Assignment : Reviewing the Literature: Connecting Theory to Practice and Ethics

In this assignment, pick a health behavior or mental-health related issue of your choice and explore the literature related to theoriesfrom this course (you may need to read ahead in the texts) that have been used to guide practice interventions directed to your chosen issue. Also consider how theory fits with social work ethics.

In this research paper, you must examine at least 8 scholarly sources (peer-reviewed journals and/or books) to address the following:

1. All papers are expected to be written in proper APA essay format (i.e. 6th edition APA formatting, introduction with thesis statement, body with evidence, conclusion).

2. A brief overview of the chosen behavior/issue. Use a scholarly source to define the behavior.

a. Discuss why you chose this particular behavior

b. How did theory help you conceptualize this behavior?

3. An analysis of the literature you searched related to theory / theory-grounded interventions used to effectively address the behavior (NOTE: do not simply report authors and findings, instead, analyze the literature).

a. What did the authors conclude? Where did they agree (find similar findings) or disagree (find different results)?

4. An analysis of social work practice recommendations and ethical considerations, including:

a. Is this theory (and corresponding intervention) a good fit for social work?

b. What are the limitations of this theory for social work interventions? What are the strengths of this approach for social work interventions?

i. How is this theory relevant as it relates to individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and societies? (Some theories may be better suited to either micro or macro work.)

ii. Think about social work ethical implications (refer specifically to practice sections of the NASW Code of Ethics, 2008) related to this theory and your literature review on the related interventions- what did you learn that could apply to social work ethics and interventions?

1. Think about issues of diversity and privilege when you answer this, particularly related to: differences in ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression) marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation. (Research articles sometimes speak to this in the "limitations" section.)