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An A-Z of Social Work Theory
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An A-Z of Social Work Theory

First Edition


September 2021 | 296 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

Puzzled by terminology, skills, law, or theory? Revising for your placement or exam? Then look no further! This series of concise and easy-to-use A-Zs will be your guide.

Designed for both students and newly-qualified social workers, this book will introduce you to over 350 key theories, theorists and concepts in a concise and no-nonsense way. Careful cross-referencing will help you make important connections, while selected further reading will provide you with a springboard to further learning.

 
A
Acceptance

 
Accountability

 
Action/activity

 
Activism

 
Adaptation

 
Advocacy

 
Affect/affect regulation

 
Affiliation

 
African-centred practice

 
Ageing

 
Ageism

 
Agency

 
Aggression

 
Aggression management

 
Alienation

 
Alliance

 
Altruism

 
Ambiguity

 
Ambivalence

 
Anti-discriminatory practice

 
Anti-oppressive practice

 
Anti-psychiatry

 
Anti-racist practice

 
Art

 
Assessment

 
Attachment theory

 
Authenticity

 
Athentization

 
Authority

 
Autonomy

 
 
B
Balance

 
Bauman, Zygmunt

 
Beck, Ulrich

 
Being

 
Bereavement

 
Biestek, Felix

 
Biopsychosocial model

 
Black perspectives

 
Body

 
Body/mind/spirit work

 
Boundary

 
Bourdieu, Pierre

 
Broker

 
Buddhism

 
Bureaucracy

 
Business

 
 
C
Capacity-building

 
Capital

 
Care/caring

 
Care management

 
Case

 
Case management

 
Case record

 
Casework

 
Change

 
Chaos theory

 
Children

 
Christianity

 
Citizen advocacy

 
Citizenship

 
Codes of ethics

 
Cognitive behavioural therapy

 
Colonialism

 
Commodification

 
Commonalities

 
Community

 
Community development

 
Community social work

 
Community work

 
Complex adaptive systems

 
Consciousness-raising

 
Contracts

 
Constructionism/constructivism

 
Context

 
Coping

 
Co-production

 
Core conditions

 
Counselling

 
Crisis

 
Crisis intervention

 
Critical incident analysis

 
Critical practice theory

 
Critical race theory

 
Critical realism

 
Critical reflection

 
Critical thinking

 
Cultural competence

 
Cultural imperialism

 
Culture

 
 
D
Decolonization

 
Deconstruction

 
Dependence/dependency

 
Determinism/determinants

 
Development

 
Dewey, John

 
Diagnosis

 
Diagnostic practice theory

 
Dialectic

 
Dialogue/dialogical practice

 
Difference

 
Dignity

 
Disability

 
Disabled living movement

 
Disadvantage

 
Disasters

 
Discourse

 
Discretion

 
Discrimination

 
Disruption

 
Diversity

 
Dread

 
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

 
Dual process theory

 
 
E
Eclecticism

 
Eco/ecocentric/ecological/ecosocial/green social work

 
Ecological systems/eco systems theory

 
Ego

 
Ego psychology

 
Emancipation

 
Embodiment

 
Emergence

 
Emotion

 
Emotional intelligence

 
Emotional labour

 
Empathy

 
Empiricism

 
Empowerment

 
The Enlightenment

 
Entrepreneurship

 
Epistemology

 
Equality

 
Equilibrium

 
Ethics

 
Ethics of care

 
Ethnic group/ethnicity

 
Evidence-based practice

 
exchange

 
exclusion

 
existentialism

 
 
F
Fairness

 
Family

 
Family group conferencing

 
Family social work

 
Family support implements

 
Family therapy

 
Feminist practice theory field

 
Fordism

 
Foucault, Michel

 
Foundationalism

 
Frame analysis/framing

 
Fraser, Nancy

 
Freedom

 
Freire, Paulo

 
Freud, Sigmund

 
Functional practice

 
Functionalism

 
Functional analysis

 
 
G
Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand

 
Gender

 
General systems theory

 
Generalist/generic practice

 
Germain, Carel Bailey

 
Giddens, Anthony

 
Gilligan, Carol

 
Globalization

 
Goffman, Erving

 
Goldstein, Howard

 
Gramsci, Antonio

 
groups/small groups

 
group care

 
groupwork

 
 
H
Habermas, Jürgen

 
Habitus

 
Halmos, Paul

 
Hegemony

 
Helping

 
Holism

 
Hope

 
Human rights

 
Humanistic practice

 
Humanitarianism

 
 
I
Identity

 
Identity politics

 
Ideology

 
Impartiality

 
Inclusion

 
Indigenist theory

 
Individualization

 
Inequality

 
Insight

 
Institutionalization

 
Interdependence

 
Interpretivist theories

 
Intersectionality

 
Intersubjectivity

 
Intervention

 
‘in vivo’

 
Islam

 
 
J
Judgement

 
Justice

 
 
K, L
Labelling

 
Language issues/linguistic turn

 
Liberal ideas

 
Liberation

 
Liberation theology

 
Life course theories

 
Life model

 
 
M
McDonaldization

 
Macro practice

 
Maintenance

 
Managerialism

 
Manualization

 
Market

 
Marketization

 
Marx, Karl

 
Marxist social work

 
Materialism

 
Meaning

 
Medicalization

 
Medical model

 
Mental health

 
Milieu therapy

 
Millennium Development Goals

 
Mindfulness

 
Modality

 
Modernity

 
Moral panics

 
Motivational interviewing

 
Multicultural practice

 
Multidisciplinary/multiprofessional practice/teamwork

 
 
N
Narrative practice theory

 
Need

 
Neoliberalism

 
Networks

 
Neuroscience

 
New public management

 
Non-directiveness

 
Normalization/social role valorization

 
 
O
Object

 
Object relations

 
Oppression

 
Ordinary housing/ordinary living movements

 
Other/othering/otherness

 
 
P
Parker Follett, Mary

 
Participation/client participation

 
Pathologization

 
Patriarchy

 
Peer advocacy

 
Peer support

 
Performance

 
Personalization

 
Person-centred practice

 
Person-in-situation/person-in-environment

 
Pessimism

 
Place

 
Pluralism

 
‘Post’ ideas

 
Post-colonialism

 
Postmodernism

 
Poverty

 
Power

 
Pragmatism

 
Praxis

 
Principle-based ethics

 
Privatization

 
Privilege

 
Problem

 
Problematization

 
Problem/troubled families

 
Problem-solving theory

 
Proceduralization

 
Process

 
Professionalization

 
Progressivism

 
Psychoanalysis

 
Psychodynamic theory

 
Psychologization

 
Psychosocial theory

 
 
Q
Quality

 
Quasi-market

 
 
R
Race

 
Racism/institutional racism

 
Radical practice theory

 
Rawls, John

 
Reconceptualization movement

 
Reciprocity

 
Recognition

 
Recovery

 
Reflection

 
Reflexivity

 
Reframing

 
Reid, William J.

 
Relational practice

 
Relationship

 
Religion

 
Representation

 
Residential care/residential work

 
Resilience/resiliency

 
Resistance

 
Respect/respect for persons

 
Richmond, Mary (Ellen)

 
Rights

 
Risk

 
Role

 
Role ambiguity

 
Role complementarity

 
Role conflict

 
Role distance

 
Role set

 
 
S
Safeguarding

 
Salomon, Alice

 
Schön, Donald S.

 
Security

 
The self

 
Self-actualization

 
Self-advocacy

 
Self-determination

 
Self-direction

 
Self-efficacy

 
Self-respect

 
Semiotics

 
Sen, Amartya Kumar

 
Sheffield, Ada Eliot

 
Signs of safety

 
Slavery

 
Social

 
Social action

 
Social capital

 
Social care

 
Social change

 
Social construction

 
Social development

 
Social exclusion

 
Social justice

 
Social learning theory

 
Social movements theory

 
Social pedagogy

 
Social reproduction theory

 
Social problems

 
Social role valorisation

 
Social work

 
Social work theory

 
Solution practice theory

 
Space

 
Spirituality

 
Stage

 
Steady state

 
Stigma

 
Strengths practice

 
Structural practice

 
Structural psychodynamic theory

 
Structural-functionalism

 
Structuralism

 
Study

 
Subject

 
Support

 
Surveillance

 
Symbolic interactionism

 
Systems theory

 
 
T
Task

 
Task-centred practice

 
Technical assistance programmes

 
Technical rational/technicist practice

 
Theory

 
Therapeutic alliance

 
Therapeutic community theory

 
Time

 
Timms, Noel

 
Tokenism

 
Tongan social work

 
Total institutions

 
Traditional social work

 
Transformation

 
Transtheoretical model of change

 
Trauma

 
Troubled families

 
 
U
Underclass

 
 
V
Values

 
Virtue ethics

 
Voice

 
 
W
Weber, Max

 
Welfare

 
Welfare rights

 
Welfare state

 
Wisdom

 
Wolfensberger, W.

 
Working through

 
Wooton, Barbara

 
 
X, Y, Z

I found this book particularly useful for a starting point for further research into specific areas that I was being faced with in my day-to-day practice as a Student Social Worker. I also enjoyed the theory element of this book as it supported me in completing various assignments where Theory was required to be utilised throughout. This book has supported me through my first year as a Student and I will continue to refer to this during the duration of the course. 

Mikahla Howell
Postgraduate Student, Advanced Relationship Based Social Work Practice with Children and Families, Lancaster University

Good text to support students understanding of theory. Easy to understand. Would recommend.

Ms Jackie Nellie Yaskey
Department of Psychology, Social Work & Counselling, Greenwich University
October 14, 2023

Good text to support students understanding of theory. Easy to understand. Would recommend.

Ms Jackie Nellie Yaskey
Department of Psychology, Social Work & Counselling, Greenwich University
October 14, 2023

It introduces you to a comprehensive list of theoretical concepts, which serve as an important starting point for a more detailed study of the theory. This is particularly helpful for people with developing knowledge in academic theories. Without this list, it can be difficult to know which theories are out there that may be relevant to your needs (e.g. writing & debate)

Miss May Chen
School of Nursing (Canterbury), Canterbury Christ Church University
September 27, 2023

A handy overview of current theory - students and PEs alike should find this book helpful.

Ms Polly Sykes
Social Work Resarch & Development Unit, York University
July 19, 2023

the book covers essential social work theories.
it is good for social work students.

Mr simon ng
Social Work, Gratia Christian College
December 15, 2022

This book is really useful for Practice Educators in supervision sessions, as well as being useful for students when prepping for first year academic work, or portfolio reflections and analysis.

Mrs Carolyn Gair
Social Work, Keele University
May 16, 2023

Brilliant book on theories would highly recommend

Mrs Yasmin License
Accounting, Bradford College
April 12, 2022

A great easy to read A-Z of social work theory with brief descriptions of key terminology. Useful links to further reading throughout the book.

Mrs Emma Walker
Health and Social Care, North East Scotland College
February 6, 2022

This book introduces SW students to a wealth of theory, covering a very broad approach. This encourages students to think widely about what theory is relevant to their practice on Placement. The format means that they can dip into it and then follow up the references and recommended reading.

Ms Jennifer McNally
Social Work Resarch & Development Unit, York University
December 16, 2021

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