Podcast TCCR #001 - Why does Social Work need its own theory?

In this inaugural episode, we delve into one of the most urgent and profound questions within the discipline: Is it enough to apply theories from other sciences, or does Social Work need a theory of its own—one that emerges from its practice and unique specificity? This reflection gives rise to the "Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction" (TCCR) and marks the starting point for reimagining Social Work as an autonomous social science, with its own voice and perspective.

We explore how, throughout its history, Social Work has relied on theoretical frameworks imported primarily from psychology, sociology, or law—making it difficult to build a solid and coherent disciplinary identity. This dependence has created tensions between professional practice and conceptual frameworks, resulting in a split between everyday practice and the available analytical models.

In this episode, we argue why adapting external theories is no longer sufficient. Today, more than ever, Social Work faces the challenge of conceptualizing itself as an applied science with its own object of study: human relationships, the symbolic construction of reality, and the narratives that organize psychosocial experience.

We also examine the consequences of lacking a foundational theory: conceptual fragmentation, the technical instrumentalization of the profession, and a diminished critical capacity in the face of dominant discourses. In response, this episode presents the need for a situated, relational, narrative, and transformative theory—precisely what the TCCR proposes—capable of grounding social intervention in a complex, coherent, and deeply ethical vision.

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