The authors have tried to identify the knowledge base of social work. It is a wide field of theory and facts, of knowledge and skills necessary for efficient practical work. A particular stress has been given to the generic process of problem solving, being the leading paradigm in theoretical and practical social work. The biggest problem that arise here are the following: 1. Primary knowledge and the acquired experience of the professionals in social work are derived from a wide range of human problems that are on a cumulative increase. 2. The conditions necessary for the numerous activities within the “problem-solving” approach are partly innate to social work and partly they are taken from the other related disciplines. 3. The relevant cognitions are constantly changing and rapidly advancing. 4. Professional social workers are engaged in manysided social functions, so that it is not very clear what kind of expert the social worker really ought to be. On the basis of a thorough analysis, the author have come to the conclusion that one of the major problems of this very specific profession lies in the fact that it is not possible to gather all the incoming cognitions which come from the different disciplines into one reasonable theoretical whole. That is the reason why the social work of today finds itself at a crossroads between pragmatism, methodological reductionism and theoretical eclecticism.

Autori pokušavaju identificirati spoznajnu osnovicu socijalnog rada. Čini je široko područje teorije i činjenica, znanja i vještina potrebnih za učinkovitu praksu. Pri tome se naglašava generički proces rješavanja problema kao vodeća paradigma u teorijskom i praktičnom socijalnom radu. Međutim, najveći problemi koji se u svezi s time pojavljuju jesu: 1. Primarna znanja i stečena iskustva profesije socijalnog rada izvedena su iz beskrajnog opsega ljudskih problema koji su u kumulativnom porastu; 2. Spoznaje potrebne za mnoge aktivnosti u okviru „problem-solving“ pristupa jednim su dijelom prirođene socijalnom radu, dok su drugim dijelom preuzete iz srodnih disciplina; 3. Relevantne spoznaje stalno se mijenjaju i rapidno napreduju; 4. Profesionalni socijalni radnici angažirani su na mnogostrukim društvenim funkcijama tako da nije sasvim jasno za što sve socijalni radnik treba biti stručnjak. Na temelju podrobne analize autori zaključuju da je jedan od glavnih problema ove specifične profesije u tome što ne postoji način da se obilje spoznaja koje dolaze iz drugih disciplina poveže u jednu suvislu teorijsku osnovicu. Stoga se socijalni rad današnjice nalazi na raskršću između pragmatizma, metodološkog redukcionizma i teorijskog eklekticizma.