A timely revision in this global age, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Macro Level develops a sophisticated and original view of the cultural, global, spiritual, and natural worlds that people inhabit, and the impact of these worlds on human behavior. Its major new theme, sustainability, emerges as a key characteristic of contemporary practice. What is sustainable social work? What are the characteristics of a sustainable community? How is the present exploitation of environmental resources unsustainable for future generations? Following the greatest economic upheaval since the Great Depression, how can we envision a sustainable economy that will benefit all the people, not only the wealthy few? Human behavior results from biological, psychological, socio-economic, and cultural forces, but the mental health field has placed the most emphasis on intrapsychic factors to the near exclusion of socio-economic and cultural considerations. This significant collaboration seeks to correct this omission by helping students recognize patterns in the family, culture, and value systems in order to create safe and sustainable environments for their future clients. The emphasis on sustainable and unsustainable social welfare programs is geared to helping readers engage in advocacy for social justice. * Integrates up-to-date research findings, models, and government statistics * Enhanced discussions of theory, group dynamics, family, community, and the environment * Theoretical concepts and practice implications in each chapter * Highlights the importance of the natural environment and ecology--the "community of the earth"--to human and group behavior * Sets forth a refined understanding of the role of spirituality--the "community of faith"--in people's lives * Focuses on evidence-based theory and research * Teaches from a global, cross-cultural, perspective, highlighting themes of empowerment and social justice * Features dynamic readings, personal narratives, and photographs that highlight each chapter's topic * Accompanied by an online instructor's manual with lecture presentations, chapter summaries, key terms, suggested classroom activities, and a test bank with essay and multiple choice questions at www.oup.com/us/HBSE/ Don't miss the companion volume, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Micro Level, Second Edition, which offers an eye-opening view of how biological, psychological, and cultural forces influence individuals' behavior.

Each person is a unique individual, yet we all are also defined by groups - those we belong to and those we are excluded from, voluntarily or involuntarily. In the second half of the Human Behavior and the Social Environment sequence, Katherine van Wormer, Fred Besthorn, and Thomas Keefe take a stimulating new approach to exploring this macro view of humanity and demonstrating how each component of society, from the single person to the sprawling organization, is part of a dynamic whole. Their collaboration has produced a remarkable volume that will help students recognize and consider interactions between and among individuals and social systems, and thereby develop into truly effective social workers. *Outlines theoretical concepts and practice implications in each chapter *Highlights the importance of the natural environment and ecology - the "community of the earth" - to human and group behavior *Sets forth a refined understanding of the role of spirituality - the "community of faith" - in people's lives *Focuses on evidence-based theory and research *Teaches from a global, cross-cultural perspective, highlighting themes of empowerment and social justice *Features dynamic readings and personal narratives that highlight each chapter's topic *Accompanied by an online instructor's manual with Power Points for lecture presentations, chapter summaries, key terms, suggested classroom activities, and a test bank with essay and multiple choice questions Also available is a companion volume, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Micro Level, which offers an eye-opening view of how biological, psychological, and cultural forces influence individuals' behavior.

While social work policy can be considered the what, and practice, the how, the study of human behavior is concerned with why. Why do people do the things they do? Why do individuals behave differently in groups than when alone? Why do some people become the victims of their lives while others who have endured tragedy become life's heroes? Resilience across the life span is a new major theme of the second edition of the bestselling Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Micro Level. In an elegant and accessible manner, Katherine van Wormer explores the nuances of the biological, psychological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of our social lives from an ecosystems and empowerment-based perspective. Drawing on examples from social work, psychology, literature, philosophy, and current events, vignettes highlight the turning points in our lives and invite students to explore the contradictions between how we mean to be and how others view us. The result is an essential book that bridges theory and practice, providing extraordinary insight into our drives and motivations, and revealing the myriad patterns and paradoxes of our behavior in the social context. * Integrates new research findings and recent census and global health data * Revised with augmented discussions of multiculturalism, Latino/Latina identity issues, and late adulthood to reflect demographic changes in the United States * Outlines theoretical concepts and practice implications in each chapter * Places unique emphasis on biology's influence on human behavior, employing the latest empirical data in discussions of matters such as gender differences, genetics, and mental disorders * Focuses on evidence-based theory and research * Teaches from a global, cross-cultural, perspective, highlighting themes of empowerment and social justice * Features dynamic readings, personal narratives, and photographs that highlight each chapter's topic * Accompanied by an online instructor's manual with lecture presentations, chapter summaries, key terms, suggested classroom activities, and a test bank with essay and multiple choice questions at www.oup.com/us/HBSE/ Don't miss the companion volume, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Macro Level, Second Edition written with Fred H. Besthorn, which develops a sophisticated and original view of the cultural, global, spiritual, and natural worlds that people inhabit, and the impact of these worlds on human behavior.

Development on Purpose: Faith and Human Behavior in the Social Environment provides both students and seasoned professionals with a coherent framework for considering HBSE from a Christian perspective.Courses in human behavior and the social environment (HBSE) raise important questions about the nature of persons and our multi-layered social world. The Christian faith offers answers to these deep questions about human nature and our relationships with one another and the world. Also, Christianity provides a compelling purpose for human development. As social workers, this grand purpose can rightly inform the trajectory of our own lives and sustain our work on behalf of those at risk in the world. The first half of Development on Purpose outlines a purpose for human development, examining biological, psychological, and social theories through the lens of faith. This includes chapters on: Biblical Themes to Ground Us A Theological Model for Understanding Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) The Perspectives of Social Work from the Lens of FaithThe Biological DimensionThe Psychological DimensionThe Social Dimension The second half of Development on Purpose then uses detailed case examples to illuminate the way that faith can relate to work with persons across the lifespan. This includes chapters on:Infancy: Early Growth toward God and OthersChildhood: Playing and Learning (ages 3-12)Adolescence: Leaning into Identity (ages 13-18)Emerging Adulthood: Feeling In-BetweenMiddle Adulthood: At the Intersection of Growth and DeclineOlder Adulthood: Finishing WellIn showing how a Christian understanding of humans can inform the study and practice of social work, the book's chapters can be used interchangeably, making this an excellent companion text for Human Behavior in the Social Environment and related courses in faith-based social work programs. Development On Purpose ccontains 12 chapters and more than 225 pages.

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

Today's military missions have shifted away from fighting nation states using conventional weapons toward combating insurgents and terrorist networks in a battlespace in which the attitudes and behaviors of civilian noncombatants may be the primary effects of military actions. To support these new missions, the military services are increasingly interested in using models of the behavior of humans, as individuals and in groups of various kinds and sizes. Behavioral Modeling and Simulation reviews relevant individual, organizational, and societal (IOS) modeling research programs, evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the programs and their methodologies, determines which have the greatest potential for military use, and provides guidance for the design of a research program to effectively foster the development of IOS models useful to the military. This book will be of interest to model developers, operational military users of the models and their managers, and government personnel making funding decisions regarding model development.

A fresh take on the core textbook that focuses on individual development and behavior across the life span.

Updated Edition of a Best Seller! Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment presents a current and comprehensive examination of human behavior using a multidimensional framework. Author Elizabeth D. Hutchison explores the biological dimension and the social factors that affect human development and behavior, encouraging readers to connect their own personal experiences with social trends in order to recognize the unity of person and environment. Aligned with the 2015 curriculum guidelines set forth by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the substantially updated Sixth Edition includes a greater emphasis on culture and diversity, immigration, neuroscience, and the impact of technology. Twelve new case studies illustrate a balanced breadth and depth of coverage to help readers apply theory and general social work knowledge to unique practice situations. The companion volume, Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course, Sixth Edition, builds on the dimensions of person and environment with the dimension of time and demonstrates how they work together to produce patterns in life course journeys.

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, 11th Edition, looks at the lifespan through the lens of social work theory and practice, covering human development and behavior theories within the context of individual, family, group, organizational, and community systems. Using a chronological lifespan approach, the book presents separate chapters on biological, psychological, and social impacts at the different lifespan stages with an emphasis on strengths and empowerment. Part of the Brooks/Cole Empowerment Series, this edition is up to date and thoroughly integrates the core competencies and recommended behaviors outlined in the current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Pardeck demonstrates that the ecological approach to social work practice stresses effective intervention, and that effective intervention occurs through not only working with individuals, but also with the familial, social, and cultural factors that impact their social functioning. The power of the ecological approach, through focusing on multiple factors for assessment and intervention, is that it integrates empirically based theories from various fields including social work, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Pardeck provides an orientation to the role of social work practitioners within the human services. He differentiates the unique contributions of social work and explains them in terms of the needs and goals of an ecological approach to practice. An ecological approach to practice stresses that effective social work intervention occurs through not only working with individuals, but also with the familial, social, and cultural factors that impact their social functioning. The power of the ecological approach, through focusing on multiple factors for assessment and intervention, is that it integrates empirically based theories from various fields including social work, psychology, and anthropology. The book represents an effort to define the goals, commitments, and approaches that have emerged out of the history of social work and to relate them to similar concepts and values that are central to an ecological approach to practice. Three pervasive and unifying themes run through the book. One is the constant commitment to goals of facilitating human development. Pardeck suggests this is a central ethic that defines and distinguishes an ecological approach to social work practice. The second theme is an affirmation of the basic utility of a systems approach in conceptualizing and intervening in human needs, concerns, and problems. The ecological perspective views human beings as social organisms engaged in patterns of relationships that nurture or inhibit this basic humanity. The third theme is an interactionist view of the importance of person-environment fit as a central dynamic in human functioning. The traditional intra-psychic aspects of human behavior have tended to obscure the immense importance of both nurturing and potentially damaging forces at work in the social environment. This volume will be of considerable interest to social work educators and practitioners as well as their research libraries.