Social work is unique among the social sciences in adopting the term practice wisdom. Why was the word wisdom chosen? Why didn't the terms practice knowledge or practical experience arise in its stead? This article examines various definitions of practice wisdom that have been previously offered. Then, turning to the work of Socrates, it examines the nature of wisdom. This leads to considering that the application of social work values, over that of efficacy of interventions, is what lies at the heart of practice wisdom.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbramsonM. (1996). Toward a more holistic understanding of ethics in social work. Social Work in Health Care, 23, 1–13.
2.
AzzartoJ. (2001). Teaching practice wisdom: What can we learn from family medicine?Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 6, 57–68.
3.
BarkerR. (1999). The social work dictionary (4th ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
4.
BoehmW. (1958). The nature of social work. Social Work, 3, 10–18.
5.
DeroosY. (1990). The development of practice wisdom through human problem-solving process. Social Service Review, 64, 276–287.
6.
DolgoffR., & SkolnikL (1996). Ethical decision making in social work with groups: An empirical study. Social Work With Groups, 19, 49–65.
7.
EdwardsR. L., & HoppsJ. G. (Eds.). (1995). The encyclopedia of social work (19th ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
8.
GoldsteinH. (1990). The knowledge base of social work practice: Theory, wisdom, analogue, or art?Families in Society, 71, 32–43.
9.
GowdyE. (1994). From technical rationality to participating consciousness. Social Work, 39, 362–370.
10.
HeinemanM. (1981). The obsolete scientific imperative in social work research. Social Service Review, 55, 371–397.
11.
ImreR. (1984). The nature of knowledge in social work. Social Work, 29, 41–45.
12.
ImreR. (1985). Tacit knowledge in social work research and practice. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 55, 137–149.
13.
KayserJ. (1995). Personal narratives and professional helping: Guidelines for writing autobiographical narratives. Reflections, 1, 66–68.
14.
KlienW., & BloomM (1995). Practice wisdom. Social Work, 40, 799–807.
15.
McAvoyM. (1999). The profession of ignorance: With constant reference to Socrates.Lanham, NY: University Press of America.
16.
National Association of Social Workers. (1996). Code of ethics of the national association of social workers. Washington D.C.: NASW Press.
17.
Plato. (n.d.). Apology of Socrates. (M. C. Stokes, Trans.). Warminster, England: Aris & Phillips Ltd.
18.
RaynorP. (1984). Evaluation with one eye closed: The empiricist agenda in social work research. British Journal of Social Work, 14, 1–10.
19.
RuckdeschelR., & FarrisB (1981). Assessing practice: A critical look at the single case design. Social Casework, 62, 413–419.
20.
ScottD. (1990). Practice wisdom: The neglected source of practice research. Social Work, 35, 564–568.
21.
SheppardM. (1995). Social work, social science, and practice wisdom. British Journal of Social Work, 25, 265–293.
22.
TysonK. (1994). Author's reply: Response to “social work researchers’ quest for respectability.”Social Work, 39, 737–741.
23.
Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language (1989). New York: Gramercy Books.
24.
ZeiraA., & RosenA (2000). Unraveling “tacit knowledge”: What social workers do and why they do it. Social Service Review, 74, 103–123.
