Micro-level approaches inform social work practice by looking at the problems of the individual. These usually come in the form of psychological theories. Social workers who work specifically as individual therapists use these models to understand what motivates individual behavior. These theories include psychodynamic, behavioral and cognitive theories, as well as strength development and task-center social work theories. Although helpful to social workers and therapists, these models or theories ignore social and environmental influences and therefore can leave the social worker with a narrow scope of practice.
In addition to being concerned about the psychological state of the individual, social workers try to understand how the social environment impacts the individual. Meso-level theories help to make this connection and also are a way for social workers to put a core belief in social justice into action. Social exchange theory, social constructionism and symbolic interactionism are all sociological theories that influence social work practice on this level. These theories help social workers to see how different groups are influenced by inequalities, and the connection between the individual and society. Social, cultural, gender and class differences are better understood through the use of these theories.
Policy, public health and international social work are areas known as macro-level practice. Macro-level theories are concerned with the connection between political systems and society and look at how groups of people are influenced by larger systems. Conflict theory helps social workers to better understand large systems of oppression in society, while contingency theory helps them to understand the power dynamics of larger groups and how these might influence organizations, causing inequality on the community level.
The integration of social work theory with practice --- also known as "methods" --- isn't always clear-cut. For this reason, social work instruction includes coursework that teaches integration of the theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom with hands-on, supervised fieldwork practice. This allows students to create an informed practice, using classroom activities and supervision sessions to apply theories to their work with real-life cases.