Social work in the structure of social sciences. Theory of social work as a science Social work in the system of socio-humanitarian knowledge

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The essence of social work as a science

The scientific understanding of social work in Russia began with the identification of the social role of such a phenomenon as charity in public life, as well as with attempts to apply various philosophical, psychological, psychotherapeutic, sociological, and medical approaches to scientifically substantiate the social protection of people and provide assistance to those in need.

The theoretical justification of social work currently goes in three directions. Firstly, the place of social work as a science among such disciplines as social philosophy, social history, political science, social psychology, and cultural studies is determined. Secondly, a search is being made for the own theoretical constant of social work as a specific object of research and, thirdly, its interaction with other sciences about man and society is revealed.

A historical analysis of foreign experience in the development of social work as a science also confirms that the first stages of its theoretical justification are associated with the development of charitable activities.

The theoretical growth of scientific knowledge in the field of social work in many countries of the world is developing in two directions. The first concerns the strengthening of the significance in the system of psychological explanation of behavior of the behaviorist approach, based on the theory of knowledge, the dominance of cognitive orientations. The second direction is related With growing interest in substantiating the theoretical premises of social work Raupe M. Modern Social Work Theory: a Critical Introduction. L, 1991..

Thus, in the theory of social work, systemic ideas about social protection, social guarantees, social services, assistance and support for people who find themselves in difficult life situations are formed. At the same time, there is an increased focus on a holistic approach to the theory of social work and on creating a legal foundation for social technologies.

Almost a century of experience in the development of social work as a science abroad not only determined the modernization of classical paradigms of social thinking, but also formed the scientific basis for new trends in the social reorganization of society.

Nowadays, the development of the theory of social work takes place in the context of constant discussions. The question of its place in the system of sciences is discussed with particular urgency. The theory of social work has all the structural features that allow one to judge its formation as a science: it has a specific subject of research, an object of research, patterns inherent in the subject of research, specific concepts, categories, principles and methods of activity. At the same time, it belongs to the group of applied sciences and is characterized as interdisciplinary.

An analysis of approaches to the development of theoretical foundations of social work in Russia in recent years shows that these foundations, as a rule, are based on related disciplines. The status of social work theory has not yet been actually constituted.

The internal structure and levels of theoretical knowledge of the scientific discipline “Social work” have not been determined from the point of view of the presence of general theoretical, sectoral, applied issues, as well as middle-level theories. The discussion of these issues comes mainly from the practice of researching the most pressing problems of social services for the population.

In assessing the scientific status of social work as a scientific discipline in Russia, two approaches dominate: supporters of the first proceed from the fact that the theoretical basis of social work consists of several related sciences about man and society (social philosophy, anthropology, sociology, medicine, law, psychology, ethics and etc.); supporters of the second make attempts to prove the independence of social work as a scientific discipline, within which theoretical and applied aspects are distinguished.

Thus, two trends in the consideration of the theoretical foundations of social work are designated: one of them is based on the understanding of practical experience, the problems of the practice of social services for the population in Russia, the other is formed in the process of understanding the general and special in the theories that justify various types of social work, its essence as a social phenomenon Grigoriev S.I., Guslyakova L.G. Fundamentals of constructing the concept and organization of social work in Russia in the first half of the 1990s. Barnaul - Moscow, 1993; Social policy and social differentiation: issues of theory and practice of social work. Barnaul, 1993. pp. 112-115.. This obliges us to consider in more detail the concept of the structure of social work.

The characteristics and specificity of the theory of social work as an integral scientific system of knowledge largely depends on the composition, nature and content that form the system of components, i.e. from the structure. Structure is usually understood as a specific way of interconnection, interaction of a certain set of components that gives this set organic integrity, internal organization and orderliness, as well as special properties.

Due to the emerging interconnections of the components, synthesizing their properties and content, the structure limits the spatial manifestation of the properties of the individual components of the system, generating special integrative properties of the new integrity necessary for the implementation of its functions. The systems approach as a methodological principle involves not only consideration and analysis of existing systems, but also their creation or construction, synthesis to achieve certain goals put forward by life. This duality of the systems approach reflects the real state of affairs and the close connection between analysis and synthesis as methods of cognition.

A clear example in this regard is the constitution of the system of social protection and services to the population in

of the Russian Federation as the most important direction of the state’s social policy in the context of the transition to a new economic basis. The system of social services for the population with its branched structure of institutions, services, centers and governing bodies is, on the one hand, a product of the organizational activities of the people and teams that form this system, and on the other hand, it constitutes the very structural space, the field of activity within which social work is carried out, its improvement and development occurs. In the process of organizational work, the composition of the structure is optimized, all elements are integrated and modified into a single system.

The theory of social work is a special expression in logical forms of knowledge of the process of functioning and development of a complex polycentric system of social development, where each component of the structure can act as both a cause and a consequence of the nature of social processes at the same time. The subject of research of social work as a science - social relations and relationships at different levels - is a reflection of this complex polycentric system, the main components of which are people with their biosocial nature, as bearers of various material, social and spiritual needs and interests, with different levels of education, cultures, life experiences, differing in psychology and degree of activity of participation in social processes.

It is the fact that a person acting in various spheres (economic, social, spiritual, family and everyday life) is the main component of social work and the main integrating factor of its system that predetermines the structural content of the theory of social work as a science. The structure of social work as a science is determined not only by the relationships of people to each other, but also by the relationships of people to ideas, knowledge, and the interrelations of various fields and technologies of social work.

A structural analysis of the theory of social work as a relatively independent system of scientific knowledge should, in our opinion, begin with clarification of the nature of the interconnections and relationships, the carriers of which are the social protection authorities and social service institutions, as well as social work specialists. From a functional point of view, social work can be considered as the interaction of its subject and object, as a special case of social management, where the object is subjected to targeted influence, and the subject carries out such influence.

The categories of objective and subjective, as is known, are used to designate and study social processes both at the macro- or meso-level, and at the micro-level of life of members of society. In social work, all three levels of interaction between objective and subjective are manifested, thereby expressing not only the complexity, multi-level nature of the social work system, but also the inseparability, integrity and necessity of appropriate organizational structures for managing and regulating the relationships of people with the surrounding material, social and spiritual environment. federal, regional and production and household levels. It should be noted that the subject of social work (be it a specialist, a social service of a certain focus, an institution or department for the protection of the population as a whole) and the object of social work (be it a specific person, family, social group or other community) themselves represent a very complex social and biosocial systems and are the subject of research in many scientific disciplines. The theory of social work has no right to ignore the scientific achievements and results of these studies.

The uniqueness of social processes lies in the fact that they actively influence all aspects of social life, as if they permeate it with the interests and needs of the individual, family, social or socio-demographic group, and therefore a targeted impact on them in social work is impossible without taking into account scientific achievements theories of social management. That is why the patterns and specificity of managerial relations that develop in social work are an important component of its structure as a science. Among the various types of managerial relations that influence the structure of social work as a science, we should highlight such as relations of subordination, coordination, and correlation.

Relationships of subordination are connections between management bodies, work collectives and between individuals, expressing the subordination of one to the other in the implementation of the common goal of management activities. Subordination relationships correspond to certain organizational forms of management bodies that ensure the implementation of subordination. This connection is typical, for example, for state bodies of social protection and public services, which are vested with administrative functions and use authoritative methods of management influence, which is dictated by the need to establish teamwork and eliminate spontaneity in the activities of participants in the management process.

Coordination relationships are connections between participants in the management process, not directly subordinate to each other, in the process of coordinating their actions in the course of realizing individual and common goals. Expanding and deepening the relationships between economic, political, spiritual and social elements of social life implies strengthening the role of systematicity and complexity in social work, increasing the importance of coordination relations in the management mechanism of social work.

For social systems, as already noted, it is characteristic that a person acts as the main component of the structure. The interaction of structural components of systems of different orders increases the importance of correlations in them. The meaning of correlations lies in the indirect manifestation of cause-and-effect relationships, and sometimes in a very complex combination of a whole set of causes and consequences of the behavior of the system. This is especially typical for the theory and practice of social work, where dependence is comprehensive, deep and multi-level, and the cause of a particular phenomenon can be directly or indirectly affected by its own effect.

The substantive essence of social work is embodied in the complex phenomenon of “sociality,” which expresses the diverse ways and forms of coexistence and interaction in society as a system of integral social subjects (individual, family, work collective, community, group, classes, etc.). In a civilized society, such coexistence and interaction must be built on the principles of social equality and partnership, fair distribution of material and spiritual benefits, reliable guarantees for the implementation of demographic policy, and creative self-affirmation of all social entities included in society. All these conditions and prerequisites, which constitute the essence of the concept of “sociality,” are the most important guideline, the criterion basis of social work.

To denote the subject of the theory of social work, of particular interest is the analysis of the concept of “social activity” as a set of changes and transformations that are carried out by an individual or a social community (a certain group of people) to maintain its integrity and stability when interacting with other social communities or with nature. Social activity, thus, serves the purposes of self-realization, self-knowledge, self-affirmation of a particular community, creating the most favorable living conditions for itself, protecting rights and interests, regulating relations with other communities, groups, individuals.

Social relations, in the broad sense of the word, express connections and contacts between people occupying different positions in society and its social structure. Let us consider how the main object of our analysis—social work in all its structural, organized forms and dynamics of development—is “placed” in social space and time.

Social space as a form of social existence appears in the form of a vast “field”, where at different levels and in different spheres of social reality, bodies and institutions interact, comprehensively ensuring social life, diverse social connections and relationships unfold between various social actors (social groups, individuals) . At the same time, social activity is seen as a process unfolding in time, in the continuous movement of all structural elements and formations.

Without deep, comprehensive knowledge of your object and its components, it is impossible to carry out full-fledged and effective professional activities. Therefore, along with the concept of “social space”, it is important to characterize the “social sphere”, which is considered in a number of categories such as economic, political, spiritual spheres, forming with them a single structural and functional integrity - society. The main function of the social sphere is the reproduction and development of society and the individual as creators of their own life activity. This function is “disconnected” into a number of derivatives - socio-integrative, social-adaptive, socio-productive, sociodynamic.

The most important facets of analytical work in the social sphere are the study of the elementary and higher needs of the subject (individual, family, team, group, etc.) and identifying the potential of these needs in accordance with scientifically based standards.

The main object and subject of research in the theory of social work are social relations, interrelations and interactions between groups of people, teams, individuals occupying different positions in society, taking unequal part in its development, and therefore differing in the level and quality of life, sources and the amount of income, the structure of personal consumption, etc. But social relations and interconnections are multifaceted and complex both in structure and content. They have many aspects and are studied by many social and special sciences. Due to such versatility and, essentially, inexhaustibility of the object under study, each specific science studies and explores not the entire object as a whole, but only a certain area of it, its own “cut”, where properties, connections, relationships, patterns of a certain type are manifested.

The theory of social work identifies and explores significant, necessary connections and phenomena inherent in social processes and social development of society and determining the nature and effectiveness of economic, psychological, pedagogical and managerial influence on the development and behavior of social communities, groups and individuals. This includes: research into problems such as patterns, principles and methods of implementing social work with various social groups; ways and means of effective implementation of the functions of social work, its personnel and information support; structural and functional analysis of the activities of various state and public institutions for social protection and services to the population; patterns, principles of functioning of the social management mechanism in the social work system. Comprehensive interdisciplinary studies of social problems with access to social forecasting and modeling of the development of social processes, and, consequently, the possibility of determining ways to optimally resolve social contradictions and conflicts, are of great practical importance.

By the nature of problem solving, social work occupies a special place among such social sciences as philosophy, history, political science, law, economics, etc.; she gravitates towards psychology, sociology and medicine. Thus, general theoretical provisions of social philosophy play the role of a methodological basis for solving more specific issues of social work at the scientific level. In this regard, I would like to draw attention to the following point. When we talk about the theoretical and methodological foundations of social work, we touch on its deep essence as a science about man and his social connections. It is the improvement of a person’s social well-being, improvement of his living conditions, and ensuring a decent social existence that is among the immediate practical tasks of social work. The deepest social basis, the fundamental goal is the harmonization of the entire system of relations - in the family, team, nation, society as a whole. Thus, the practical essence of social work determines its content as a science.

Summarizing what has been said, we can draw the following conclusion. To ensure that each person lives and acts in accordance with his social nature is the practical goal of social work, which also determines its theoretical basis as a science about man and ways to improve his social well-being.

Since people’s life activities are carried out on the basis of certain social relations, social work views them from its own angle. The subject of study is social relations that function in the social sphere of society and are considered in the context of the entire set of social relations, including economic, political, spiritual and moral, etc.

Such an approach excludes reducing the tasks of social work as a science only to justifying the need for social assistance or social protection of certain segments of the population, to a certain set of judgments and recommendations on these problems. Such a reduced understanding simplifies its actual content and does not fully reveal its social essence. Of course, social assistance, as well as social protection of the population, are important areas of social work. However, its social essence is much deeper and can only be understood from a broad social perspective, including from the perspective of a socio-philosophical worldview.

Social work applies the principles of socio-philosophical knowledge to the analysis of a specific problem in the social sphere (social groups, communities, individuals, social institutions, etc.). Unlike specific social sciences, it considers problems from the point of view of both their specific features and integrative properties. Social work includes preliminary collection of information, systemic analysis of an object, puts forward hypotheses, compares facts, and builds development models.

Taking into account this characteristic of social work, the criteria for the competence of a general social worker are determined. This type of social worker is not a specialist in psychotherapy with individuals or families. He does not specialize only in working with groups and teams. His range of actions includes both. Most often, by the nature of his professional activity, he must advise individuals and families, be a facilitator in a group, monitor, mobilize and even create relevant public resources, that is, be competent in many areas of knowledge. A highly qualified specialist demonstrates his competence in such areas of activity as:

assessment of needs, situations, operating forces, degree of possible risk;

planning appropriate actions; ensuring the interests of the client;

accepting responsibility for one's professional actions;

choosing the optimal solution, etc.

Thus, a social worker needs both cognitive and interpersonal skills, organizational and administrative abilities (the ability to make decisions, predict their consequences, etc.).

The practice of social work requires that a specialist with knowledge in many areas must also be a creative and persistent person, agile and flexible.

The aspiring social worker must have holistic problem-solving skills and a basic knowledge of intervention methods in systems of various sizes (individual, family, group, organization, community). It is designed to facilitate (facilitate) the process of group support for the population and provide therapeutic counseling to clients.

All this indicates that social work is interdisciplinary in nature. At the same time, it differs from such related fields of knowledge as sociology, psychology, psychiatry, etc.

Social work, having emerged as a social phenomenon, as a special sphere of human activity, having gone through a certain path of development, is increasingly becoming the object of special scientific research. The scientific understanding of social work in Russia began with the identification of the social role of such a phenomenon as charity in public life, as well as with attempts to apply various philosophical, psychological, psychotherapeutic, sociological, and medical approaches to scientifically substantiate the social protection of people and provide assistance to those in need.

The theoretical justification of social work currently goes in three directions. Firstly, the place of social work as a science is determined among such disciplines as social philosophy, social history, political science, social psychology, etc. Secondly, a search is being carried out for its own theoretical constant of social work as a specific object of research and, thirdly, it is revealed its interaction with other sciences about man and society.

The characteristics and specificity of the theory of social work as an integral scientific system of knowledge largely depends on the composition, nature and content that form the system of components, i.e. from the structure that limits the spatial manifestation of the properties of individual components of the system. Generating special integrative properties of the new integrity necessary for the implementation of its functions. The systems approach as a methodological principle involves not only consideration and analysis of existing systems, but also their creation or design, synthesis for certain goals put forward by life. This duality of the systems approach reflects the real state of affairs and the close connection between analysis and synthesis as methods of cognition. A clear example in this regard is the construction of a system of social protection and services to the population in the Russian Federation as the most important direction of the state’s social policy in the context of the transition to a new economic basis. The system of social services for the population with its branched structure of institutions, services, centers and governing bodies is, on the one hand, a product of the organizational activities of the people and teams that form this system, and on the other hand, it constitutes the very structural space, the field of activity within which social work is being improved and developed. In the process of organizational work, the composition, structure, integration and modification of all elements into a single system are optimized.

The subject of research of social work as a science is social relations and relationships of different levels of people with their biosocial nature, various material, spiritual and social needs and interests, having different levels of education, culture, life experience, differing in psychology and the degree of activity of participation in social processes. It is the fact that a person is the main component of social work and the main integrating factor of its system that predetermines the structural content of the theory of social work as a science, which is determined not only by the relationships of people to each other, but also by the relationships of people to knowledge, the interrelations of various fields and technologies of social work.

The deepest social basis, the fundamental goal of social work is the harmonization of the entire system of relations - in the family, team, nation, society as a whole. Thus, the practical essence of social work determines its content as a science.

Such an approach excludes reducing the tasks of social work only to justifying the need for social assistance or social protection of certain segments of the population, to a certain set of judgments and recommendations on these problems. Such a reduced understanding simplifies its actual content and does not fully reveal its social essence. Of course, social assistance, as well as social protection of the population, are important areas of social work. However, its social essence is much deeper and can only be understood from a broad social perspective, including from the perspective of a socio-philosophical worldview.

Social work applies the principles of socio-philosophical knowledge to the analysis of a specific problem in the social sphere. Unlike specific social sciences, it considers problems from the point of view of their specific features and integrative properties. Social work includes preliminary collection of information, systemic analysis of an object, puts forward hypotheses, compares facts, and builds development models.

assessment of needs, situations, operating forces, degree of possible risk;

planning appropriate actions;

ensuring the interests of the client;

accepting responsibility for one's professional actions;

choosing the optimal solution, etc.

Thus, a social worker needs both cognitive and interpersonal skills, organizational and administrative abilities. In addition, the practice of social work requires that a specialist with knowledge in many areas must also be a creative and persistent person, agile and flexible.

All this indicates that social work is interdisciplinary in nature.

Social work as a science consists of two main sections: theoretical and methodological, fundamental (methodology, laws, categorical apparatus of science) and applied (areas of socio-practical, managerial application of theoretical and empirical knowledge, scientific support for solving practical social problems in society, which are called upon decided by the social worker). The practical activity of a social worker is very multifaceted.

By its nature, social work, the inherent characteristic of which is integrativeness, cannot rely on any one theory or model of practice. Various forms of social work seem to run through all theories and represent complex constructions of various models of social work practice. In particular, if a theory helps to understand certain combinations of circumstances that cause certain social problems, then it is adequate for a given form of social work. Guslyakova L.G. Problems of interaction between theory and practice of social work // Social policy and social differentiation: issues of theory and practice of social work. Barnaul-Moscow, 1993, pp. 116 - 119.

The theory is effective if it determines specific areas of activity to provide social assistance to a person depending on his social rights and guarantees. At the same time, these areas consist of certain components of social work as a professional activity and are implemented through different forms and means depending on the social situation. Thus, the content of the theory of social work and its main directions as a professional activity are determined by social practice. In the absence of such influence, the theory used cannot be effective.

Determining the place of the theory of social work in the system of other sciences depends to a large extent on the content of its categories, on the features of its methods, on the research of the problems that make up its main content.

In the process of learning the theory of social work as an integral system of scientific knowledge, as an applied science, the relationships and characteristics of its components are not revealed immediately, but gradually, as one penetrates into their nature and essence. By accumulating knowledge about some aspects of social work, the scientific system creates favorable preconditions for knowledge of other aspects and for a deeper penetration into the essence of the subject and research as a whole. At the same time, it is important to use in a complex the entire arsenal of tools of scientific knowledge, namely: observation and experiment, description and theoretical explanation, justification and logical evidence, comparison and analogy, generalization and abstraction, induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, hypothesis and scientific theory in in general.

The formation and development of social work as an independent science takes place in the context of constant discussions on its main methodological problems. And simultaneously with the development of the scientific theory of social work, there is a comprehension and identification of methodological principles for the use of phenomena (factors, processes) of social practice, their methodological and ideological knowledge.

The introduction in Russia of a new profession “social worker” imposes corresponding obligations on domestic education and science: continuous training of personnel and scientific and methodological support for the activities of social services, the educational process, development of the theory and practice of social work. The problems of social work are based on interdisciplinary research; here, more than ever, the relationship and interpenetration of social work and social pedagogy is very important. After all, social pedagogy has an integral character, combining knowledge about man, society, culture; being at the intersection of medicine, psychology and other sciences, that is, everything that social work needs when acquiring a multidisciplinary character in the process of becoming a science.

Theory of social work in the system of social and social sciences Plan Stages of development of the theory of social work. Psychological foundations of social work Pedagogy and social work. Philosophy and social work. Stages of development of social work theory.

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Lecture 3. Theory of social work in the system of public

And social sciences

Plan

Stages of development of social work theory.
Psychological foundations of social work
Pedagogy and social work.
Sociology and social work.
Philosophy and social work.

1. Stages of development of the theory of social work.

As a field of scientific knowledge, social work goes through a number of stages in its development.

Stage 1: Ideas about the processes of assistance and support for those in need are formalized as the concept of mercy in traditional religious doctrine. The essence of this concept is that poverty and beggary are a social necessity. However, the development of society shows that these phenomena and processes are determined by real economic, social and political factors.

Stage 2: Pre-paradigm social workas a field of scientific knowledge (19th century)

Issues of poverty, pauperism (beggary) are beginning to be actively developed in various branches of knowledge:

in sociology (early socio-political, reformist and legal doctrines of E. Munstenberg, G. Spencer, A. Wagner, etc.);

in law (legal concept of A. Prince)

in economic sciences.

A feature of this stage of development of the theory of social work is that it develops not only at the level of deductive and inductive reasoning, but in the practice of supporting and helping those in need, methods of sociological research are beginning to be actively used. They made it possible to obtain a more reliable picture of such a phenomenon and process as begging.

In the 19th century sociology becomes the basis for the development of social work theory.

stage. Paradigmatic social work (XX century)

Includes two stages.Stage 1: 1st half of the 20th century.The main problems in practical social work are problems of social pathology. In order to effectively solve them, practical social work begins to actively interact with:empirical psychology (primarily, psychological theories such as behaviorism and psychoanalysis are used);empirical sociology (sociological research methods are used, especially the sociometric method for studying small groups); pedagogy;

psychiatry. The use of methods, techniques and techniques from other branches of scientific knowledge in social work contributed to a more serious theoretical understanding and theoretical development of social work as an interdisciplinary science. This was also encouraged by the development of professional social work.

Stage 2. Second half of the 20th century.The interaction of social work with various scientific disciplines has made it possible to more fully and adequately explain and describe the social problems of society and the client; client's social situations; identify and explain the reasons leading to disruptions in the social functioning of an individual, group, community.

In the formation of knowledge of social work (i.e. the development of the theory of social work), such sciences as: sociology began to play a huge role; psychology; philosophy; pedagogy; psychiatry; economic and political sciences.

Each of these disciplines provides an opportunity to more objectively understand social problems and client problems; develop effective models and concepts of social work.

2. Psychological foundations of social work

Many approaches to social work are based on certain psychological concepts and theories. Therefore, psychology occupies an important place in the training of a social work specialist, and also underlies socio-pedagogical methods of influence in social work.

There are a number of functions that psychology performs in social work:

Theoretical - allows you to establish connections between goals,

content, means and ways of solving social work problems, on the one hand, and individual, collective and psychological phenomena, processes, on the other hand. Based on certain psychological theories, social work has the opportunity to adequately assess the client’s problem, identify its causes, outline a strategy and plans for the necessary intervention in the situation.

Methodologicalfor research socially -

pedagogical processes and phenomena, social work is based on certain psychological theories and concepts.

Explanatory -allows you to explain behavior, actions

person, group in a particular social situation; describe and explain risky, deviant behavior; the internal essence of the process of socialization of the individual; the client’s reaction to intervention in the situation, etc.

Diagnostic -makes it possible, using methods

psychodiagnostics, carry out diagnostics of personality, its social qualities, diagnostics of groups and their development.

Prognostic helps define perspective

personal formations, based on which it is possible to solve the problems of social development of the individual, raising people to the level of social assistance.

Considering the relationship between social work and psychology, the following should be noted:

1. The object of social work is persons who are in an altered state of mind (but within the normal limits), where the leading role belongs to the psychological component. The special relationship between psychology and social work is that both sciences have a common object of influence - a person, who, as we know, is not only an object of social relations, but also a subject.

2.An important problem for a person is to satisfy the need for self-realization and self-determination. This is often hampered by the lack of ability for self-improvement and self-defense.

Based on a psychosocial approach that recognizes wholeness"person-in-situation"social workers realize that helping a person is not situational, but is most often successful when the potential of the individual himself and his ability to grow, change, and self-development are highly appreciated in the presence of certain conditions and resources. Help involves simultaneously: creating the conditions necessary for the individual to live a full life and the manifestation of social subjectivity; activation of all the internal resources of a person, which will allow him to overcome a difficult situation for his life at this particular moment and will form a positive personal experience for him. All this determines the need for a synthesis of the social and psychological at all levels: in the formulation of the goals and objectives of social assistance, in the focus of consideration and study of the object of influence, in the use of professional means of interaction with it.

3. The importance of psychological knowledge in social work is also determined by the need to carry out preventive work: with adolescents and young people characterized by antisocial behavior; persons prone to suicide; persons prone to frequent “crisis mental states”, etc. In all these cases, social support is mainly in the nature of individual psychosocial work.

In order to effectively interact with the object of social work, correctly make a socio-psychological diagnosis and, accordingly, determine the purpose and possibilities of interaction with a specific individual, a social work specialist must have a sufficient understanding of the client for this specific professional situation, including: his individual -sexual and individual-typical properties; individual psychological characteristics; his needs, which are the driving force behind the client’s behavior and life; the motivation of his personality, which explains exactly the behavior that he implements in this particular period of life; his interests, abilities; features of self-awareness and personality orientation.

Consequently, a social work specialist needs a certain level of psychological literacy to effectively perform his professional tasks. This is due to the fact that the social worker must:

be able to collaborate with other specialists: psychologists, psychotherapists;

be able to differentiate social problems and problems of a psychological nature, and even psychiatric problems;

be able to provide primary socio-psychological assistance and support to the client;

possess the principles and skills of psychologically correct communication with people.

The psychological literacy of a social work specialist will be determined by hissystems of psychological knowledge and skills to apply this knowledge in their professional activities.System of psychological knowledge, includes:

psychological knowledge about a person (general psychology, personality psychology); knowledge of the psychology of people with characteristics in personal development (special psychology, medical psychology, psychology of deviant behavior), etc.; knowledge of personality theory, group theory; theories of communication psychology (possession of skills of interaction and influence on a person in need of help; communication skills; ways of influencing him, etc.); theories of social conflict (know the functions, concepts, stages, conditions and methods of resolving social conflicts); psychoanalytic concepts, concepts of humanistic psychology (K. Rogers, V. Frankl, A. Maslow (the concept of the hierarchy of needs), etc.); knowledge in the field of social psychology and Gestalt psychology, etc.; knowledge of psychological methods such as: psychodiagnostic methods, psychological counseling; socio-psychological trainings, psychodrama, correction methods P knowledge, communication, self-esteem, etc.

The key to successful interaction between a social work specialist and a client when solving professional problems is the presence of psychological personal qualities in the specialist, which are the determining factor in his suitability for practical activities. The personal qualities of a social worker can be divided into three groups (E.I. Kholostova, P.D. Pavlenok). The first group includes psychophysiological characteristics on which the ability to perform this type of activity depends. They reflect mental processes (memory, perception, imagination, thinking), mental states (apathy, fatigue, anxiety, stress, depression), attention as states of consciousness, emotional and volitional manifestations (restraint, indifference, persistence, impulsiveness).

The second group of personal qualities includes psychological qualities: self-control, self-criticism, self-esteem, as well as stress-resistant qualities physical fitness, the ability to switch and manage one’s emotions, self-suggestibility.

The third group of personal qualities of a social worker includes psychological and pedagogical qualities on which the effect of personal charm depends: sociability, empathy, attractiveness, eloquence.

3. Pedagogy and social work.

Having emerged as the practice of preparing children for adult life, now pedagogy acts as a comprehensive and integrative field of knowledge and activity, the object of which is the entire society as a whole and the individual throughout all stages of his age-related existence. Pedagogy is increasingly seen as a means of social design and creation of a new type of society, its individual spheres with the help of appropriate teaching and educational activities to form new images of knowledge, thinking and feelings, forms of individual and public behavior.resocialization of a person, the result of which is the acquisition by the individual of orientation and standard of behavior (beliefs, values, corresponding feelings and actions).

In social work, pedagogy acts as the core of the activity component of social work. So, with the help of pedagogy, more precisely, pedagogical means, methods, techniques, tasks : social work training, i.e. training of specialists; formation of a system of professional knowledge, skills and abilities among future social work specialists. This is didactic function of pedagogy. In addition, pedagogy, like psychology, performs explanatory and prognostic functions.

The pedagogical element of social work is the development of social actions, skills and abilities in the client; self-help technique. In solving this problem, social work is based on didactic principles; teaching methods and techniques; pedagogical teaching aids.

Social work should intensify a person’s desire for self-education and self-development. In this case, one should rely on approaches to considering the essence of self-education both in psychology and pedagogy.

The pedagogical content of social work is determined by the correction of behavior and re-education of people. Knowledge from the field of correctional pedagogy may be involved here.

Social work methods are also integrative in nature. To achieve set professional goals, a social worker can resort to such pedagogical methods as:

methods of forming consciousness (story, conversation, lecture, etc.);

methods of organizing activities and creating experience of positive behavior (exercises, educational situation, etc.);

methods of encouragement and stimulation (punishment, encouragement, competition).

Pedagogical knowledge is in demand in the field of social work and social assistance to such clients as: family (knowledge of the basics of family pedagogy); children (knowledge of the age and individual characteristics of the child; knowledge of the basics of socialization of the individual, its pedagogical aspects; knowledge of the theory of the children's collective, etc.); aged people; disabled people; convicts and other categories of the population.

Pedagogical knowledge plays an important role in the development of professional skills of a specialist.

Social pedagogy plays a special role in social work as part of general pedagogy. Social pedagogy is the science of the educational influence of the environment on social education and social development of the individual. Social work, when solving a client’s problems, takes into account not only his individual psychological characteristics, but also his social environment, i.e. social environment.

A special place in social work is occupied by the problems of educational work with individuals and groups of individuals whose socialization is disrupted and they need pedagogical assistance. Such individuals are primarily in the care of social protection institutions. In this regard, a problem arises that has theoretical and practical significance: reasonable interaction between social work and social pedagogy.

A social work specialist must also be prepared in social and pedagogical terms: this kind of knowledge, skills and abilities are a necessary component that ensures his professional competence. He should not miss the pedagogical aspects of his activities, and should not forget about the use of pedagogical means to solve social problems. It is important for a social work specialist to learn to give a pedagogical assessment of the processes taking place in his field and to foresee the social consequences of pedagogical technologies, in other words, to master the basics of social and pedagogical activity.

Pedagogical knowledge becomes part of the general professional culture and professional competence of the social worker.

4. Sociology and social work.

Sociology - the science of social relations, mechanisms and patterns of functioning and development of social communities of various kinds: society as an integral organism, social and other communities differentiated on various grounds. The term sociology was introduced into scientific circulation in 1830 by Auguste Comte.

Since sociology studies society, the behavior and beliefs of specific groups (families, children, men, women, youth, persons with deviant behavior, the elderly, etc.), it is the basis for the development of theoretical knowledge in the field of social work.

The process of creating social work theory is dominated by three main sociological paradigms:

Interactionism (interactionism coordination, interaction). This paradigm sees social life as a process of interaction between individuals.

Functionalism focuses on the constitutional structure of social life: what are the components of society and how they relate to each other. Functionalism allows us to reduce the variety of client cases to theories associated with the behaviorist or psychoanalytic tradition.

Conflict paradigm. Describes social life as a struggle between competing individuals.

Each of these sociological directions plays its own special role in the creation of theories of social work

Knowledge in the field of sociology allows a social work specialist to: explore social problems (sociological research methods are used: survey, interviewing, sociometry, observation, etc.); possess interpersonal skills and techniques; navigate in society, i.e. help to understand what a particular society and those groups that are poorly socially protected are like, to understand what factors influence the social functioning of an individual, group, community; gain knowledge about the social structure of society, its social infrastructure, the characteristics of society at a specific stage of its development; gain knowledge about methods of conducting sociological research and methods of collecting primary information; about the social environment in which a person lives and in which he intends to carry out his activities; about basic social processes and their relationships.

The following areas of influence of sociology on social work can be distinguished:

the results of sociologists studying the social structure of society and other fundamental problems of sociological knowledge (sociology of the family, sociology of youth, sociology of labor, etc.) are used in practical activities, labor organization, social protection institutions;

Sociological knowledge is widely used in the training and retraining of specialists in the field of social work;

Analysis of social work from the point of view of the participation of various groups of social workers in it (today in sociology there is a section “sociology of social work”).

In addition, in the development of theoretical problems of social work and in practical social work, such branches of sociology as:

1. Sociology of conflict, ethnosociology, systemic sociology.

2. Sociology of the family. The influence of family sociology on the effectiveness of social work lies in the fact that it helps to more accurately assess the client’s marital status, as well as the social status and financial support of different families and groups; identify factors that complicate the functioning of a modern family.

3. Sociology of management, personnel management. This area

sociological knowledge is basic for the development of those models of social work that are united by structural social work, focused on organizing social protection by collective means. The influence of this direction of sociology on social work is expressed in the existence of various sociologically oriented theories and technologies of helping those in need. Such a branch of sociology as personnel management is directly related to the activities of various institutions of social protection and social services for the population.

4. Sociology of labor (considers lifestyle, situation

various professional groups of the population, which allows us to understand the specific influence of his professional and labor environment on solving the client’s problems; problems of unemployment, employment).

5. Sociology of the spiritual life of society (knowledge about the characteristics

Behavior, social and value orientations of representatives of various population groups).

6. Sociology of the third sector (public, charitable organizations).

Sociological understanding of social work is an integral condition for its development as a type of practical activity and a field of scientific knowledge.

5. Philosophy and social work.

Philosophy (philosophical disciplines include logic, aesthetics, ethics, philosophical anthropology, social philosophy, etc.) considers questions of the essence of man, his life, death, happiness and suffering, as well as questions of the spatial and temporal certainty of existence.

Philosophy is the methodological basis of social work, as it determines general principles and approaches to understanding certain problems facing a person. As a science about the universal laws of development of nature and society, philosophy develops a generalized system of views on the world as a whole and on the place of man in it. It explores cognitive values, the socio-political, moral and aesthetic attitude of a person to the world. Thus, philosophy determines the approaches in other people’s relationships to a person; his attitude towards them and towards himself, towards his existence, forms of life and protection.

Philosophy in social work performs the function of integration, synthesis of knowledge about a person; clarifies the foundations and meaning of the existential situation of choice, human existence; defines, proposes value systems, normative systems, considers moral issues; tries to overcome the flaw of an abstract person, to consider him in a specific cultural-historical and temporal context

Social work, the activity of a social worker is related to a person, his relationships with the outside world, i.e. aimed at improving human relations. It is not possible to solve this problem without a specialist having a system of philosophical knowledge. A social work specialist in the field of philosophy needs to have an idea of the place and role of philosophy in human life; about the specifics of various philosophical systems in their relationship with the socio-cultural parameters of society; about the role of philosophical knowledge in solving global problems of humanity; about the leading representatives of the history of philosophy.

Social work is also interconnected withsocial ecology. Its double focus on both man and the environment, and even more broadly on man and nature, determines its ecological essence. It allows one to identify patterns of relationships between organisms and their environment. This requires knowledge not only of sociology and psychology, but also of biology, which helps to understand how the human body functions, including reproductive processes and the influence of genetics on conduction and perception.

Related to social work is psychiatry, which studies the internal development of humans, trying to find out what makes individuals think, feel and behave as they do.

Many social worker training programs require a fairly thoroughmedical training. One of the goals of social protection is to preserve and strengthen the health of the population. In many ways, this is the goal of health care systems. Among the forms of social work, there are also medical and social services that require a social work specialist or social worker to have a certain system of medical knowledge. For example, the profession of occupational therapist (a specialist who works directly with people with disabilities), which has developed in the West, involves obtaining knowledge in the field of medicine and rehabilitation counseling.

Another related discipline required when obtaining the profession of a social worker is jurisprudence . Without knowledge of legislative acts, the basis of theoretical and practical aspects of family and criminal law, pensions, etc. It is difficult to give advice to a client, help him solve his life problems, and defend his interests.

Social work is interconnected with political science , which as a subject of research has political relations and processes that directly affect the problems of social work. Social work is an important mechanism for implementing state social policy.

The above and other disciplines related to social work are necessary for the formation of a highly qualified social work specialist. One should also keep in mind the fundamental importance for social work of the unity of theory and practice. The system of scientific knowledge, as already noted, can be conditionally divided depending on the orientation in solving problems into fundamental and applied. Social work belongs to the group of applied sciences.

The starting point for collecting and analyzing empirical material of varied content for various observations, studies of specific social processes and phenomena, and facts of social life is practice. It allows you to accumulate the experience of social work in the form of its comprehension and theoretical generalization, i.e. in the form of a system of scientific knowledge.

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