The State of Crisis: Some Theoretical Considerations

are used interchangeably, or, at best, are used descriptively and not in a sufficiently precise conceptual manner. How we conceptualize the problem and the state of being which propels people to seek help will influence the methods and techniques we develop and the way in which we deploy community and professional resources. This paper seeks to explore the theoretical underpinnings of the concept of the state of crisis and to examine some: of the distinctive ideas that characterize it. It is hoped that such a characterization may help the practitioner to differentiate the theoretical notions about crisis from more familiar but loosely used concepts-such as "problem," "need," and "stress"-found so prominently in social work thought.