The theoretical foundation of social case work

Abstract

Social work is often defined as a practical field with limited theoretical contributions as opposed to sociology that is perceived as theoretical. As a consequence, social work’s own researchers often tend to search outside their profession to find its scientific basis. Hence, social work’s own theoretical contributions have often been overlooked, diminished or even perceived as non-existent. In this article, we turn to one of social work’s founding mothers, Mary Richmond (1861–1928) and one of her most important texts, What is Social Case Work? (1922). Our aim is to show the theoretical contribution of her text, and thereby to highlight certain theoretical developments within social work itself. Through a hermeneutically close reading, we challenge some traditional and dominant interpretations positioning Richmond’s texts within pathological and individualistic perspectives. We demonstrate how the two key concepts ‘personality’ and ‘man and his environment’, together with the model of social case work, reflect a dynamic view of social interactions in which the individual is inextricably bound together with its social surroundings.