrastructure;
• availability of specialists providing assistance within the framework of social support.

The state of security of the population is associated with a person's sense of social security, but even if all of the listed structural elements are observed, this does not guarantee that an individual will automatically develop a sense of social security. The lack of a sense of social security in an individual affects the state of social stability of the population.

The social well-being of a person is based on the social well-being of society, however, it is not completely reduced to it. A more significant role is played by the individual's subjective assessment of his well-being and his own satisfaction with life. It may seem that a secure life is better than an unsecured one, and the presence of comfortable conditions is more satisfying than an ascetic environment. But some research proves otherwise.

Thus, the English psychologist M. Argyle presented the results of cross-cultural studies, in which he proved that the level of individual happiness and life satisfaction does not depend on the development of the material and everyday elements of civilization and human wealth. These indicators coincided in persons from France and Chad, Nigeria and the USA, etc.

So it was proved that the individual perceives his habitual existence as normal for himself and evaluates it depending on the magnitude of small changes that are associated with events occurring within the framework of this habitual existence. Such an assessment is close to the median with a slight bias towards more favorable judgments (in the survey, such an individual is "rather satisfied" with his usual life). But, if the change is significant enough and produces a jump in the lifestyle of the individual, then a different approach to evaluation is created: the person "reacts to the delta", to indicators of comparison either with their own living conditions in the past, or with the living conditions of significant others.
For example, when the living conditions of a person and his family improve, he will evaluate his social well-being as increased. When these improved conditions become commonplace, the assessment of individual social well-being will return to the average level. This pattern must be taken into account in the survey public opinion those who want to receive social assistance, and clients of social service institutions: the introduced measure of social support is perceived as new to the existing system, no longer than six months, then this novelty is lost.

The perception of a person's own well-being in comparison with the well-being of other people also has its own characteristics. The object for comparison are people who represent authority for the one who compares.
Envy of the level of well-being of a stranger is not always a negative feeling, because. it motivates for work, achievements, productive ideas.
Average welfare indicators, in which "no one lives better", lead to complacency and stagnation.

The state should have mechanisms to encourage the achievement of welfare through active work, talent, ingenuity, etc., within the framework of existing legislation, and attempts to achieve welfare by illegal means should also be suppressed.
The transparency of the boundaries of those ways that help to rise up (social lift) is the key to the mobility of society, its ability to improve.

Social well-being of the individual

The definition of an individual's well-being has been studied by many researchers.
There are three elements in the structure of an individual's personality:

• physical "I" - the body shell of the individual and his material things;
• social "I" - social roles and norms of a person in society;
• spiritual "I" - the spiritual abilities and properties of a person, the state of his consciousness.

It is impossible to separate the various hypostases of the "I" in the study of subjective well-being, because only in their unity lies the stability and integrity of the individual.

Understanding social well-being depends on the type of personality, its upbringing, education and social orientation.

Subjective well-being means achieving satisfaction in such areas as communication, work, interpersonal relationships. Because subjective experiences, "internal feelings of happiness" are very similar regardless of what caused them, the affective component of subjective well-being is constant.

Objective well-being is defined by social criteria personal achievements of a person, personality structure, behavior and activity.

Coordination of social and subjective elements of social well-being creates favorable conditions for the development of society and its members, and mismatch leads to social instability.

Social workers often deal with the problems of their clients, which are due to lack of material resources.

Social work as a species professional activity was originally aimed at ensuring the survival of people who turned out to be unadapted to the reality of a new kind of social and economic support. As the majority of the population develops and adapts to economic conditions, another task of social work is highlighted in the foreground - to support the social and spiritual well-being of a person, which necessitates the development and application of new approaches, technologies and methods that social work specialists should master today.

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Social well-being, as one of the main characteristics of social and economic development, the highest social value, social ideal, area of ​​social optimality, with which the vital interests of mankind are connected.

Consideration of well-being in the following aspects: the embodiment of moral virtues, spiritual harmony, happiness, bliss (Aristotle, I. Bentham, T. Hobbes, I. Kant, J. Locke, Plato, J.-J. Rousseau, Vl. Solovyov, B. Spinoza, L. Frank, E. Fromm, E. Shaftesbury and others); the strategic goal of state policy (Aristotle, I. Bentham, T. Hobbes, T. Jefferson, C. Fourier, etc.); material wealth, prosperity, wealth (D. Bell, Bzezhipsky, J. Galbraith, J. Keynes, X. Lampert, F. Hayek, E. Hansen, L. Erhard, etc.); positive emotional state (F. Herzberg, W. James, J. Dewey, P. Convers, A. Campbell, A. Maslow, C. Pierce, F. Rogers, E. Fromm, etc.); physical, mental and social health (N.M. Amosov, G.P. Anonasenko, I.A. Arshchavsky, A.G. Busygin, A.L. Busygina, I.A. Gundarov, V.M. Dilmen, V. P. Kaznacheev, B.A. Klassov, N.M. Kovaleva, A. Mezentsev, N.L. Rusinova and others); harmonious relations between man and the natural environment (W. Beck, I.V. Bestuzhev-Lada, L. Brown, G. Henderson, J. Galbraith, V.P. Danilov-Danilyan, G.G. Diligensky, D. Markovich, D. L. Meadows, D. H. Meadows, I. Randers, J. Robin, T. Skitovsky, F. Khirm, etc.); ideal social structure (R. Dahrendorf, E. Durkheim, L. Coser, J. Locke, N. Machiavelli, K. Marx, S. L. de Montesquieu, R. Owen, Plato, J.-J. Rousseau, K. A. de Saint-Simon, B. Spinoza, G. Schmoller, T. Malthus, K. Msnger, W. Eucken, A. S. Pigou, D. Riccardo, W. Rostow, P. Samuelson, A. Smith, E Toffler, O. Comte, K. Marx, R. Merton, T. Parsons, P. A. Sorokin, G. Spencer and others); the result of coordinated social behavior and effective interpersonal interaction (P. Blau, M. Weber, J. Mead, J. Homans, etc.).

The standard of living and assessment of well-being based on statistical indicators is traditionally regarded as the main characteristic of the effectiveness of socio-economic policy. Improvement of public welfare currently considered as growth in consumption of material goods by the population. However, these needs are often artificially imposed and reflected in the corresponding indicators of economic growth. The assessment reflects the real situation more reliably. social welfare.

Social well-being represents a subjective assessment by individuals and communities of the degree of satisfaction of their material and spiritual needs. In addition to traditional factors affected by the assessment of the standard of living and well-being, in this case, the following can be considered:

Needs for social prestige, respect, social security, status change, communication, freedom of social choice, a “range” of social alternatives, benefits, etc., as well as

Opportunities for the implementation of social expectations and claims.

In other words, social welfare, this is subjective assessment of the standard of living and the level of social health of society, which is formed by the society.

For the population, in many cases it does not seem legitimate to identify social and economic policy (as, for example, socio-economic), if only because their main goals most often do not coincide. In market conditions, the goal economic policy is to maximize profit. Social politics it is directed, first of all, to other goals - the growth of well-being, the development of progressive changes in the social structure, and the provision of social justice.

Social well-being is characterized by a system of various indicators. This system complements the indicators of the standard of living and well-being of the population, and, if necessary, can be used to analyze their reliability.

The standard of living of the population is characterized by a complex system of statistical indicators, which includes:

1) general indicators of the standard of living of the population

2) income indicators of the population

3) indicators of expenditures and consumption of material goods and services by the population

4) indicators of differentiation of the population in terms of living standards

5) indicators of the living conditions of the population.

The indicators by which the level and quality of life is assessed can be divided into quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative indicators the level and quality of life are most obvious. First of all, these are GNP, or national income per capita, the level of income and its distribution in society, the level of consumption of various material goods and services by class of goods, the level of employment, etc.

Qualitative indicators the level and quality of life include indicators of working conditions, life and leisure of a person.

In modern practice of assessing the level and quality of life, two approaches have been adopted:

1. Evaluation is carried out using a system of indicators - social indicators. Wherein national systems have their own characteristics, in general, however, based on the methodological recommendations of the UN and the OECD.

2. A composite index of the level and quality of life is calculated based on individual indicators. This approach is most widely used by the UN and other international organizations to conduct cross-country comparisons of the level and quality of life of the population. different countries.

The most complete and responsive modern requirements serves as the system "Basic indicators of the standard of living of the population in conditions market economy", developed at the Center for Economic Conjuncture and Forecasting under the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation in 1992. It contains 7 sections covering 40 indicators:

I. General indicators.

1. The criterion of the standard of living.

3. Gross national product (consumption fund, personal consumption fund) per capita.

II. The income of the population.

1. Real total income of the population.

2. Real disposable income of the population.

3. The total income of the population.

4. Personal income of the population.

5. Personal disposable income of the population.

6. Cash income population.

7. Average income and average wage workers.

8. Average real wages.

9. Average pension, allowances, scholarships.

III. Consumption and expenditures of the population.

1. The total consumption of material goods and services by the population.

2. Monetary expenditures of the population.

3. Consumer spending of the population.

4. Consumption of basic foodstuffs by the population.

5. Purchasing power of the average wage.

6. Purchasing power of the average pension.

IV. Monetary savings of the population.

1. The amount of monetary savings of the population.

V. Accumulated property and housing.

1. The value of accumulated household (personal) property.

2. Availability and characteristics of durable items owned by the population.

3. Housing conditions of the population.

VI. Social differentiation population.

1. Distribution of the population by the size of the average per capita (average for the household) total income.

2. Consumption of staple foods, non-food items and services to the population different levels per capita (average for the household) total income.

3. The structure of consumer spending of the population with different levels of per capita (average for the household) income.

4. Dynamics of the cost of the actual and normative consumer baskets of various segments of the population.

6. Decile coefficients of differentiation of incomes and consumption of the population.

7. The ratio of average values ​​of income and consumption within the boundaries of the upper and lower deciles.

8. The share of quintile (decile) groups of the population (households) by the level of average per capita (average for the household) income in the total income of society.

VII. Low-income segments of the population.

1. Living wage (poverty threshold).

2. Minimum consumer budget.

3. Minimum size wages.

4. Minimum pension.

5. The purchasing power of the minimum wage.

6. Purchasing power of the minimum pension.

7. Coefficient (level) of poverty.

8. Lack of income.

9. Zones of poverty.

10. Social portrait of poverty.

The most important 12 indicators out of the 40 listed are included in the system of indicators for assessing the progress of economic reform in Russia in section 10 "Social sphere, living standards of the population" and in subsection 10.3 "Living standard". This system of indicators was developed by the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation and the State Statistics Committee of Russia, coordinated with the interested ministries and departments, regional administrations, and put into effect since 1993. It is recommended to the executive authorities of the republics within the Russian Federation, territories, regions of autonomous entities, the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg for use in the analysis of the course of economic reform in the respective territories. The 12 indicators include:

1. Average wages of workers.

2. The purchasing power of the population with average salary and pension.

3. The minimum consumer budget for the main socio-demographic groups of the population.

4. Living wage for the main socio-demographic groups of the population.

5. The number and proportion of the population with average per capita incomes below the minimum consumer budget and subsistence (physiological) minimum.

6. Food consumption in households with different levels of average per capita income.

7. Monetary income and expenses of certain socio-demographic groups of the population.

8. Indicators of population differentiation.

9. The ratio of average per capita incomes of 10% of the most and 10% of the least well-to-do population.

11. The structure of consumer spending of various socio-demographic groups of the population.

12. Distribution of the population by the size of the average per capita income.

In 1978, the UN developed the Living Standards Indicator System, which includes 12 groups of indicators. At the same time, there was a need to build a single integral indicator of the standard of living that combines various aspects of socioeconomic development. To measure the country's social development, synthetic indices of the "quality of life" of the population were proposed, including demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural components. In particular, the American Council overseas development The Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) was developed, which combines indicators of socio-demographic development (life expectancy, infant mortality and literacy of the population). This indicator was used to classify countries by level of development.

In addition, other indicators of human development have been developed. In particular, within the framework of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), an index of "quality of life" was developed, which combines socio-economic and demographic indicators (employment, purchasing power, level of development of health care and education, access to political life, life expectancy, etc.). ).

AT last years An integral indicator that summarizes the level of development and is used in international and regional comparisons is the Human Development Index - HDI (eng. The Human Development Index - HDI), proposed as the main indicator by which the countries of the world community are ranked and the rating of each country is determined.

This index includes three components: indices of life expectancy, education, GDP per capita.

The use of the standard of living as the main indicator of the effectiveness of economic and social policy in conditions modern Russia does not always give a reliable real social picture. In the economic and social policy in Russia, the measurement of poverty according to the perception of society is still not considered as a leading indicator of their effectiveness.

In general, the use of social well-being assessment makes it possible to significantly expand the number of considered factors that determine the course of social and economic development. economic processes. Moreover, these factors in many cases reflect much better the essence of such processes and the social and economic consequences. Indicators that characterize social well-being can act both independently as an alternative assessment that reflects the opinion of the society, and can be used to determine other indicators and form performance assessments.

As a result of mastering the topic, the student must:

know

Fundamentals of the modern theory of social well-being, social security, social cohesion;

be able to

• use the basic criteria of social well-being;
• determine the scientific and practical value of the research tasks to be solved in the process of ensuring social well-being, social security and cohesion;

own

• various areas of ensuring social well-being, social security, social cohesion;
• the ability to conduct research to identify the level of social well-being in different groups population.

The content and structure of the concept of "social well-being"

The practice of social work is determined by various factors, which include the traditions and customs of a certain people, the legislative framework, which regulates social policy, representations of public consciousness, etc. An important place among these factors is occupied by a system of values ​​that are shared by all representatives of a given society (or most of them) and which, in essence, form the basis of society.

In the philosophical sense, value is understood as the personal, socio-cultural significance of certain objects and phenomena of the surrounding world, which have a positive or negative value for a person and society. Therefore, each object and phenomenon that is considered significant is included in the value, or axiological, basis of the worldview of modern man, occupying a more or less important place in it.

social welfare- this is the highest social value, with which the vital interests of mankind are connected. The desire to achieve social well-being has always been a stable motivation for the activity of social actors. The modern understanding of the essence and content of social well-being is associated with the most efficient use of the material and spiritual resources of civilization.

Judgments about the content of social well-being have changed over the course of human history depending on the level of development of material goods, religious and ethical standards, consumer standards of the relevant society. Initially, this concept was considered in the context of well-being, i.e. predominantly economic, material security. Researchers have looked at how wealth can be achieved in an unequal society through a more equal distribution of income. As ways to this were considered: state intervention, rational taxation and fiscal policy.

In the most general sense, we can say that social well-being is the opposite of poverty and disorder. However, modern ideas about the proper level and quality of life also include safety requirements, the right to decent housing and environmental conditions, freedom of self-realization, etc.

Social well-being is an integral indicator of the effectiveness of the functioning of the social sphere, a reflection of social well-being, the level of well-being, the quality of life of the population, an indicator of the social security of the public system as a whole. It can be said that, to a certain extent, indicators of economic growth, namely, indicators of the social well-being of the population, are a criterion for the effectiveness of state policy.

The educational and methodological association of Russian universities in social work among the fundamental, initial categories of the theory of social work as a scientific discipline names the following concepts:

• social well-being of a person;
• social well-being of society.

These concepts reflect the complex structure of the very category of social well-being, the inclusion in it of ideas about the well-being of the individual, the well-being of groups of people, and finally, the well-being of society as a whole. These perceptions and the evidence on which they are based are interrelated, but not completely identical.

For a long time, representatives of the social sciences and governing bodies have been looking for objective quantitative indicators of this integral phenomenon that would accurately reflect the state of various aspects of the life of the social organism as a whole, be able to show the dynamics of its individual elements and, moreover, be practically applicable in the aspect of collecting and data usage. The need to develop indicators of social well-being is determined by the scientific and practical tasks of further improvement of lifestyle. Social well-being is an objective social phenomenon determined by the daily living conditions of people in which they satisfy their needs, realize their life plans and social expectations.

At the end of the XX century. An informative, comparable and easy-to-use indicator of social development was developed that reflects the degree of well-being of countries, peoples as a whole - the human development index (HDI), which integrally characterizes the level of material well-being (GDP per capita), the demographic situation (expected life expectancy) and level of education (calculated on the basis of the literacy rate of the population and the indicator of the average duration of education in educational institutions).

Each of the indicators included and the index separately may not reflect the generalized state of well-being, but all of them together directly or indirectly represent a picture of the well-being or disadvantage of a given society.

For all the years of publication of the report on human development, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Japan, Iceland took the first place.

In the latest edition of the HDI report, presented in March 2013 in Mexico City, it is indicated that the highest performance of the index is recorded in Norway. Russia is in 55th place in the group of countries with a "high level of human development", having risen by 10 positions compared to the previous report. Forty-two countries with a "very high" HDI are labeled "developed" in the report, although they include, for example, Barbados or the Seychelles, which are usually not included in the developed countries.

At the same time, the components of the Russian HDI are far from equivalent. Against the world background, the average Russian person is distinguished by high education, an average level of material prosperity and a low life expectancy.

Among other indicators, one should consider the dynamics of the HDI, i.e. the direction and magnitude of changes that the indices of different countries showed in comparison with 1990 (the beginning of observations). In this regard, the latest published report, unfortunately, shows that Russia is among the countries where this indicator has deteriorated. Back in 1990, the USSR (and Russia as a part of it) was in the group of countries with a very high level of HDI development, ranking 23rd in the overall ranking.

Of course, such a decrease social characteristics unacceptable for a country that has set itself the task of modernizing all aspects of its development. It was to improve the situation in the social sphere that the national projects "Education", "Health", "Housing" were developed, and the stimulation of demographic improvements was begun.

Over the past years, the efforts made to improve health care, the development of high-tech types of medical care have borne fruit. There have been positive changes in one of the most conservative indicators - the indicator of average life expectancy. The life expectancy of men over the past 15 years has exceeded 63 years, which is a significant increase, but, however, does not reach, however, like the life expectancy of women, the indicators of 1990.

The structure of the social well-being of society includes such elements as the standard of living, determined by indicators of average per capita income and the subsistence minimum, as well as the concepts of quality of life, determined by ideas about the state of health and sanitary well-being of the population, the possibility of obtaining the necessary medical care. It also includes public expectations in the field of security - protection from criminal encroachments and terrorist acts, food and environmental security.

A special place is occupied by the social security of individuals, i.e. confidence that, if other security mechanisms cease to operate, social instruments will work that will help a person avoid poverty and hunger, receive support if it is impossible to provide for himself and his family on his own, assistance in case of loss of a job, care in old age, etc. .P. It should be emphasized that, in general, taking care of the social well-being of one's family is the subject of one's own responsibility of healthy people of working age. However, the elderly, the disabled, families with a high dependency load are not always able to cope with emerging social problems on their own. The state of social security implies the existence of regulatory guarantees for the implementation of social rights and freedoms, sufficient funding for social policy at all its levels, the development of social assistance infrastructure, the availability of specialists capable of implementing social support measures.

The state of social security of the population is associated with a sense of social security among individuals, which cannot arise without the presence of the above elements of social security. However, the objective existence of these structural elements does not automatically lead to the formation of a sense of social security in a person - citizens may not know about them or consider them insufficient. The absence of this feeling adversely affects the state of social stability, the subjective characteristics of the well-being of the population.

The social well-being of the individual is largely based on the social well-being of society, but is not limited to it. Of great importance for him is a person's subjective assessment of his well-being and satisfaction with life. At first glance, it seems that a prosperous life is better than an unsecured one, that the presence of comfortable conditions for life causes more satisfaction than life in ascetic conditions. However, the studies carried out show the incompleteness of this point of view.

The English psychologist M. Argyle summarized the results of extensive cross-cultural studies and found that the level of individual happiness and life satisfaction does not depend on the development of the material and everyday elements of civilization and human wealth: these indicators turned out to be equal in the surveyed individuals from France and Chad, Nigeria and the USA etc.

Subsequently, it was determined that a person perceives ordinary and habitual existence as normal for himself and evaluates it in terms of minor changes associated with small events occurring within the framework of this ordinary existence. This assessment is close to the median with a slight bias towards more favorable judgments (in the terminology of surveys, a person is "rather satisfied" with his daily life). However, if the changes taking place are more significant and produce qualitative changes in lifestyle, then a different approach to evaluation arises: people "react to the delta", to indicators of comparison either with their own living conditions in the past, or with the living conditions of significant others.

So, if the living conditions of a person, his family have improved, then for some time he evaluates his social well-being as increased. If these improved conditions have become habitual, ordinary, then the assessment of individual social well-being returns to the usual average level. It is important to take this pattern into account when identifying the opinions and judgments of social assistance recipients and clients of social service institutions: a newly introduced measure of social support is perceived as a new, additional to an existing system, for no more than six months, and then its novelty is lost.

One's own well-being is also perceived in a peculiar way in comparison with the well-being of other people. The subject of comparison is chosen significant others, i.e. those people who for the initiator of the comparison seem to be indicative, authoritative. Envy of the level of someone else's well-being is a generally positive feeling that generates motivation for work, enterprise, and achievements. Average, unified indicators of well-being, when no one lives better than others, can breed complacency and lead to stagnation.

Of course, there must be mechanisms in society to encourage more active work, entrepreneurship within the bounds of the law, ingenuity, talent, etc., as well as tools to suppress attempts to achieve prosperity by illegal means. Ultimately, the permeability of the boundaries of social strata and the correct operation " social elevator", allowing socially acceptable ways to rise up in the social hierarchy - this is a guarantee of mobility, modernizability of society, its ability to develop and improve.

The individual definition of well-being is quite complex and contradictory.

There are three types of elements in the structure of a person's personality: the physical "I", the social "I" and the spiritual "I". The physical "I" includes the bodily organization and everything material that a person possesses. The structure of the social "I" is made up of roles, norms and a person's desire for society. Spiritual "I" is a complete unification of individual states of consciousness, specifically taken spiritual abilities and properties.

However, it is impossible to separate the various hypostases of the "I" from each other in the study of subjective well-being, since their inseparable unity ensures the stability and integrity of the personality, and this unity itself becomes a factor in subjective well-being.

Subjective well-being has a socially important content. Diversity in his understanding depends on the type of personality, the characteristics of its formation and upbringing, pro-social or anti-social orientation, egoistic or altruistic attitude. Subjective well-being involves the achievement of satisfaction primarily in such areas as communication, successful work, interpersonal relationships. Since subjective experiences, "internal feelings of happiness" are very similar regardless of what caused them, the affective component of subjective well-being is quite constant. Subjective well-being does not at all determine the objective well-being of a person, assessed according to the social criteria of his personal achievements, personality structure, behavior and activities. Coordination of social and subjective constructs of social well-being creates favorable conditions for the consistent development of society and its members. Mismatch breeds social instability, as well as Negative consequences prolonged exposure to distress.

Social work professionals have to deal more often with the problems of their clients due to lack of material resources. At one time, this type of professional activity was created precisely in order to ensure the survival of people who turned out to be unadapted to the realities of a new type of socio-economic structure, to save them from hunger and extreme poverty. However, as the majority of the population adapts to economic conditions, another task of social work comes to the fore - maintaining the social and spiritual well-being of individuals. This necessitates the use of new approaches, technologies and methods that specialists must master in modern conditions.

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• Introduction
• 2. Types of well-being
• Conclusion
• Bibliographic list

Introduction

At present, all developed countries put forward social policy in the first place, which is based on ensuring human rights to a standard of well-being and social protection in this society. In essence, social policy is a policy of regulating socio-economic conditions of life, based on maintaining relations of justice in society, regulating relations between individual social groups, providing conditions, raising the standard of living of all members of society.

According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, it is proclaimed that Russian Federation- a social state whose policy is aimed at creating conditions that ensure a decent life and free development of a person. Under the social policy of the state understand the activities focused on the person, his well-being. Social well-being can be viewed from several angles, as an integral assessment reflecting the real situation in the country, or as a subjective assessment by individuals and communities of the degree of satisfaction of their material and spiritual needs.

1. The essence of the concept of "well-being", its types

The concept of "well-being" - wellbeing is actively used today in foreign and domestic science and practice. The Russian language contains many words whose root is "blago". In foreign science, along with the term "benefit", the terms "beneficiary", "benefactor" and others are also used.

This concept can be considered in different senses. In a broad sense, well-being is a multifactorial construct that represents a complex relationship of cultural, economic, social, psychological, physical and spiritual factors of life that provide a certain quality of human life.

In a narrow sense, well-being is a set of certain conditions that provide a person with the ability to live a full life (to be socially and biologically healthy, and satisfied with the level and quality of his life).

According to the WHO, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Quality of life is a measure of social well-being.

Standard of living is a measure of social welfare

Welfare - prosperity, security, wealth, that is, it is the totality of material wealth available to a person.

The benefactor is the subject and source of social well-being.

A beneficiary is an object, an addressee of social well-being.

There are objective standards (norms and assessments) of well-being by the person himself. Assessing one's own life in terms of well-being can occur in two measurement systems:

1. A system of measurement officially recognized for a given culture at a given time in history.

2. Subjective system of measurement, which is based on the subjective hierarchy of life values ​​and the idea of ​​subjective social well-being.

2. Types of well-being

1. Social well-being is a characteristic of a person's social environment, his social relations, connections and interactions. Social well-being also includes a system of value orientations, needs and interests. Social well-being depends on the social status of a person.

Main elements social well-being:

social contacts;

social comfort;

social security;

social satisfaction.

2. Economic well-being is a set of material benefits, the ability to satisfy material needs, security and stability of material wealth.

Main elements economic well-being:

housing, food, footwear and clothing;

movable and immovable property.

3. Spiritual well-being is a feeling of involvement or identification with the spiritual culture of society, awareness of the opportunity to join the achievements of spiritual culture, the presence of faith and the ability to freely show one's commitment to it.

Main elements spiritual well-being:

values;

meaning of life;

Vera;

happiness;

luck.

4. Physical well-being - the presence of good physical health, bodily comfort, health and physical tone, that is, the natural state of the body, is characterized by complete satisfaction with the biosphere and the absence of disease.

Main elements physical well-being:

activity;

balanced diet;

compliance with the rules of personal hygiene;

optimal combination of mental and labor development;

bad habits.

5. Professional well-being - the ability to realize one's inclinations, abilities, ZUN, through professional activities.

Main elements professional well-being:

profession;

employment;

Work;

employment;

professional identification;

professional contacts;

professional implementation.

6. Environmental well-being is a set of components environment in which man functions.

Main elements environmental well-being:

safety;

comfort of the living environment;

air and water quality;

housing that meets sanitary and hygienic standards and. etc.

7. Family well-being is the presence of the immediate social environment, consisting of both a nuclear and an extended family, providing spiritual comfort, unity, a sense of care, understanding, confidence and stability of life, its fullness of meaning.

Main elements family well-being:

spouse(s);

children;

parents;

close relatives;

family communication and mutual assistance.

Thus, the types of well-being are components that mutually influence each other. This is due to the fact that in human life all spheres are closely interconnected. A change in the content and quality of one of the components necessarily entails a change in the others. Often there is a compensation of one component, which is developed to a lesser extent, by another - more developed. At the same time, it suffers

the possibility of harmonious realization of life activity in all its diversity. Therefore, the study various kinds well-being is of fundamental importance for science and practice.

3. Standard of living and assessment of well-being

The relevance and importance of regulating socio-economic processes and solving the problems of growth in the dynamics of the social well-being of the population increases dramatically during periods of difficult, crisis socio-economic situations.

The considered conceptual foundations of the dynamics of social well-being have a number of new provisions, since they are focused on further adaptation and subsequent practical application in solving specific management problems. Further development of specific teaching materials and their practical implementation, allows us to consider the regulation of social processes in a new way and contribute to the solution of managerial problems of a much greater dimension and degree of adaptation.

Level life and grade welfare, based on statistical indicators, is traditionally regarded as the main characteristic of the effectiveness of socio-economic policy. However, in our opinion, they somewhat one-sidedly reflect the social state and results of economic and social policy. An increase in public welfare is currently viewed as an increase in the consumption of material goods by the population. However, these needs are often artificially imposed and reflected in the corresponding indicators of economic growth. The assessment of social well-being reflects the real situation more reliably.

Social well-being represents a subjective assessment by individuals and communities of the degree of satisfaction of their material and spiritual needs. In addition to the traditional factors involved in assessing the standard of living and well-being, in this case, the following can be considered:

needs for public prestige;

in respect;

in social security;

in status change;

in communication;

in freedom of social choice;

in the "range" of social alternatives, benefits, etc. etc.

And also in the implementation of social expectations and claims. In other words, social well-being is a subjective assessment of the standard of living and the level of social health of society, which is formed by the society.

In many cases, directly for the population, it does not seem legitimate to identify social and economic policy (as, for example, socio-economic), if only because their main goals most often do not coincide. In market conditions, the goal of economic policy is to maximize profits. Social policy is aimed primarily at other goals - the growth of well-being, the development of progressive changes in the social structure, and the provision of social justice.

social well-being characterized by a system of various indicators. This system complements the indicators of the standard of living and well-being of the population, and, if necessary, can be used to analyze their reliability. The use of the standard of living as the main indicator of the effectiveness of economic and social policy in the conditions of modern Russia does not always give a reliable real social picture.

So, for example, according to the results of sociological surveys, the proportion of respondents who consider themselves to be in the category with a low standard of living is more than half the value of this indicator obtained from statistical data.

Let us add to this that in difficult socio-economic conditions, the share of the shadow economy increases, which does not fall into the statistical data. It is also necessary to note the fact that in the economic and social policy in Russia, the measurement of poverty according to the perception of society is still not considered as the leading indicator of their effectiveness.

On the whole, the use of the assessment of social well-being makes it possible to significantly expand the number of considered factors that determine the course of social and economic processes. Moreover, these factors in many cases reflect much better the essence of such processes and the social and economic consequences. Indicators that characterize social well-being can act both independently as an alternative assessment that reflects the opinion of the society, and can be used to determine other indicators and form performance assessments...

All of the above ultimately requires the definition of the main conceptual provisions for assessing the social well-being of the population.

4. Conceptual provisions for managing the welfare of the population

The conceptual provisions for managing the welfare of the population, which form the basis for the subsequent formation of decisions, are as follows.

1. Social well-being must be considered as one of the main characteristics of social and economic development, especially since social disadvantage always indicates an unsatisfactory standard of living, that is, a lack of some benefits. At the same time, a drop in living standards can sometimes be accompanied by an increase in social well-being. Social comfort may not be associated with high welfare and may be compensated by other factors.

2. The number of criteria for the effectiveness of economic and social development (including regional) should be increased through the use of indicators characterizing social well-being. A significant increase in the number of indicators under consideration is provided, including such non-traditional ones that characterize the socio-political preferences of the population, the state of mass consciousness and social psychology. As one of the leading criteria for the effectiveness of Russia's economic and social development at the present time and in the foreseeable future, it is expedient to consider the change in the scale of absolute and relative poverty.

3. An assessment of the dynamics of social well-being should begin with monitoring the main social and economic processes. A special place here is occupied by the diagnostics of well-being and its reflection in public opinion (in the mass consciousness) according to the main characteristics, such as:

salary, income;

property, property;

housing;

accessibility of education;

job security;

health and medical care;

crime;

housing and communal services;

public transport and others;

As a result, the system of indicators for analyzing and evaluating the dynamics of social well-being should combine indicators obtained on the basis of reporting and statistical data, as well as information reflecting the subjective perception of one's own state, obtained in the course of surveys on representative samples of all major groups and strata of the population.

Monitoring can be carried out in accordance with the calendar deadlines for reporting on the main economic and social indicators, once a quarter, half a year, as well as express surveys of the population at the same time.

The results of periodic monitoring can be supplemented with selective materials. Thus, the results of the analysis of socio-political preferences based on the results of elections to public authorities are of great importance in assessing changes in the territorial differentiation of the social well-being of the population.

4. Monitoring can be carried out in accordance with the calendar terms for reporting on the main economic and social indicators, once a quarter, half a year, as well as express surveys of the population at the same time.

In order to ensure the management of the well-being of the population, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the work of the authorities with the population, in the main directions of the implementation of economic and social policy and its ability to promote welfare. It is also necessary to create specialized information systems and corresponding amendments to regulations regulating the procedures for making management decisions.

In addition to the traditional ways of implementing economic and social policy in managing the social well-being of the population, one should use the leading channel for shaping public opinion - the media.

Further development of methodological materials on the basis of the above conceptual provisions affects the solution of a large number of problems of managing regional social processes.

The study of the dynamics of well-being makes it possible to define goals and criteria in much more detail and accurately in the implementation of regional socio-economic policy.

At the same time, the development of specific methodological materials with a focus on use in management activities, allows us to consider the solution of a number of control problems at a qualitatively new level.

Thus, the question of assessing social well-being always remains relevant, since the answer to it allows us to draw unambiguous conclusions regarding the achieved level of well-being in a particular territory, in the region and in the country as a whole, as well as at the level of an individual citizen.

social well-being of the population

Conclusion

I.V. Merzlyakova defines social well-being as the highest social value, a social ideal, an area of ​​social optimality, with which the vital interests of mankind are connected. The desire to achieve social well-being has always been the most stable motivation for the activity of social actors. The modern understanding of the essence and content of social well-being is associated with staying within civilization, the most efficient use of its benefits, the optimal implementation of life in the conditions of high rates of development of the post-industrial, information and educational era.

Every citizen of our country can make a choice and create his own social well-being, implement his activities in the way he needs, reach the heights he wants, use his abilities to the maximum in the industry he prefers. However, no matter how the state seeks to quench the thirst of society for its own needs, this is not possible ... The statement of the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus is a vivid evidence of this: "Greed for money, if it is insatiable, is much more painful than need, because the more desires grow, the more Paboutneeds they generate"

Bibliographic list

1. Ahinov, G.A. Social politics: tutorial/ G.A. Akhinov. - M: INFRA-M, 2011. - 272 p.

2. Belyaeva L.A. Level and quality of life. Problems of measurement and interpretation // Sociological researches, No. 1, January 2009, P.33-42;

3. Berendeeva A.B. The subject of research is the social well-being of the population // Sotsiol. Research. 2006. No. 5.

4. Pereslavsky V.T. Value characteristics of human life: well-being and welfare: Monograph. SPb., 2007.

5. Russia in numbers. 2009; Short stat. Sat. /Rosstat-M., 2010.

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In the last decade and a half, the country has taken a significant step towards the institutionalization of social work as a system of ideas, relationships and institutions to ensure the social well-being of people with special needs and / or this moment a social problem that requires social protection, assistance and social support. Because social work is one of the critical factors social well-being of society, let us first consider the concept and components of the social well-being of society.

The feeling of social well-being is associated with the concept of a person's subjective well-being.

Subjective well-being is a concept that expresses a person's own attitude to his personality, life and processes that are important for the individual in terms of the acquired normative ideas about the external and internal environment and is characterized by a sense of satisfaction.

The concept of subjective well-being must also include specific forms of behavior that improve the quality of life (again, in all its forms), allow achieving high degree self-realization.

The well-being of the individual is an integral socio-psychological education, including the assessment and attitude of a person to his life and himself, and carrying an active principle in itself. It contains all three components of a mental phenomenon - cognitive, emotional, connotative (behavioral), and is characterized by subjectivity, positivity and global dimension.

The well-being of society is primarily the well-being of its members. Social and psychological problems that arise in the process of human existence in a modern complex structured society cannot be solved only on the basis of self-active mutual assistance. These problems should become the subject of activity of specially trained professionals - social workers.

Clients of social workers can be: an individual; a family; Group; community of people or organization. The functions of social work are largely related to the provision of a variety of social, psychological and pedagogical assistance in any circumstances where it may be needed. These include: various crisis situations; correction of social deviations; family problems and more. In every situation where help is needed, social worker interested in the actual or potential problem of the individual. The main problems of the psychology of social work include the following questions:

mental health of the individual;

Psychological health of the family;

Problems of their adaptation to various changes in a particular stage of life;

Psychological difficulties in raising children and adolescents;

Fundamentals of relationships between parents and children;

Psychological conditions for the prevention of interpersonal and intergroup conflicts;

The issue of psychological assistance to various categories of the population;

Psychological selection, professional orientation and psychological training of specialists in the field of social work.

social work as Practical activities is realized through the interaction of a social worker with an individual or some community of people. Obviously, the main tasks of a social worker in the process of providing assistance are directly determined by the need to organize and structure interaction with the client in such a way as to achieve mutually agreed goals and effective results of social assistance.

Social help(protection) - the care of the state, society for citizens in need of assistance, assistance due to age, health, social position, insufficient provision of means of subsistence. Social help ( social protection, social security) manifests itself in the form of pensions, benefits, the provision of material assistance, care for the sick and the elderly, care for children. Social assistance is often interpreted in a broader sense than social security (including, in particular, protection at the level of family members or members of the local community). The term is sometimes also used in a narrower sense than social security (including only measures targeting the poorest and most vulnerable people or socially excluded members of society). Therefore, in many situations, the terms "social security" and "social protection" are used interchangeably.

The social health of the population is characterized by many factors (the level of socialization, attitude to the norms and rules adopted in society, social ties with people and social institutions) and depends on many factors, both at the level of social microsystems (family, preschool educational institution, school, group, class), and at the level of mesosystems (organizations whose functioning is ensured by the life, recreation and work of members of society) and macrosystems (population, ethnic group, society). These factors create the prerequisites for the social well-being of a person, which provides for "full-fledged, healthy relationships with close (family) and distant society (other social organizations), a sense of security, a balance of intense activity (including educational, working) and rest, faith in the prospects for personal and professional growth, material prosperity and spiritual self-improvement.

Thus, the concept of "social well-being" is considered by scientists as a multicomponent formation of a person, which constitutes a certain system of qualities and properties of a person, acts as a unity of three components: emotional-sensory, motivational-value, activity-behavioral.

Studies of educators and psychologists have shown that the social well-being of a person largely depends on how well he is adapted, adapted to the surrounding reality, what his feelings are in it. For the most comfortable feeling of oneself, a person needs to be aware of his capabilities and the ability to use them. To mobilize their internal forces, reserves he needs to go through the school of self-knowledge. This is especially true for socially vulnerable segments of the population. They must accurately and concretely represent their capabilities in order to adequately use them, adapting to the environment.

The concept of social well-being as a whole has both objective and subjective aspects, therefore, it can be defined both in descriptive (presented as an accurate description of the nature and sequence of any events, phenomena), qualitative terms, and using empirical (based on experience, the study of facts based on direct observation, experiment) indicators. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is no consensus in the scientific community regarding a single interpretation of the concept of social well-being. Such attempts are constantly being made, and perhaps the most significant contribution here has been made by sociologists who have sought and continue to seek to use measurable indicators in determining social well-being, for which they use various methods.

One of these methods is based on a comparison of key statistical indicators, or indicators that reflect social and living conditions in different communities and societies (N.V. Borovskaya). Another method proposes to combine various similar indicators into a single index of social well-being (V.A. Burko). Except quantitative methods a number of researchers also involved qualitative ones (L.G. Voronin, I.A. Grigorieva). Thus, a series of sociological studies was carried out in various countries, regions and communities, which were aimed at identifying people's subjective perception of social well-being.

But besides the sociological approach, which is rather empirical, there are various conceptual approaches to the definition of social well-being. The generalization of a number of similar approaches leads to the conclusion that social well-being is derived from the following three components: manageability of social problems, satisfaction of social needs, creation of social opportunities.

These three components are about individuals, families, groups, communities and entire societies. Thus, they must be present at various social levels in order for the state to become a "welfare state".

The socially positive orientation of the values ​​of social work must, under all circumstances, be preserved in relation to all members of society.

How social institution social work should always show its relative independence, regardless of the subject of its organization and should not become a conductor of anti-humanistic values ​​directed against humanity, the working strata of the population.

In the conditions of the current social situation in the country, social work should not be limited to the so-called targeted (mainly financial and material) assistance only to people in difficult life situations.

Every person should become its object, regardless of the physical, mental, economic situation and social status from birth to the last days of his life.

It is not difficult to predict that the place and role of social work in shaping the social well-being of people will undoubtedly grow, it will increasingly become an essential factor and criterion for the development of society.

Social work in Russia needs not only public recognition, but also to raise it to the level of a national social policy from top to bottom regarding the issue of ensuring social well-being for every member of society on the principles of freedom and justice. Thus, the formation of social well-being is necessary condition healthy personality development. Social work is presented as a theory of systemic activity, which is organically inherent in humanity today, having become the most important socio-human factor in its development on the path of universal social well-being.