Social Justice and Role of School Counselor (Term Paper Sample)

Social Justice and Role of School Counselor
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Social Justice and Role of School Counselor
Introduction
Social justice entails institutions that enable people to have a fulfilling life and remain active contributors in the society. It is the ability that people possess to aid them recognize their potential in their society (Walsh &Gokani, 2014). Classically, justice refers to making sure that individual people receive what is due from the society and fulfill their roles in the society. Social justice shares the same goal with human development. Some of the relevant institutions that instill social justice include health care, labor rights, education, and social security. Social justice advocates other broader system such as market regulation, equal opportunity, taxation to be progressive in nature, services be used publicly, wealth be distributed fairly, and no gross outcome inequality. Generally, social justice is all about equality and fairness between human beings. It functions upon universal principles guiding people to know what is wrong and what is right. School counselors play a consultation role in ensuring that there is a between groups of people in a community. The consultation role is done among the society stakeholders (Soltis, Agneessens, Sasovova&Labianca, 2013). Social justice continues to be an underlying principle for prosperous and peaceful coexistence among and within nations. School counselors uphold social justice principles when they promote gender equality, peaceful coexistence, and the rights of indigenous people. In their attempts to facilitate an environment where children can learn social justice and social responsibility, school counselors advance social justice through removing barriers that children face because of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, race, religion, or disability. This paper focuses on social justice and responsibilities of school counselor in facilitating an environment where children can learn social justice and social responsibility.
Social justice
Social justice entails promotion of a just society through valuing diversity and challenging injustice. It exists when everyone share a common humanity, support their human rights, have a right to equal treatment, and allocate community resources fairly (Walsh &Gokani, 2014). Social justice tries to stop discrimination against people, constraining or prejudicing their welfare and wellbeing on any ground be it their political affiliations, social class, sexuality, age, gender, religion, beliefs, race, socioeconomic situations, disability, or other particular group of people’s background features. In schools, social justice idea is usually viewed in terms of the perception of societal equality or equal opportunity in the society (Arfken& Yen, 2014). Even though equality is undisputedly part and parcel of social justice, social justice has a broader meaning. Equal opportunity and personal responsibility are some of the phrases that have been used to diminish the prospective for social justice realization. They have been applied to back up a great deal of inequalities in the modern society. Recent studies attempt to illustrate the complex nature of the concept of social justice. Many researchers such as John Rawls and David Miller have come up with their own social justice theory to justify the existence of inequalities in the society. David Miller documented the Principles of Social Justice while John Rawls addresses Justice as Fairness. Even though either of the two theories: Principles of Social Justice and Justice as Fairness may be viewed as an exhaustive treatment of social justice, each of them provides a complex social justice theory that highlights its wide meaning. The two theorists have a unique approach to existence of social justice in the society (Arfken& Yen, 2014).
An existence of social justice in a society can be seen in a democratic society, which John Rawls defines as a fair system of social cooperation between equal and free citizens. Social justice defines principles that are appropriate for a democratic society that professes and takes seriously that all citizens in a society are equal and free. According to Rawls’ theory, Justice as Fairness, social justice is concerned with ensuring that there is a protection of equal access to rights, liberties, and opportunities, as well as caring for the members of the society who are least advantaged. Thus, whether or not something is just depends on whether or not it promotes equality of access to human rights, civil liberties, opportunities for fulfilling and healthy lives, as well as whether or not it fairly allocates benefits to the members of the society who are least advantaged(Louis, Mavor, La Macchia&Amiot, 2014). The conception of social justice in this case is established around the social contract concept. The concept of social contract refers to where people enter into agreement freely to follow particular rules for everyone’s betterment, without taking into considerations the implications of those rules for their own personal advantage. Rawls’ theory states that free, rational people tends to abide by the rules advocating fair conditions.. He adds that such kind of agreement is necessary for ensuring social justice since support from the public in accepting societal rules of engagement is important. The basic rights and duties assigned by major social and political institutions are specified by the societal engagement rules.. The same rules regulate the distribution of benefits that arises from social cooperation and allotment of the existing burden to sustain it(Sandage, Crabtree &Schweer, 2014).
In every society, not everyone agrees with the requirement of social justice in every circumstance. The conception of justice as fairness fits into conflicting doctrines due to the overlapping consensus. Even though people agree to some extent about primary principles of justice even when they disagree about the wider religious, moral of philosophical issues, they are still able to agree on social justice issues and concerns. Rawls’ social justice theory is rather of domestic justice (those justice principles that apply to the basic structures of the society) and not of global justice (those justice principles that apply to international laws). Further, it is not of local justice (those justice principles that apply to societal associations and institutions). Even though international law is usually relevant to the social justices, Rawls firmly states Justice cannot be used as social justice Fairness theory to the global justice (Sandage, Crabtree & Schweer, 2014). The principles of social justice applicable to the societal structures help determine what is just within the societal associations and institutions. The justice theory offered by Rawls is utopian in reality, and hence fails to suggest unrealistic utopian vision. He seeks to address the nature of a democratic society under favorable existence of historical conditions that are allowed by the tendencies and laws of the social world. Justice as Fairness addresses social justice in two major principles. Firstly, the two conditions to be met by economic and social inequalities are: they should remain involved in those positions and offices that are within the reach of everyone falling under opportunity conditions that are fair equality; and they should be of gross benefit to the least advantaged members of the society. Second, every person possesses a similar claim that is not defensible to a sufficient equal liberty scheme, and that each scheme is compatible with everyone’s scheme of liberties(Louis, Mavor, La Macchia&Amiot, 2014).
According to Rawls, the two principles are ordered. It infers that the first social justice principle (the principle of equal liberties) has to be accomplished prior to accomplishing the second principle. Nevertheless, the second principle’s first section (principle of equal opportunity) usually comes before difference principle, which is the second part. Rawls posits that in order to achieve social justice, equality must be the most significant element. Equality refers to a fair distribution and allotment of all the capacities that are required to remain normal. The principles of justice are normally applied within a background setting of an institution that satisfies the requirements of the principles themselves. The background setting of an institution in this case is the structure of a society(Louis, Mavor, La Macchia&Amiot, 2014). Social justice requires that members of the society who are least advantaged be supported and considered in allocation of resources of the society. Everyone in the society needs access to primary goods. Primary goods are those things that people require and need as seen in the light of the person’s political conception. They also saw them as those people who are fully cooperating members of society. These primary goods are those things that people living a complete need as equal and free persons. These primary goods may include the basic liberties and rights, income and wealth, powers and prerogatives of position and office, and the social foundations of self-respect (Sandage, Crabtree &Schweer, 2014).
Justice as Fairness principle of social justice can be applied by school counselors in facilitating an environment where children can learn social justice and social responsibility. In case the process or outcome of the theory is consistent to the requirement of social justice, the school counselors are at liberty to use the theory. They can conclude that it not consistence with social justice in case the process outcome does not comport with any give principle given by Rawls (Sandage, Crabtree &Schweer, 2014). It deemed inconsistent with the conception of social justice regarding the ...