Social Theory for Social Work ─ Ideas and Applications

Social theoretical concepts and models are at the very heart of social work practice and can provide frameworks with which to connect wider political and social processes with individual development and sense of selfhood. This textbook outlines in a clear, concise and applied manner exactly how these ideas can be used to provide insight and analysis into a wide-range of contemporary issues and challenges confronting social work students and practitioners.

Each chapter identifies and explains the thinker or theoretical paradigm in question and discusses its importance to a social work theme before applying the relevant concepts to social work issues and debates using ‘real-life’ practice scenarios. Among the themes included are: differences in social experience, bureaucracy and service users, marginalised social identity, social inequalities, anti-social and pro-social behaviour, inequality and gender, self-regulation, social and cultural (self) exclusion, social policy, risk, social work knowledge and practice, social work and old people, youths and social work, stigma, migrant communities and exclusion, and propensity to violence.

Demonstrating exactly how and in what ways social theory can make a very important and enduring contribution to social work practice, this text is an important read for all social work students.

Christopher Thorpe is lecturer in sociology at Robert Gordon University, UK.

Michael Shepherd is lecturer in social work at Robert Gordon University, UK.