ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of human behavior theory to guide social work intervention with diverse populations. Interventions in social work generally are thought of as social treatment—a process in which the social worker uses selective methods and techniques to enhance social functioning. The social and psychological sciences have undergone a similar change process. A steady commentary within social work has been concerned with the development of the knowledge base of social work, that is, the perspective through which the profession conceives the relationships of persons and their worlds. Howard Goldstein also has proposed an orientation toward social work knowledge that is concerned with the constructs with which individuals define their place in the world. Social constructionists have proposed that no final, true explanation of the world can be found. Although the context of an individual’s life or culture can thus constrain change, people also bring about change through social discourse and a reconstruction of ideas and beliefs.
