Social Work Development Theories Essay Example

adolescents to aid in finding suitable intervention measures. The psychoanalysis theory provides an explanation social workers can use to understand addictive behavior in different stages of growth and development. Social workers are therefore required to study and apply the concepts in helping children transition successfully through the adolescence stage.

The study of sociology helps in understanding how individuals should behave different stages of human growth and development. Psychosocial theories provide a step by step analysis of how individuals will grow through different developmental stages. Erickson’s psychosocial theory, for instance, elaborates the conflicts an individual overcomes through different developmental stages. Individuals that are not able to overcome the conflicts are to be considered by social workers who will apply strategies aimed at ensuring the normal growth and development. The psychosocial model, for instance, can help social workers identify and deal with the adolescent stage. Adolescents according to the psychosocial model are considered suffer from the conflict of identity confusion. Those that can understand the stage and the challenges that come with it can navigate through the stage to young adulthood successfully.

The different stages defined in the psychosocial theory will guide a social worker in understanding the development of a child or adolescent (Walker, 2010). It will help a social worker compares the development process of a child with those of other children with a similar age. Significant differences will lead to more inquiry into the challenges the child faces. A competent will make an informed decision in referring a child to the recommended agency by using the psychosocial, social theory of development to identify aspects of stagnation, slow growth or inability to adapt to the changing environment

with age. The appropriate application of the psychosocial theory will help a social worker restore and enhance the social and personal functioning of an individual in the society. Intervention measures applied a social worker will vary depending on the challenges a social worker identifies using the theory.

Social learning theories in education and sociology give insight on how children learn and acquire behaviors (Thompson, & Gibbs, 2016). Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, for instance, explains that human behavior results from the interaction between the senses, behavior, and the human conduct. Adolescents and children adopt behaviors they learn from other individuals. Social workers dealing with adolescents and children can, therefore, consider manipulating their environments as part of the intervention measures. A SOCIAL worker can use the social learning theory to understand ways he or she can use to reinforce the behavior of a child. A social worker can manipulate the environment as an intervention measure to change the socialization an adolescent receives in the growth and development process. An understanding of social learning theories helps social workers understand how children and adolescents acquire knowledge and construct meaning in different circumstances. Such knowledge is useful and important in solving learning challenges in various stages of human growth and development.

Social workers need a wide range of skills, which they can acquire from different disciplines, to develop a holistic approach to challenges of human growth and development. They should have an understanding of the biological, physical, psychological and spiritual needs of children and adolescents to provide effective intervention measures. M concepts in psychology, sociology, biology, theology and other subjects can, therefore, inform choices of a social worker when dealing with

human growth and development issues. A competent social worker is conversant with a wide range of theories from other disciplines t that help in solving challenges affecting individuals in their settings at different stages of development.

References

• Gupta, A., Schofield, G., Quinton, D., Cleaver, H., Daniel, B., & Seden, J. (2005). The Developing World of the Child. W. Rose, D. P. Jones, & J. Aldgate (Eds.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
• Howe, D. (2009). A brief introduction to social work theory. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Rathus, S. A. (2003). Voyages: Childhood and adolescence. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth.
• Thompson, W. E., & Gibbs, J. C. (2016). Deviance & Deviants: A Sociological Approach. John Wiley & Sons.
• Walker, S. (2010). The Social Worker's Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.