Contingency Analysis: Toward a Unified Theory for Social Work Practice

Drawing from the empirical foundations of operant psychology, the author proposes a unified theory, known as contingency analysis, for social work practice. This theory is based on four simple propositions that account for human behavior at all levels of social work practice—the individual, the family, the group, the community, and society. By using extensive citations from the literature, the author shows that this approach has great utility for the profession. Possible criticisms and limitations of contingency analysis are also discussed.