Theories Used in Social Work
- System Theory
- Psychosocial Theory
- Social Learning Theory
✓ These theories are important for social workers because they provide a framework for understanding the individual's development and well-being.
✓ By understanding these theories, social workers can better help their clients to achieve their goals.
1. System Theory
✓ The framework of systems theory is useful in social work. The complex dynamics of human behavior and social systems can be understood using it.
✓ Systems theory is a way of thinking about how different parts of a system interact with each other. It can be used to understand how problems in one part of a system can affect other parts of the system.
✓ such as their family, school, and community, can affect their behavior. This can help social workers to develop more effective interventions to help people with problems such as eating disorders, depression, and poverty. It can aid in our comprehension of how things operate and in the creation of more effective systems.
Ecological System Theory
Urie Bronfenbrenner created the ecological systems theory as a hypothesis of human development in the 1970s. According to the theory, a complex web of interrelated factors, including a person's biological make-up, their immediate surroundings, and a larger social and cultural context, all have an impact on how they develop as people.
According to Bronfenbrenner's theory, every person is a part of numerous nested ecological levels or systems. These stages are: decision-making by an individual. In order to give their client a more succinct treatment plan
Family System Theory
• Family systems theory was developed by Murray Bowen in the 1950s.
• A theory of human behavior called family systems theory sees the family as a system, or as a collection of interacting parts. According to the concept, the family is greater than the sum of its parts, and interactions among family members can have a big impact on how each member behaves.
The foundation of Bowen's thesis was the concept that the family is a dynamic system that is continually changing. He believed the family has a natural tendency to maintain equilibrium since it is a self-regulating mechanism. The family may need to adjust, however, in order to maintain equilibrium when under stress.
The family is a self-regulating system, which means it naturally works to keep things in balance. The family may need to adjust, however, in order to maintain equilibrium when under stress.
The key concepts of family systems theory :
✔Interdependence: Family members are connected to each other and their behavior affects each other.
✓ Communication: The way that family members communicate with each other is important.
✓Boundaries: Families have invisible lines that define who is in the family and who is not.
✓ Hierarchy: There is a clear order of power and authority in healthy families.
✓ Adaptation: Families are constantly changing and adapting to new situations.
How family systems theory can be applied to real-world situations
✓ Family therapy
✓ School counseling: Family systems theory can be used to understand the behavior of a child who is struggling in school
✓ Social work: Family systems theory can be used to understand the needs of a family that is experiencing poverty.
Social Learning Theory
The Social Learning theory is based on Albert Bandura's idea that learning occurs through observation and imitation.
People learn by observing others and imitating their behavior. This is known as observational learning.
The four processes of observational learning are attention, retention, reproduction, and reinforcement.
1. Attention: We are more likely to learn from others if we pay attention to them.
2. Retention: We are more likely to remember what we have seen if we encode it in a way that makes sense to us.
3. Reproduction: We are more likely to be able to reproduce the behavior we have seen if we have the skills and abilities necessary to do so.
4. Reinforcement: We are more likely to imitate the behavior of others if we are rewarded for doing so.
The Bobo doll experiment:
• The Bobo doll experiment was a series of experiments conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961. In the experiment, children were shown a video of an adult model behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll. The children were then given the opportunity to play with the Bobo doll themselves. The results of the experiment showed that the children who had seen the aggressive model were more likely to behave aggressively towards the Bobo doll than the children who had not seen the model.
Psychosocial Development Theory
Erik Erikson created the psychosocial development theory, which is a theory of human development. According to Erikson, everyone goes through eight phases of psychological development throughout the course of their lives. Every stage has a crisis or conflict that needs to be handled in order to advance to the following one.
2. Psychodynamic Theory
• A wide approach to psychology known as psychodynamic theory places emphasis on the role that unconscious drives and tensions play in determining how people behave. Many other psychologists, including Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and Erik Erikson, developed the notion from Sigmund Freud's original research.
The unconscious mind is a repository for ideas, emotions, and memories that are hidden from our conscious awareness. Even though we are not conscious of them, these unconscious influences can have a significant impact on how we behave.
• The id is the impulsive, pleasure-seeking part of the personality.
• The superego is the moralistic, conscience-like part of the personality.
• The ego is the rational, reality-oriented part of the personality
Psychosexual development: Freud believed that personality develops in a series of psychosexual stages, beginning in infancy. Each stage is associated with a different erogenous zone, and the way in which a child resolves the conflicts of each stage will have a lasting impact on their personality.
Defense mechanisms: Psychodynamic theory also emphasizes the role of defense mechanisms, which are unconscious strategies that we use to protect ourselves from anxiety. Some common defense mechanisms include denial, rationalization, projection, and reaction formation.
Applications
✓ Psychodynamic theory has been used to great effect in psychotherapy.
✓ It can help people to understand the unconscious forces that are driving their behavior.
✓ It can help people to resolve unresolved conflicts from their past.
✓ It can help people to develop healthier coping mechanisms.
3. Transpersonal theory
Transpersonal theory takes a wholistic stance toward humans and takes into account things like spirituality, the interaction between the body and the mind, and awareness.
History of transpersonal psychology
✓ First coined by Abraham Maslow in the 1960s.
✓ Further developed by Stanislav Grof, Ken Wilber, and others.
✓ Influenced by a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, religion, and spiritual
Use of transpersonal therapy
✓ Can help to understand and integrate transpersonal experiences.
✓ Can promote personal growth and development.
✓ Can help to find meaning and purpose in life.
Therapeutic approaches- They could use techniques like as guided visualization, dream work, guided meditation, mindfulness exercises, hypnosis, art, music, journaling, and others to help you explore your spiritual self and find meaning in your life. the patients.
Transpersonal theory is not typically regarded as scientific by psychologists, although many therapists and other mental health practitioners use parts of it in their work.
Transpersonal psychology is a growing field of study with a lot to offer
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Rational Choice Theory
What is rational choice theory?
• A theory of social action that assumes that individuals act in their own best interests, given their knowledge and understanding of the situation.
• Individuals are assumed to be rational actors who make choices that maximize their expected utility.
How is rational choice theory used in social work?
• Social workers can use rational choice theory to understand the motivations of their clients.
• They can also use it to design interventions and treatments that are tailored to the specific needs of their clients.
Examples of how rational choice theory can be used in social work:
✓ A social worker working with a client who is struggling with addiction may use rational choice theory to help the client understand the costs and benefits of continuing to use drugs.
✓ A social worker working with a family that is experiencing poverty may use rational choice theory to help the family develop a budget that meets their needs.
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Social Exchange Theory
What is social exchange theory?
• A theory of social interaction that assumes that individuals make decisions about their social behavior based on the perceived costs and benefits of those behaviors.
• Individuals are assumed to be rational actors who seek to maximize their rewards and minimize their costs.
Developed in the 1950s by George Homans.
✓ Rewards: The positive outcomes that individuals receive from social interaction.
✓Costs: The negative outcomes that individuals receive from social interaction.
✓Expectations: The individual's beliefs about the rewards and costs of a particular social interaction.
✓ Equity: The perceived fairness of the rewards and costs of a social interaction.
Applications of social exchange theory
✓ Interpersonal relationships
✓ Group dynamics
✓ Organizations
✓Social institutions
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