Importance Of Theories In Social Work

In today’s society, people behave in different ways according to their experiences and roles in life. In my opinion, I believe that theories, paradigms and models of social work practice are necessary in order to have a better understanding of people’s behavior. For example, they help social workers to understand why people act the way they do depending on the setting. They allow us to analyze people individually, in a group, and as a part of the entire society. They are beneficial tools that guide social workers in the process of asking questions, complete the assessments and develop a treatment plan. It gives us an insight of what to expect or predict about a presenting problem. “Historically, it was proposed that social work did not merit the status of an established profession because it did not have a theoretical knowledge base” (Robbins, Chatterjee, Canda, 2006, p.14). Therefore, the use of theories, paradigms and models, help social workers to gain credibility because they support our ideas. They help social workers to get more knowledge by providing a clear explanation of what we believe and an opportunity to expand that knowledge by discovering more information about people’s behavior in the environment.
Which ones do you seem to use more often?

PIE theory helps me to understand the individual’s background and the impact that the environment has on the individual. I use system theory to understand the interaction of the individuals in a small or large group. It helps me to know their surroundings, such as: family, friends, school, workplace, etc, in order to understand their behavior. Additionally, social learning theory gives me an idea of the influence that the environment may have on the individuals and the reasons why individuals behave the way they do. It is a tool that helps me to know what kind of behavior is the individual learning in their