Social Work Theory and Methods

The Essentials

Neil Thompson, Paul Stepney, Neil Thompson, Paul Stepney

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781138629769
• eBook ISBN: 9781351809009
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

This gateway text lays the foundations for a thorough knowledge of the theory and methods that social workers need. Pulling together the work of a team of experts, this book uses the innovative "theorizing practice" approach, rather than the traditional "applying theory to practice" approach, thereby providing a much more satisfactory basis for understanding the relationship between theory and practice and making it easier for practitioners to employ theory in practice.

Part I sets the scene by examining the relationship between theory and practice, how research can be used to inform practice and the important role of policy and organizational factors. Part II provides 14 chapters, each exploring a different theoretical approach. All in all, this book provides the ideal introduction to using social work theory and methods in practice.

PART I
SOCIAL WORK THEORY AND METHODS IN CONTEXT

INTRODUCTION

If we are to get the best use out of the theory base available to us and its associated methods and tools, then we need to understand that theory base in context, to see the bigger picture, so that we have a fuller understanding of what we are dealing with. In Part I we explore three aspects of that broader context.

First, in Chapter 1, we look at the relationship between theory and practice and relate this to the idea of “theorizing practice” – that is, the process of beginning with practice and then drawing on our professional knowledge base as required (in contrast to the traditional idea of “applying theory to practice”).

In Chapter 2 we explore the role of research in informing our practice. We look at how the idea of evidence-based practice has evolved into research-informed, evidence-enriched practice. The core message is that, while research is not the only thing that should be informing our practice, we would be wise to draw on the best research knowledge available where possible.

In Chapter 3, the final chapter of Part I, we consider the significant role of the policy and organizational context – that is, we explore how (i) social policy; and (ii) the characteristics of the organization we work in will have a significant bearing on our practice and how we relate to the challenges we face. It demonstrates how important it is to have an understanding of these contextual factors.

These three chapters do not provide a comprehensive or exhaustive account of the wider context in which theory and methods are used, but they should provide a useful foundation of understanding so that we are better equipped to make sense of our role in the social work world. This lays the foundations for the accounts, in Part II, of specific theoretical perspectives and associated methods.

1
THEORY AND METHODS IN A PRACTICE CONTEXT

THEORIZING PRACTICE

Neil Thompson

Introduction

This chapter has been written to lay the foundations for the chapters in Part II that focus on a particular theoretical approach and/or method. Its task is to present a clear platform of understanding of: the nature, role and importance of theory; the relationship between theories and methods; the role of critically reflective practice; and the idea of “theorizing practice,” as distinct from the traditional (and, as we see it, flawed) notion of “applying theory to practice.”

What Do We Mean by Theory?

The word “theory” derives from the Greek word “θɛωρία” (theoria) which means contemplation (in the sense of how we look or reflect upon the world). It has come to have two main meanings in modern usage. First, it can be used to refer to a specific theory (for example, Einstein’s theory of relativity), that involves one or more propositions that can be empirically tested through experimentation or other forms of research. Second, it can be used in a more general sense to refer to an underlying professional knowledge base (social work theory, nursing theory, counseling theory and so on). It is this latter sense that we tend to adopt when we refer to “theory and practice,” and indeed it is in this sense that it is used throughout this book.

In effect, the term “theory” refers to attempts to explain a phenomenon or set of phenomena – it is a basis of understanding. For example, attachment theory seeks to make sense of the significance of parent-child (or significant adult-child) attachment patterns and their implications in terms of both child development and subsequent adult life. It has been developed to help us develop our understanding of important aspects of human experience. That understanding can then inform the practice of various professionals – including social workers – in working with children and young people (and indeed, with adults whose difficulties may stem in part from their childhood attachment experiences).

In this respect, social work is informed by a wide range of theoretical underpinnings. Consider the following.

Society

The fact that the term social worker begins with the word “social” is no coincidence. The very idea of social work is rooted in an understanding of society as something that has its problems as well as its strengths. Where we have large numbers of people living together, sharing physical and emotional space, there will inevitably be difficulties and challenges – and these are often important factors that contribute to the problems that social workers are called upon to address. If we were to simply see people as individuals and have no conception of society as an entity that has a logic of its own (“sui generis,” to use Durkheim’s technical term – Durkheim, 1982), it would be difficult if not impossible to have any conception of social work. So, whether we are directly aware of them or not, social work is underpinned by a set of theoretical understandings of society that have developed over a long period of time. We therefore need to recognize that sociology is an important contributor to our professional knowledge base – to our theory base.

Social Policy

Social work is not, of course, just a group of uncoordinated individuals seeking to make a positive difference in their own way. It is underpinned by a set of formal governmental policies (whether nationally or on a more regional or local basis) that are, in turn, underpinned by a legislative base – that is, a body of relevant laws that give social workers certain powers (what we are allowed to do) and certain duties (what we must do). Social policy is, to a large extent, a society’s way of addressing the social problems it recognizes (Thompson, 2017a) by setting up various services, projects and schemes. Social work is therefore very much part of the wider field of social policy, as will be clarified in Chapter 3. Consequently, it is important to recognize that theoretical understandings of social problems and potential ways of addressing them are part of the social work knowledge base.

Psychology

What makes individuals tick? What is happening when individuals interact? What difference do groups make to the people within them? These are just some of the questions that psychology seeks to provide answers for. Of course, much of the knowledge and understanding that psychology has produced can be very useful in informing social work practice. How problems develop, how individuals, families, groups and communities respond to those problems and how they respond to social workers and others who are trying to help them with those problems are all topics that psychology can cast some degree of light on.

This does not mean that social workers need to be psychology experts, but we need to have at least some reasonable degree of understanding of relevant psychological issues if we are to be tackling our work on an informed basis. Without the understanding that psychology brings we would be very ill-equipped to engage meaningfully and constructively with large elements of social work practice.

Philosophy

There are (at least) three aspects to this:

1. There are philosophical questions of values, ethics and morality that are never far away in social work. We shall return to the question of values below.
2. At the heart of social work is the “human encounter,” the meaningful and constructive interaction of people in all their humanity – the human-to-human connection, as I have called it before (Thompson, 2015). While technical knowledge from sociology, social policy and psychology can be very helpful, it needs to be set in a context of understanding what it means to be human (see Chapter 9 which focuses on existentialism).
   For this reason, spirituality is an aspect of social work that is receiving increasing attention (see, for example, Holloway and Moss, 2010). Although spirituality is firmly wedded to religion in many people’s minds, it is important to recognize that spirituality (our sense of who we are and how we fit into the world, our quest for meaning, purpose and direction) is a key issue in its own right for people of all faiths and none. An understanding of existential and spiritual issues is therefore a further important part of our professional knowledge, our theory base.
3. Philosophy is rooted in critical analysis and reflection on our world and our specific circumstances. This is essential for social work practice, as we shall note below when we explore critically reflective practice.

This is not a comprehensive list, but it should be enough to make the point that social work rests on a diverse and significant theory base. We have significant foundations of knowledge that we can draw upon as and when required. However, despite this, it is still sadly the case that some people in the social work world reject the value of theory. “Forget that college nonsense, you’re in the real world now;” “I’m not interested in theory, I prefer to stick to practice;” and “It’s all just common sense really” are comments that I and various colleagues have heard time and time again. Clearly, people who make such comments have lost sight of just how much knowledge day-to-day practice draws upon. We shall return to this important point below when we discuss “theorizing practice.”

What Do We Mean by Methods?

For a long time it has been the norm in some quarters for the terms “theories” and “methods” to be used interchangeably. This is confusing because, although the two are closely linked, they are in fact different.

As we have seen, theory, in the sense we are using it in this book, is an attempt to explain, it is a basis of understanding that can be used to guide and inform practice. The focus is on understanding, albeit generally with a view to influencing practice. A method, by contrast, is a form of offshoot from a theory. The understanding on which it is based derives from a theoretical perspective, but it is not intended to offer any understanding in its own right. Rather, the purpose of a method is to facilitate the use of the theoretical knowledge in actual practice. The focus is not on the understanding, but on the use in practice of that understanding.

A clear example of this would be crisis intervention (see Chapter 7). There is a long-standing body of theoretical work that has been developed to cast light on people’s experiences of crisis – that is, of significant turning points in their life. Crisis intervention is the related method, a framework for making use of the theoretical knowledge in practice situations. Another example would be group work. Group work, as Chapter 14 illustrates, is an approach to working constructively with groups of people who share similar problems or have other significant connections. As such, it is a method, a framework for guiding practice. However, it is rooted in group dynamics theory – that is, in psychological and sociological understandings of how groups work, how they can be developed and how they can go awry.

In a way, a method is a bridge between theory and practice. It is an established procedure (or set of procedures) that can be drawn upon and adapted to suit the particular circumstances. It is not intended that they should be used in a mechanistic, unthinking way (see the discussion of critically reflective practice below). Rather, a method is a structured, but flexible, guide to how particular theoretical ideas can be drawn upon. Another term for method that is sometimes used is that of “practice modality,” and that captures well the notion of a framework to guide practice. For example, understanding how family dynamics work and how “family scripts” develop can cast important light on social work with families, and that is a positive thing in its own right. However, family therapy as a method goes beyond this knowledge by giving a set of guidelines for how such insights can be used in practice situations. But, family therapy, as we shall see in Chapter 13, is not a prescriptive, directive approach to working with families. It is a framework of guidance, like any other method, that then needs to be adapted to the situation concerned. In a sense, a method is a form of tool. The hammer does not knock the nail into the wood. You knock the nail into the wood by using the facility the hammer offers. The same rationale can be applied to social work methods as tools.

Generally, there will be a direct relationship between a theoretical approach and its associated method (as in the case of the three examples I have given here). However, there will also be aspects of our professional knowledge base that will not necessarily have a directly associated method (“contextual” knowledge from social policy and sociology, for example), but will none the less still be valuable knowledge that we need to bear in mind. Likewise, there will be methods or tools that have their origins in a wide range of theoretical perspectives, a veritable stew of theoretical ingredients mixed together. My book, The People Solutions Sourcebook (Thompson, 2012a), contains 88 practical tools that social workers and other people professionals can draw upon. Before the book was published, one of the publisher’s readers suggested that I should explain the theoretical background of each of the tools. Clearly, they had not thought that comment through, as that would have been a major work and would have at least trebled the length of the book. It would also have missed the point of the book.

When considering theory and methods, we can usefully draw a parallel with science and technology. Science refers to the development of a reliable knowledge base, while technology refers to creating mechanisms and systems for making the best use of the knowledge that science makes available. In this parallel, theory is the equivalent of science (a source of understanding) and methods are the equivalent of technology (strategies for making use of that knowledge in practice).

What this analogy also helps us to appreciate is that methods involve skills. Using technology requires a set of relevant skills – for example, IT skills for making best use of computer technology. Likewise, using a social work method is not simply a matter of following a set procedure. Instead, it is a matter of developing and using the skills required for that particular technology/method.

What Do We Mean by Theorizing Practice?

The traditional approach in social work education (and, indeed, other professional disciplines) has been to encourage students to “apply theory to practice.” This implies starting with theory (the professional knowledge base) and applying it to practice – that is, exploring how the ideas can be used in practice. However, on closer inspection, we can see that this is the wrong way round. It is far more helpful to begin with a practice situation and then draw on the professional knowledge base as and whe...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• The Editors and Contributors
• Introduction
• PART I Social Work Theory and Methods in Context: Introduction
• PART II Social Work Theories and Methods in Practice: Introduction
• Conclusion
• Index