---
title: "Social work"
chunk: 6/11
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_work"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:58:45.966175+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

=== Iran ===

State welfare organization was previously part of health and social security ministry.

== Theoretical models and practices ==
Social work is an interdisciplinary profession, meaning it draws from a number of areas, such as (but not limited to) psychology, sociology, politics, criminology, economics, ecology, education, health, law, philosophy, anthropology, and counseling, including psychotherapy. Field work is a distinctive attribution to social work pedagogy. This equips the trainee in understanding the theories and models within the field of work. Professional practitioners from multicultural aspects have their roots in this social work immersion engagements from the early 19th century in the western countries. Social work theories help explain the root causes of problems and identify the most effective intervention methods. Key perspectives include:

=== Systems theory ===
Systems theory views people as products of complex systems (family, community, social environment) rather than as isolated individuals.  In social work, the use of systems theory enables professionals to view the situation and environmental factors of their clients holistically, thereby better understanding the reasons behind their challenges, difficulties, and choices.

=== Complexity theory ===
Complexity theory focuses on unpredictable, emergent patterns in these vast, dynamic systems (like societal issues), offering tools to navigate messy realities beyond simple cause-and-effect, crucial for tackling complex social problems like poverty or mental health crises through adaptive, vision-based approaches rather than rigid plans.

=== Psychodynamic theory ===
Psychodynamic theory focuses on the psychological drives and forces within individuals, explores how unconscious drives, childhood experiences, and internal conflicts (e.g. between instinctual drives or id, rational decision-making or ego, and internalized morals or superego) shape personality and behavior, stemming from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis, emphasizing that unresolved early traumas manifest in later life.

=== Cognitive Theory ===
Cognitive theory uncovers how a person's thinking influences behavior.  It focuses on how individuals perceive, process, and interpret information, emphasizing the role of thoughts and beliefs in shaping behavior and emotions.

=== Social learning theory ===
Social learning theory introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura, posits that people learn new behaviors, attitudes, and emotional responses by observing, imitating, and emulating others—especially when these behaviors are reinforced.  This theory blends behaviorism and cognitive learning theory, emphasizing that learning is not merely the result of direct experience or conditioned reflexes, but also involves intrinsic psychological processes such as attention, memory, and motivation.

=== Rational choice theory and Social exchange theory ===
Rational choice theory views service recipients as rational actors who weigh costs and benefits to maximize positive outcomes. This theory helps social workers understand service recipient motivations, develop empowering interventions, and evaluate decisions by analyzing perceived risks/rewards.
Social exchange theory applies the logic of rational choice theory specifically to social interactions, viewing relationships as exchanges where people seek profitable, i.e. reward greater than cost.
Both theories have been criticized for oversimplifying human behavior and downplaying emotions, altruism, or irrationality, but it has been argued that they provide valuable frameworks for understanding decision-making.

=== The developmental perspective ===
The developmental perspective views people as capable of growth, focusing on strengths, potential, and building self-reliance, rather than just fixing problems.  Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory is a highly influential framework that, building on Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development, emphasizes the role of social interaction and culture throughout the life cycle.  Erikson described eight stages, each with a major psychosocial task to accomplish or crisis to overcome:

Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy)
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Toddlerhood)
Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool years)
Industry vs. Inferiority (School age)
Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence)
Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young adulthood)
Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle adulthood)
Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Late adulthood)

=== Conflict theory ===
Conflict theory, influenced by Karl Marx, explains how oppression, discrimination, power structures, power struggles and social inequalities impact people's lives and contribute to social problems. Social workers applying this theory may focus on initiatives, social justice, and structural change to address poverty, discrimination, and oppression.

=== Others ===
As an example, here are some of the models and theories used within social work practice:

== Profession ==
American educator Abraham Flexner in a 1915 lecture, "Is Social Work a Profession?", delivered at the National Conference on Charities and Corrections, examined the characteristics of a profession concerning social work. It is not a 'single model', such as that of health, followed by medical professions such as nurses and doctors, but an integrated profession, and the likeness with medical profession is that social work requires a continued study for professional development to retain knowledge and skills that are evidence-based by practice standards. A social work professional's services lead toward the aim of providing beneficial services to individuals, dyads, families, groups, organizations, and communities to achieve optimum psychosocial functioning.
Its eight core functions present in its methods of practice are described by Popple and Leighninger as:

Engagement — social worker must first engage the client in early meetings to promote a collaborative relationship
Assessment — data gathered must be specifically aimed at guiding and directing a plan of action to help the client
Planning — negotiate and formulate an action plan
Implementation — promote resource acquisition and enhance role performance
Monitoring/Evaluation — ongoing documentation for assessing the extent to which the client is following through on short-term goal attainment
Supportive Counseling — affirming, challenging, encouraging, informing, and exploring options
Graduated Disengagement — seeking to replace the social worker with a naturally occurring resource
Administration — planning and managing social work programs, providing operations management support, and administrating case management services
There are six broad ethical principles in National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) Code of Ethics that inform social work practice, they are both prescriptive and proscriptive, and are based on six core values: