Understanding how theory informs social work practice is an area that students can often find challenging. This book will help students understand how theory impacts and informs social work practice across a range of contexts and with different service user groups. It starts off by briefly setting the context, introducing students to the importance of social work theory and its development over the years, before moving on to look at different types of theory across 17 tightly structured chapters. These cover a range of psychological theories, sociological theories, ethics and moral philosophies, political theories and ideologies, and organisational theories.
IntroductionIntroduction to Social Work TheoryPART ONE – Psychological TheoriesPsychoanalysis, psychodynamics and social work practice: the conflicted ‘self’Behaviourism and the science of controlCognitive psychology and social workHumanistic psychologyHuman growth and developmentPART TWO – Sociological TheoriesSocial constructivism and social workGeneral systems and ecological theoriesFeminism and Social WorkReflexivityPART THREE – Ethics and Moral PhilosophiesDeontologyUtilitarianismVirtue EthicsEthics of CareRadical EthicsPART FOUR – Political Theories and IdeologyRadical Social WorkFive Models of DisabilityAnti-Discriminatory PracticePART FIVE – Organisational TheoriesClassical and modern management theoryOrganisational cultureConclusion