ABSTRACT
The field of behavioral social work has rapidly become an important and influential perspective among the various schools of social work intervention. All behavioral social work is informed and guided by empirically established principles of human learning. Another salient characteristic of behavioral social work is its general focus upon conceptualizing the origins of client and societal problems from a strongly environmental perspective, as opposed to a mentalistic, personality, intraspsychic or dispositional one. Behavioral social work is an informed approach to intervention that is conducted by social workers who use relevant theoretical knowledge to guide their development of an intervention plan. Behavioral and social science has validated many of the principles associated with operant, respondent and observational learning theories. Certain limitations in the hypothetico-deductive approach to social work inquiry are widely recognized. Heineman-Peiper has pointed out some potential inadequacies of the traditional methods of scientific inquiry, methods especially characteristic of behavioral social work.
