Social Work Critical Thinking, a Higher Order

Social Work

Critical thinking, a higher order of thinking about and dealing with issues, is quite relevant in many contemporary disciplines, particularly social work. It is a way of looking at information, of processing that information in an analytical manner, and having the ability to bring both life experience and other information to bear on the regular processes of one's discipline. Certainly, it can be used as an approach to daily lie, reading, public speaking, even watching movies or attending a concert. Within the social work discipline, it is a way to take a careful appraisal of beliefs and actions and then arrive at well-reasoned and thoughtful interventions that increase the likelihood of helping clients and avoiding harm -- reasonable and reflecting attitudes that help decide what to do and when (Papell and Skolnik, 1992).

Social work, and other medical and sociological and medical disciplines often turn toward theory as an outgrowth of critical thinking. The idea of taking theory, combining it with critical thinking, and using a professional template of a specific discipline is technical rationality. This is the view that professional knowledge is the focus of any practitioner, and is the dominant epistemology of best practices within that particular discipline. This view has a long and rather staunch background- from law and medicine all the way back to the Ancient World, to modern occupations and the newer areas of social science. Like pure science, the dominant paradigm is clearly experimental design, observation, and an outline of working within the profession that has a historical and theoretical basis; thus helping most, but not individuating the discipline to arrive and new and innovative methods for coping with the differences in people (Rutty, 1998).

Taking critical thinking skills to a logical and action-oriented view, one essential reflects-in-action, or becomes a researcher in a new way. Rather than being dependent, for instance, on established theory and context in social work, the reflective-in-action paradigm constructs a new theory for unique and individuated cases. The inquiry is not limited to a deliberation about means that depend on some prior agreement or philosophical conundrum about ends -- for means and ends are not separate. The role of what is needed in action for the individual is what is appropriate -- in fact, not bound by technical rationality. Particularly in areas like nursing and social work, reflective-in-action is, as it implies, an action oriented rubric of less theoretical constraints and far more urgent, impartial, and advocacy based on the needs of the client -- whether they "fit" into theoretical constructs or not (Hosmand and Polkinghorne, 1992).