ABSTRACT
Social work literature abounds in concepts, so much so that the state of social work has been characterised as one of 'conceptual affluence and propositional poverty'. Social workers consciously employ a considerable number of concepts, as we have already seen - treatment, case, diagnosis and so on. Each of these would repay attention, but in our view some only appear to raise problematic issues, whilst some of the key concepts are scarcely recognised as such. Most of the concepts used in social work would repay scrutiny and thought, but not all of them raise serious problems. Some concepts, however, are both complex and neglected. 'Understanding' features largely in the activity of social workers and in the writings on social work. Scientists and (some) historians argue over whether or not the human nature of what is to be understood creates a crucial distinction between modes of understanding.
