Unifying Social Work: Importance of Center-Moving Ideas

w 'IDELY DIVERGENT and often James O. BillupS ues and knowledge as to which theo divisive views prevail conries are to be borrowed outright or cerning the part social work plays in modified from biology, psychology, helping people and societies to raise anthropology, and sociology, as well life to its highest value. As Stein as from the applied fields and profes observed: For much of this century, SOsions such as political science, law, ,. , f ( f. . , Cial work's simultaneous dual economics, public administration The very diversity of this field ~ , . ,. . , . , medicine, and psychiatry, and which creates a measure of disorder. . . . JOCUS on me ina.Wla.ual transtheories are to be developed from We are now in the position of havacting With the environment Within the profession itself. This is an ing a sometimes bewildering array has been underdeveloped by important matter, given the first as of options about what social work the profession An arral) Qf in_ sumption, not only because theories is, or should be, or could be dof ilntinnc fmm represent some of the most system ing. Our propensity for rational interrelated Jormulations Jrom atized generailzed and consequent ternal consistency is jarred.1 social Work and elsewhere rejy usefui forms of knowledge, but inforces, however, the imporalso because they tend to be value Yet, our propensity for rational contance of such center-moving laden systems of thought. As Gordon sistency persists. Even though pros. . The author discusses forcefully reminded us, pects for attaining agreement about " 1 auuior aiscusses organizing constructs have sometimes these formulations and their the cho.ce Qf a o sal about seemed remote, the increasing fragimpact on the profession S JUple their behavior, social develop mentation and specialization of social ture development. ment, and relationships can be not work have made attempts at achievonly a program for inquiry, but a ing integrative systems of thought all goal, consciously and unconscious the more imperative. If professional —ly, for human change. Ideas at the social work practice is not only to level at which they apparently have survive but also to develop as a disto be worked in setting a founda tinguishable and viable enterprise, edge as is possible. In a reversal of tion for social work knowledge can much more needs to be done to the more traditional ways of concepthemselves be prime social mov strengthen the centripetal (centertualizing social work by concentrâters. . . . The social force of a theory moving) forces of the profession in ing attention on practice methodology cannot, therefore, be ignored when order to give greater clarity, distincas a foremost consideration, Bartlett making choices.4 tiveness, and unity to the practice of reported growing recognition social work. Much of the growth of A final assumption, and a corollary social work to date has been characthat mature professions rest on to the second, is that to help steer terized by centrifugal (center-fleeing) strong bodies of knowledge and the selection of such potentially influ forces that have promoted not only values from which scientific and ential theories, social work needs greater diversity but, frequently, a ethical principles that guide the a broadly endorsed practice frame tendency for social workers to iden.. . practitioner are derived. In this of reference at a still higher level tify with and be absorbed by other sense, knowledge and values take of abstraction and generalization professions.2 priority . . . and are the major dethan that of any single theory. As ob This article is based on three asfiners of method and technique.3 served by Bartlett, frames of refer sumptions, the first and foremost beence "give professions their distinc ing that if social work is to be a proA second assumption follows closetiveness; . . . they are essential for fessional practice, it must be as clearly ly; it is that great care must be taken effective communication . . . and for based on values and guided by knowlin the construction of social work valcumulative thinking and theory build