Social Work Theories, Practice Perspectives and Practice
Models
heories -
Are models that create conceptual structures for understanding human development, identity,
social welfare systems and approaches to practice.
Orienting Theories -
Describe and explain behavior, often drawing from other disciplines as biology and psychology in an
attempt to explain all aspects of social work from individual personality and family systems to large-scale
societal issues like mental illness and poverty.
General Systems Theory -
Emphasizes that relationships between an individual and the groups, organizations, and societies in
which he or she interacts. By taking cross-cultural elements and context into consideration, social
workers gain a better understanding of human behavior within the context of a particular social
environment.
Psychodynamic Theory -
Focuses on how internal and unconscious needs, drives and emotions motivate human behavior
and affect emotional development. Assumes that both conscious and unconscious mental activity are at
play and that internalized experiences from a person's past, in particular, the earliest years of life and
the relationship with caregivers during infancy and childhood, may shape one's current self. By
understanding the relationship between the individual and his or her experiences, social workers can
identify a client's defense mechanisms, which are protective structures that the individual employs for
emotional self-regulation.
Social Learning Theory -
Also known as behaviorism or behavior theory is based on the psychology of learning and the
development of individual cognitive functioning. This theory allows social workers to identify a behavior
that has become problematic for an individual and to then work toward change in order to improve the
quality of a person's functioning and interpersonal relationships.
Conflict Theory -
