Social workers apply theories, models, and perspectives to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development. Social workers need to have an understanding of the paradigms that shape the values, knowledge, and beliefs about the nature of the world shared through human experience. For social workers, the concept of these paradigms can help them have a more complete understanding of behaviors in individual, family, group, organizational, community, and global contexts.

The concept of paradigms in social work is both traditional and alternative. Traditional paradigms encompass the paradigms or world views that have most influenced the environments that make up the shared experiences of the world. It includes surveying a population, analyzing the results, and determining the needs of the community based on the outcomes. Alternative paradigms, on the other hand, are world views that have had less influence and have been less prominent in shaping views about humans and their environments. This includes going into communities that represent diverse groups with the primary goal of finding and understanding the needs emerging from the real-life experiences of a community. In this Discussion, you consider the connection between paradigms and social work practice.

Post a response to the following questions in paragraph form.

• What is your understanding of the role of human behavior in social work?
• What roles do particular worldviews play in your understanding of social work practice?