Experiments in Adapting to Need: Pragmatism as Orienting Perspective in Clinical Social Work

Abstract

In this article I show how conceptions of pragmatism set forth in American philosophy serve as orienting perspectives for critical thinking and decision making in social work practice, providing frames of reference in efforts to engage divergent theories and methods in light of the concrete particulars of the clinical situation. I outline fundamental features of pragmatism, drawing on the seminal contributions of William James and John Dewey, and explore the ways in which organizing principles facilitate efforts to make use of ideas across multiple explanatory systems, bridging scientific and humanistic domains of understanding. I present a case report and consider the ways pragmatic approaches focus our attention on essential concerns in the clinical situation. Pragmatic formulations reaffirm framing perspectives and core values in the American social work tradition, emphasizing the importance of multiple explanatory tools; the practical outcomes of ideas in a given situation; the crucial role of collaborative interaction and experiential learning in understanding, and the focus on the individual and the human particularity of the helping process that ultimately defies categorization.

Keywords:

• pluralism
• pragmatism
• integrative psychotherapy
• William James
• John Dewey
• experiential learning

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank James Clark, Sharon Berlin, Dennis McCaughan, Karen Teigiser and the late Bertram Cohler for their conversation about the ideas and concerns explored in this article.