Human Behavior and the Social Environment (Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives, Second Edition)

Author: (American) Ashford et al. (Auth.), Wang Hongliang et al. (Transl.)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Writing a textbook on human behavior and the social environment, the most challenging aspect is how to select and organize the material. If students get bogged down in minor details of concepts or theories, it will be of no benefit. We strive to write a comprehensive and practical textbook to help both graduate and undergraduate courses. When preparing the first edition, we noticed that few textbooks used in undergraduate courses were still applicable at the graduate level. It is generally believed that graduate studies should involve deeper content than what is typically offered to undergraduates. However, the comparability of foundational course content has always been a focus of the Council on Social Work Education in textbook review. The issue of where students can progress from undergraduate to graduate level is closely related to this comparability. In the first edition of this book, we resolved to ensure that undergraduates master the basics while presenting the material in an accessible way, without avoiding complex concepts and theories. Therefore, we introduced a multidimensional theoretical framework to assess human behavior issues and apply it to subsequent chapters. The use of this framework and its careful balance on human development and social systems have been well-received by peers and students. We appreciate the support received in the first edition and are pleased to release this revised version, which builds upon the hard work of the first edition.
■ Major Changes in the Second Edition
With creativity and enthusiasm, in the second edition of this book, we kept pace with the rapid developments in biology, psychology, health knowledge, and the social sciences. As a result, this edition includes many new references with innovative theoretical texts. Moreover, each chapter has been refined to incorporate discussions on research and theoretical advancements in social environment diversity. For example, to reveal the causal relationships between macroenvironmental diversity and the life course, we employed various strategies, including:
● Expanded coverage on how changes in social structures (groups, families, communities, organizations, and institutions) affect major life transitions across the lifespan
● More content on communities
● Added new focus sections on social problems and policy thinking
● Included new material on how communities, groups, institutions, and other environmental factors play a role in examining potential changes in the life course
● Introduced new content on theories and principles of the life course in sociology
This emphasis on the life course has made us more focused on socialization across the lifespan and the impact of social-historical contexts on life course diversity. In the second edition, we adopted many suggestions from peers who reviewed the first edition, including:
● Summarizing the new focus sections chapter by chapter
● Providing personal reflections on the new focus sections in each chapter, covering topics such as racism, poverty, sexual orientation, youth, ageism, and other themes related to human development diversity
● Highlighting the role of empirical knowledge in discussing prevention issues (primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention)
● Critiquing existing biological and psychological models of human development that fail to recognize the essence of deep human-environment interaction and the impact of cultural diversity
● Starting Chapter 2 with a new case study to illustrate the multidimensional theoretical framework that runs through Chapters 2, 3, and 4
● Revising the inspirational content for subsequent chapters to organize current issues, tasks, risks, and opportunities into a template that distinguishes each stage of development
● Including reference websites at the end of each chapter
● Introducing methods for accessing InfoTrac University Edition e-book library and exploring resources
Chapter 1 introduces the multidimensional framework and has been substantially revised to provide students with a broader perspective on the social work profession and the Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) perspective. The chapter begins with a macrocase study of a conflict within a Latin American agency in Los Angeles, aiming to help students distinguish between case and situational concepts. In the first edition, we directly linked foundational knowledge to practice, and in this revision, we further encourage students to understand the connections between theories and various contexts, which they will encounter as practitioners in indirect fields. Chapter 1 also includes more content on crisis theory and the distinction between the life span and the life course, which are interconnected with the power and competition model in social work. Thus, the chapter provides a general overview that links developmental change issues to the HBSE perspective in social work. New developmental concepts, such as transition and the life course, are combined with a review of prevention in social work practice.
Chapter 2 covers the biological-physiological dimension, using the case study mentioned earlier, which guides students throughout Chapters 2, 3, and 4. At the readers' request, we have removed detailed content on drug side effects, neurotransmitter systems, and genetic gene expression. Chapter 3 focuses on the psychological dimension, starting with a review of the case study from Chapter 2 to encourage students to see the multifaceted nature of client issues. New content includes the functions of the self and the superego, as well as memory, attitudes, and emotions. Chapter 4 explores the social dimension. This is the final chapter introducing the multidimensional theoretical framework, which includes a case study of Raúl Salazar designed to guide students in analyzing the situation from a social perspective. New content also covers groups, including group value theory, social identity theory, and various definitions of social conflict. An important supplement to this chapter is a review of communities as systems, including different approaches to constructing community concepts.
Chapter 5 discusses pregnancy and childbirth, covering topics such as the couvade syndrome, the role of social workers in miscarriage issues, the use of epidural anesthesia during labor, gestational diabetes, assisted reproductive technologies, HIV infection and transmission around the time of birth, ethical issues surrounding human genetic engineering, genetic counseling, the consequences of multiple pregnancies, and family visitation programs. Chapter 6 covers infancy, including new content such as information processing and intermodal transfer, infant temperament, assessment and intervention for infant mental health, playing with infants, understanding different cultural beliefs, environmental factors and child development, and training programs for impoverished children and infant abuse. Chapter 7 focuses on early childhood, with new content including early childhood asthma, bilingual preschoolers, plasticity and emotional education, signs of children's aggressive behavior, low-income parents, and quality time. Many focus sections are directly related to practice.
Chapter 8 covers middle childhood, including new material such as emotional competence, child refugees, the Ashenbach Child Behavior Checklist, and rites of passage for African American youth. Chapter 9 discusses adolescence, with new content including practice tips, crime and substance abuse prevention. Chapter 10 covers early adulthood, including new material such as rational emotive therapy, the Americans with Disabilities Act, depression and unemployment, marriage expectations and myths, practice tips, internalized homophobia, religious mixing, religious spiritual upbringing of children, the Million Man March, and religious spiritual upbringing for women with HIV. Chapter 11 focuses on middle adulthood, with updated content on menopause, including hormone replacement therapy. New additions include prostate cancer, menopause and cultural diversity, difficulties in adult listening, and many insightful discussions.
Chapter 12 covers old age. In the final chapter of this book, we have updated content on individuals aged 85 and older, sexual issues for the elderly, HIV prevention for those over 50, late-life alcoholism, friendship issues, and the dying process. We have also introduced new content on religious spirituality, retirement, and cognitive intervention.
To conclude, we have increased the number of narratives in this edition because we believe they can effectively help students connect theory with practice. The themes vary, but they are all purposeful and aimed at helping students understand diversity and its impact on individual experiences.