This document discusses various philosophical foundations and theories relevant to social work. It outlines several key thinkers and their theories, including Immanuel Kant's view on treating humanity as an end in itself. It also summarizes three major conceptual views in social work - positivism, constructivism, and pragmatism. Additionally, it outlines theories such as conflict theory, development theory, family life cycle theory, grounded theory, and psychoanalytic, psychosocial, functional, behavior modification, systems, social constructionist, social learning, electic, and transpersonal theories. The document provides an overview of philosophical perspectives and theoretical frameworks important to the field of social work.

1. Philosophical Foundations of
Social Work
Dr. M. Swarna Latha
Chair Person, Board of Studies
Dept. of Sociology and Social Work
Kakatiya University

2. Importance of Philosophy in Social
Work
• Make sense of our being and the world we live
in
• Question everything
• To take Nothing for Granted
• Liberate Individual
• Encompass Every Dimension of life and
• Change the way we look at it

3. Immanuel Kant
• Ground work for the “Meta-Physics of Morals”
• “Act in such a way that you always treat
Humanity, whether in your person or in the
person of any other, never simply as a means,
but always at the same time as an end”

4. Three Major views of
Conceptualization
• Positivism (Objective)
• Constructivism (Subjective) meanings created
by human mind
• Pragmatism(Practical)

5. 3 Distinct potentialities of Philosophy
• Explanation Theories
• Models
• Perspectives

6. Conflict Theory and Development
Theory
• Conflict Theory: inherent inequality, Power
Disparity impacting opportunities, quality of
life, even longevity
• Development Theory: Advance towards
positive Theory often incorporated into
Geopolitical Theories and models

7. • Family Life Cycle Theory: Rituals, important
stages in life, family dynamics
• Grounded Theory: grounded in Data and
Analysis. Allows inquiry to arrive at a theory
only after collecting, categorizing and
assessing data

8. • Humanistic Theory: Abraham Maslow, Carl
Rogers. (20th Century)
We are Constantly “Becoming” strive towards
self-actualization through emphasis on
personal strengths and greater mindfulness.
Psycho Analytical: Sigmund Freud
Id-Ego-Superego

9. • Psycho-Social Theory: Gordon Homilton
• “The Under lying Philosophy of Social Case Work”
1941.
• Diagnosis word first used to express psucho social
problems
• Client is seen in the context of his interactions
and transactions with the outer world.
• History of the problem and impact on social
functions of the client is focussed.
• Differential treatment

10. • Functional Theory: Univ. of Pennsylvania in
1930.
• Centre for change is located in the client
• Use “helping” instead of Treatment
• Social work a method of administering some
specific social service and creating a
psychological understanding in the client to be
skillful in utilizing the agency services

11. • Behavior Modification Theory: Pavlov and
Thorndike
• View problem as essentially the result of a
failure to learn necessary adaptive behaviors.
• Behavioral modifications is about decreasing
undesired behaviors and increasing desired
behaviors with the systematic application of
established principles of learning.

12. • The Electic Approach:
• Solid knowledge of many streams of systems
of theories and skill for selecting useful
concepts and techniques with reference to
clients. The skill of social worker lies in taking
advantage of strengths of every school of
thought in the best interest of the client.

13. • Social Constructionist Theory: (Departed from
grounded theory Reality is observable only
through systematic and methodological
gathering of data)
• Reality is constructed through both objective
and subjective lenses. Knowledge is not
created organically but constructed by society.

14. • Social Learning Theory:Albert Bandura 1970
• We learn and acquire new behaviors by
observing others.
• Reinforced further by observation of
punishment and reward in connecting with
certain behaviors. Formative stages
important.

15. • Systems Theory: Karl Ludwig Bertalanffy
“General Systems”
• Interdependency of various systems, both
natural and human made.
• Interdisciplinary approach

16. • Transpersonal theory:
• Psychology and Transcendent aspects of
Human experience
• Emphasize goal of reaching a level of
consciousness that goes beyond personal
identity and self.