The Theory of Perceived Frequency
A Proposal Based on the Doppler Effect Applied To Social Problems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/29268Keywords:
Social Work, Doppler Effect, Social Reality, Social Problems, Social Intervention, Theoretical ApproachAbstract
Over time, numerous studies have advocated for an integrative approach to knowledge generation, where social sciences incorporate advances from natural sciences and vice versa. This promotes interdisciplinary research that fosters the development of more robust and comprehensive methodologies, techniques, and theories. This article aims to analyze the potential theoretical applications of the Doppler effect as an explanatory analogy for social problems and associated social interventions, proposing the “Theory of Perceived Frequency” a novel theoretical framework that highlights fundamental aspects of social issues in general. Specifically, the article considers core categories of social problems, such as inequality, social exclusion, and the dynamics of risk and vulnerability, as illustrative domains in which shifts in “perceived frequency” become especially salient. By analyzing a phenomenon inherent to physics, the article identifies key elements intrinsic to social work intervention , such as the evolution of life processes, the resilience developed in response to social problems, and the establishment of protective systems against them, and shows how the Theory of Perceived Frequency can strengthen these elements by offering a dynamic framework for interpreting variations in the perception, urgency, and intensity of social problems.
References
Ballestero, A., Viscarret, J. J., & Úriz, M. J. (2013). Funciones profesionales de los trabajadores sociales en España [Professional roles of social workers in Spain]. Cuadernos de Trabajo Social [Social Work and Economics], 26(1), 127-138. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_CUTS.2013.v26.n1.41664
Beltrán, M. (1985). Cinco vías de acceso a la realidad [Five ways of accessing social reality]. Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas [Spanish Journal of Sociological Research], 29, 7-41. https://doi.org/10.5477/cis/reis.29.7
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work publish 1979)
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674028845
Buys-Ballot, C. H. D. (1845). Akustische versuche auf der niederländischen eisenbahn, nebst gelegentlichen bemerkungen zur theorie des hrn. prof. doppler [Acoustic experiments on the Dutch railway, together with occasional remarks on Professor Doppler's theory]. Annalen der Physik, 142(11), 321-351. https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.18451421102
Caplan, G. (1964). Principles of preventive psychiatry. Tavistock Publications.
Cívicos, A., & Hernández, M. (2007). Algunas reflexiones y aportaciones en torno a los enfoques teóricos y prácticos de la investigación en trabajo social [Some reflections and contributions on the theoretical and practical approaches to social work research]. Acciones e Investigaciones Sociales, 23(1), 25-55. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_ais/ais.200723306
Comte, A. (1853). The positive philosophy of Auguste Comte (H. Martineau, Trans. & Cond.). J. Chapman. https://archive.org/details/positivephilosop01comt
Dartiguenave, J. Y., & Gaillard, R. (2023). L’impossible théorisation dans le champ du travail social ou la disqualification des savoirs issus des sciences humaines et sociales. Sciences & Actions Sociales, 19(1), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.3917/sas.019.0007
Davis, S., Gervin, D., White, G., Williams, A., Taylor, A., & McGriff, E. (2013). Bridging the gap between research, evaluation, and evidence-based practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(1), 16-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2013.755099
Denvall, V., & Skillmark, M. (2021). Bridge over troubled water—Closing the research– Practice gap in social work. The British Journal of Social Work, 51(7), 2722-2739. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa055
De Robertis, C. (2006). Metodología de la intervención en trabajo social. [Methodology of social work intervention] (R. Aragó, Trans.). Lumen Humanitas.
Doppler, C. (1842). Über das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne und einiger anderer Gestirne des Himmels [On the coloured light of double stars and certain other stars of the heavens]. Abhandlungen der Königlich Böhmischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, 2(5), 465–482. https://doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-4259
Duque, D. (2010). Saberes aplicados, comunidades y acción colectiva: Una introducción al trabajo comunitario [Applied knowledge, communities and collective action: An introduction to community work]. Universidad del Valle. https://doi.org/10.25100/peu.61
Durkheim, E. (1982). The rules of sociological method (S. Lukes, Ed., & W. D. Halls, Trans.). Free Press. (Original work published 1938) https://monoskop.org/images/1/1e/Durkheim_Emile_The_Rules_of_Sociological_Method_1982.pdf
Eger, M. (2001). Social vs natural science? [Letter]. Science, 293(5530), 605. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.293.5530.605a
Einstein, A. (1917). Kosmologische Betrachtungen zur allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie [Cosmological considerations on the general theory of relativity]. Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1917, 142-152. https://edoc.bbaw.de/files/5358/BBAW_SB_1917_TB1_S142_152.pdf
Flexner, A. (1915). Is social work a profession? In Proceedings of the National Conference of Charities and Correction at the Forty-Second Annual Session, Baltimore, Maryland, May 12–19, 1915 (pp. 576–590). Hildmann Printing Co. https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/social-work/is-social-work-a-profession-1915/
Freire, N. (2023). ¿Cómo funcionan los radares de tráfico? El secreto está en el Efecto Doppler [How do traffic radars work? The secret lies in the Doppler effect]. National Geographic España. https://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/ciencia/radares-trafico-secreto-efecto-doppler_21196
Fundación Christian Doppler [Christian Doppler Foundation]. (n.d.). El Efecto Doppler [The Doppler Efect]. Author. https://www.christian-doppler.net/es/el-efecto-doppler/
Gambrill, E. (2016). Is social work evidence-based? Does saying so make it so? Ongoing challenges in integrating research, practice and policy. Journal of Social Work Education, 52(sup1), S110-S125. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2016.1174642
Haggerty, J. L., Reid, R. J., Freeman, G. K., Starfield, B. H., Adair, C. E., & McKendry, R. (2003). Continuity of care: A multidisciplinary review. BMJ, 327(7425), 1219-1221. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1219
Hannan, K., & Teater, B. (2023). What theories and methods do social workers report using in their practice? A scoping review. International Social Work, 67(3), 804-818. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728231188869
Hawking, S. (2002). The theory of everything: The origin and fate of the universe. Bantam Books.
Healy, K. (Ed.). (2022). Social work theories in context: Creating frameworks for practice (3rd ed). Bloomsbury Academic.
Heinsch, M., Gray, M., & Sharland, E. (2016). Re-conceptualising the link between research and practice. International Journal of Social Welfare, 25, 98-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12164
Huang, J., Lee, Y. H., & Lin, T. W. (2021). The use of Doppler effect in early warning system for vehicle collision at crossroad. Microsystem Technologies, 27(5), 1711-1720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-019-04514-z
International Federation of Social Workers [IFSW]. (2014). Global definition of social work. Author. https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/
IFSW. (2018, July 2). Global social work statement of ethical principles. Author. https://www.ifsw.org/global-social-work-statement-of-ethical-principles/
Kuhn, T. S. (1996). The structure of scientific revolutions (3rd ed.). The University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226458106.001.0001
Lequeux, J. (2020). Hippolyte Fizeau: Physicist of the light. EDP Sciences.
https://doi.org/10.1051/978-2-7598-2045-0
Lindemann, E. (1944). Symptomatology and management of acute grief. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 101, 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.101.2.141
Lodahl, J. B., & Gordon, G. (1972). The structure of scientific fields and the functioning of university graduate departments. American Sociological Review, 37(1), 57-72. https://doi.org/10.2307/2093493
Mahringer, C. A., Baessler, F., Gerchen, M. F., Haack, C., Jacob, K., & Mayer, S. (2023). Benefits and obstacles of interdisciplinary research: Insights from members of the Young Academy at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. iScience, 26(12), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.108508
Malinowski, B. (1922). Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An account of native enterprise and adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea. G. Routledge & Sons. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55822
Mancini, M. A., Gutierrez, L. M., Dickinson, R., & Kim, J. (2021). Bridging the gap: Designing an MSW curriculum that integrates research and practice. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 41(4), 408-429. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2021.1958977
McNeill, T., & Nicholas, D. B. (2017). Creating and applying knowledge for critical social work practice: Reflections on epistemology, research, and evidence-based practice. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 28(4), 351-369. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2017.1384945
Musa, M. N., Alberton, A., Aldiabat, K., & McLellan, C. (2024). Rethinking the epistemological foundations of social work: An inquiry into its artistic or social scientific nature. International Journal of Social Work, 11(1), 127-140. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijsw.v11i1.21890
Negura, L., Masse, Y., Lévesque, M., Savard, S., & Bourque, M. (2025). Social work and professional representation: How power and politics have shaped the identity of social workers in Canada. In R. Baikady, J. Przeperski, & M. R. Islam (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of power, politics, and social work (pp. 357-370). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197650899.013.19
Neipp, C., Hernández, A., Rodes, J. J., Márquez, A., Beléndez, T., & Beléndez, A. (2003). An analysis of the classical Doppler effect. European Journal of Physics, 24(5), 497-505. https://doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/24/5/306
Nolte, D. D. (2020). The fall and rise of the Doppler effect. Physics Today, 73(3), 30-35. https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.4429
Paredes, J. A., Aguilera, T., Álvarez, F. J., Lozano, J., & Morera, J. (2011). Analysis of Doppler effect on the pulse compression of different codes emitted by an ultrasonic LPS. Sensors, 11(11), 10765-10784. https://doi.org/10.3390/s111110765
Petrescu, F. I. T. (2015). Improving medical imaging and blood flow measurement by using a new Doppler effect relationship. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 8, 582-588.
https://doi.org/10.3844/ajeassp.2015.582.588
Popov, L. S., & Chompalov, I. M. (2015). The comparative study of the structure of theories in the natural and in the social sciences: Old conundrums and new challenges. Social Sciences, 4(3), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20150403.11
Rey, A. E., Michael, G. A., Dondas, Thar, M., García-Larrea, L., & Mazza, S. (2017). Pain dilates time perception. Scientific Reports, 7, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-15982-6
Richmond, M. E. (1917). Social diagnosis. Russell Sage Foundation. https://www.historyofsocialwork.org/PDFs/1917%2C%20Richmond%2C%20Social%20Diagnosis%20OCR%20C.pdf
Shaw, I. (2015). Science and social work: A sketch. European Journal of Social Work, 19(3-4), 336-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2015.1074552
Sichling, F., & O’Brien, D. B. (2020). Knowledge that changes social work practice: An exploration of its sources and content. Advances in Social Work, 19(2), 383-396. https://doi.org/10.18060/22918
Snow, C. P. (1959). The two cultures and the scientific revolution. Cambridge University Press. https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/envs_5110/snow_1959.pdf
Sociedad Española de Astronomía [Spanish Astronomical Society]. (n.d.). Efecto Doppler [Doppler effect]. In Glosario astronómico [Astronomical glossary]. https://www.sea-astronomia.es/glosario/efecto-doppler
Tarshish, N. (2025). Revisiting the global social work definition: How social workers define the profession a decade later? The British Journal of Social Work, 55(2), 858-876. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae164
United States National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Reading the skies with Doppler: Decades of NSF–funded research have improved the capabilities of the national Doppler radar network. Author. https://new.nsf.gov/impacts/doppler#:~:text=Radar%20meteorology&text=Doppler%20radars%20work%20by%20transmitting,is%20%22shifted%22%20or%20changed.
van Hedger, K., Necka, E. A., Barakzai, A. K., & Norman, G. J. (2017). The influence of social stress on time perception and psychophysiological reactivity. Psychophysiology, 54(5), 706-712. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12836
van Koppen, C. S. A. (2020). Natural sciences and social sciences: Where do the twain meet? Nature and Culture, 15(1), 111-119. https://doi.org/10.3167/nc.2020.150106
von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General system theory: Foundations, development, applications. George Braziller. https://tomek.org/files/general_system_theory_foundations_development_applications.pdf
Weber, M. (1997). The theory of social and economic organization. Free Press.
Yusta Tirado, R. (2023). Trabajo social traslacional: La divulgación científica mediante el artículo divulgativo como pieza fundamental de enlace entre la investigación y la intervención profesional [Translational social work: Scientific dissemination through popular science articles as a fundamental link between research and professional intervention]. Documentos de Trabajo Social, 66(1), 102-117. https://revistas.uma.es/index.php/DTS/es/article/view/21560
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rubén Yusta-Tirado, Sonia García-Aguña, Pablo de Gea-Grela, Daniel Fernández-Roses
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
