Lesson 3 Assignment In one full page write in comparing the similarities and differences between structural functionalism, co
In one full page write in comparing the similarities and differences between structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. The minimum length is one full page, APA format is required.
Lesson 4 Discussion 1
How and why does the development of language illustrate the importance of culture and provide evidence for the sociological perspective? Minimum length 1 page (250 words).
Lesson 4 Discussion 2
Some people say the United States is too individualistic and competitive, while other people say these values are part of what makes America great. What do you think? Why? The minimum length is one page (250 words).
Human Behavior and the Social Environment I
Human Behavior and the Social Environment I
SUSAN TYLER
U N I V E R S I T Y O F A R K A N S A S L I B R A R I E S
F AY E T T E V I L L E , A R
Human Behavior and the Social Environment I by Susan Tyler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
All content CC BY-NC-SA unless otherwise noted.
Contents
Introduction 1
Attributions 6
Part I. The Person in Environment
Chapter 1: How We Use Our Expectations 25
Part II. The Biopsychosocial Dimension
Chapter 2: Lifespan Theories 79
Part III. The Sociocultural Dimension
Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives 105
Chapter 4: The Elements of Culture 120
Part IV. The Social Change Dimension
Chapter 5: Social Categorization & Stereotyping 161
Chapter 6: In-group Favoritism & Prejudice 191
Chapter 7: Reducing Discrimination 210
Chapter 8: Racial & Ethnic Inequality 233
Part V. Pre-Pregnancy & Prenatal Development
Chapter 9: Heredity, Prenatal Development, &
Birth
Heredity 280
Prenatal Development 291
Birth 320
279
Part VI. Development in Infancy & Toddlerhood
Chapter 10: Physical Development in Infancy &
Toddlerhood
347
Chapter 11: Cognitive Development in Infancy &
Toddlerhood
387
Chapter 12: Psychosocial Development in Infancy
& Toddlerhood
Infant Emotions 429
Forming Attachments 433
425
Part VII. Development in Early Childhood
Chapter 13: Physical Development in Early
Childhood
465
Chapter 14: Cognitive Development in Early
Childhood
502
Chapter 15: Psychosocial Development in Early
Childhood
551
Part VIII. Development in Middle Childhood
Chapter 16: Physical Development in Middle
Childhood
603
Chapter 17: Cognitive Development in Middle
Childhood
630
Chapter 18: Psychosocial Development in Middle
Childhood
690
Part IX. Development in Adolescence
Chapter 19: Physical Development in Adolescence 733
Chapter 20: Cognitive Development in
Adolescence
763
Chapter 21: Psychosocial Development in
Adolescence
786
Part X. Development in Early Adulthood
Chapter 22: Physical Development in Early
Adulthood
815
Chapter 23: Cognitive Development in Early
Adulthood
861
Chapter 24: Psychosocial Development in Early
Adulthood
897
Part XI. Development in Middle Adulthood
Chapter 25: Physical Development in Middle
Adulthood
959
Chapter 26: Cognitive Development in Middle
Adulthood
1023
Chapter 27: Psychosocial Development in Middle
Adulthood
1064
Part XII. Development in Late Adulthood
Chapter 28: Physical Development in Late
Adulthood
1135
Chapter 29: Cognitive Development in Late
Adulthood
1197
Chapter 30: Psychosocial Development in Late
Adulthood
1245
Additional Resources 1299
Adopt this book! 1302
Why do people do the things they do?
That’s what we are here to find out – Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) – How do they connect? How does it shape us? Why do we think and feel the way we do?
This will be explored throughout this course by examining human
behavior throughout life stage developments and our interactions
with the social environment. This course will explore theoretical
perspectives in Social Work to help provide a foundation for
organizing thoughts about client needs and issues they are seeking
supports for. Theories will then be connected to important
developmental, social, and cultural issues that present throughout
each stage of life to create an overall picture of a client’s experience
and how we can use this information to have a better understanding
of how people we work with are influenced and why. Knowledge of
typical development in each stage of life will also inform the Social
Worker if any other supports, resources, or services may be needed.
“Social workers are knowledgeable about human
behavior across the life course; the range of social
systems in which people live; and the ways social
systems promote or deter people in maintaining or
achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply
theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to
understand biology, social, cultural, psychological and
spiritual development.” – CSWE (2008, p.6)
There is no single definition for HBSE. I encourage you to think
Introduction | 1
about what it means to you. In Social Work, rarely do we work with
people whose problems are straightforward. Typically we encounter
problems that are complex and interconnected on several levels
and require looking at the relationships between behaviors and
environments. We like to explore as much as possible in Social
Work and use of theories within various dimensions (biological,
psychological, social, and spiritual) allows us to have a broader
knowledge base in several different areas to have a better
understanding and ability to “put it all together” to assess and
intervene with client concerns.
We will utilize vignettes to work in connecting each theory,
approach, perspective, and life stage of development throughout
this course. Each section will begin with a vignette that will be
incorporated throughout to demonstrate examples of each concept
(that is not covered in your readings). Life stage development
vignettes will be used as an “unfolding case” to allow you to work in
critical thinking of how the theories, approaches, and perspectives
connect throughout each life stage.
Social Work Values:
Service – engage in this by helping people address and hopefully resolve their problems/concerns – also
engage in service through volunteering time to
organizations within the community (boards, mentoring
programs, etc).
Social Justice – advocate and fight against social injustices for individuals/groups – generally focusing in
areas of poverty, discrimination, education,
unemployment, etc.
2 | Introduction
Integrity – We must always work to be trustworthy, honest, and responsible in our work and with our
clients.
Competence – always strive to improve our knowledge and expertise through continuous learning
and education.
Human relationships – connect as partners throughout the process – also work to improve
relationships within the client’s system to help improve
overall functioning through increased connections/
supports.
Dignity – value and respect each person we meet and engage with compassion and respect.
Critical Thinking Skills:
What is it?
• Reasoning – interest in the unknown – what’s going?
• Evaluating – challenging appearances – what do you think you see vs what you actually see?
• Problem-solving/decision making – explore all sides and determine the best decision.
Introduction | 3
• Analyzing – how do they connect? What does it all mean? How does it all add up? Best decision?
Time for reflection.
Why is this important?
1. Theories, approaches, and perspectives help lay the foundation
for any realistic and rational practice in any field. Our
professional values lay the foundation on which social work’s
mission is based. They help guide us in decision making as they
are directed towards a specific purpose and help us to grow
and develop.
2. Justification for your decisions – we must use critical thinking
skills to explore and process how decisions may impact our
clients and we must be able to discuss how our decisions were
determined.
About the Author:
Susan Tyler, MSW, LCSW – Clinical Assistant Professor, University
of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Professor Tyler has been teaching at the School of Social Work
since Spring 2018. Before joining the School of Social Work, she
worked in a community based mental health agency for over 10
years with a focus in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
and School-Based Mental Health services revolving around issues
4 | Introduction
related to trauma, abuse, attachment, anxiety, depression, domestic
violence, foster care, adjustments, disruptive behaviors, and ADHD,
through use of play therapy techniques and dyadic interventions.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi “You can do it” – Rob Schneider
References:
CSWE Commission on Accreditation. (2008). EPAS Handbook.
Council on Social Work Education.
Introduction | 5
Attributions
The Meaning Behind This Book
I began my career in Social Work working in the mental health field
with a focus in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. I realized
during this time just how much a person’s experiences and their
environments impacted all aspects of their lives, including why they
made the choices or responded the way they did. After a little over
a decade of mental health work, I had an opportunity to make a
change in my career and joined the world of academia. During my
first semester teaching, I became aware of the Open Educational
Resources at our university and immediately thought of the benefits
of transitioning this course with providing a free, online accessible
textbook that would support both students and instructors alike
in exploring human behavior, social environment, and life stage
development. I began working with the University library system to
compile different chapters from different open and free textbooks
from other disciplines and then added original content to support
connection to Social Work foundations and practice in the first
four sections, as well as creating vignettes to use throughout each
section. This text will support the reader with a deeper
understanding of Social Work theories, perspectives, and
approaches, life stage development, and connection of how they are
utilized in organizing, assessing, and planning for client support.
It is my hope you will come away from this course seeing others
through a lens of empathy, compassion, and curiosity, stopping to
ask yourself, “what must they have experienced in their life?” to
gain a better understanding before jumping to conclusions or
assumptions of others.
“We are all unique. Don’t judge, understand instead.” ~ Roy T. Bennett
6 | Attributions
Human Behavior and the Social Environment I is adapted from
various work produced and distributed under the Creative
Commons License. Below, is the list of all adapted chapters used in
the making of this book.
Cover Image: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Chapter 1: Adapted from Chapter 2.2 from Principles of Social
Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, except where otherwise noted.
Chapter 2: Adapted from Chapter 9.2: Lifespan Theories in OpenStax, Psychology. OpenStax CNX. Oct 2, 2019
http://cnx.org/contents/ [email protected] Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/ [email protected]
Chapter 3: Adapted from Theoretical Perspectives by Rice University under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial 4.0 license.
Chapter 4: Adapted from Chapter 3.2 from Sociology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where
otherwise noted.
Chapter 5: Adapted from Chapter 12.1 from Principles of Social Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, except where otherwise noted.
Chapter 6: Adapted from Chapter 12.2 from Principles of Social Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, except where otherwise noted.
Chapter 7: Adapted from Chapter 12.3 from Principles of Social Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, except where otherwise noted.
Chapter 8: Adapted from Chapter 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8
Attributions | 7
from Social Problems by the University of Minnesota under the
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, except where otherwise noted.
Chapter 9: Adapted from Chapter 2 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by Martha Lally and
Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported license.
Chapter 10 – 12: Adapted from Chapter 3 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Chapter 13 – 15: Adapted from Chapter 4 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Chapter 16 – 18: Adapted from Chapter 5 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Chapter 19 – 21: Adapted from Chapter 6 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Chapter 22 – 24: Adapted from Chapter 7 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Chapter 25 – 27: Adapted from Chapter 8 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
8 | Attributions
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Chapter 28 – 30: Adapted from Chapter 9 from Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by
Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported
license.
Attributions | 9
PART I
THE PERSON IN ENVIRONMENT
Learning Objectives:
• Explore the Person in Environment Approach
• Describe the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro
Approach
• Describe the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual
Approach
• Describe Systems Theory
• Describe Ecological Theory
• Describe Ecosystems Theory
• Introduce Strengths Perspective
The Person in Environment | 11
Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash
Vignette
Jason’s parents have been
called by the school social
worker to discuss concerns
related to fighting with a peer
and declining grades. His
parents also report concerns at
home with poor sibling
relationships, anger issues, and
“a bad attitude, always talking
back, never listening or doing
what we ask him to do”. They report a long family history of substance
abuse and mental health issues (anxiety and depression). They report
increased concerns related to this as they recently found marijuana in
Jason’s room. Jason (14 y/o) reports “My parents don’t know what
they’re talking about. My little brother and sister just get me in trouble
because I don’t let them touch my stuff, besides, my parents don’t care,
they don’t listen to me, they just want me to do what they say. And I
don’t see what the big deal is with me smoking a little weed, it helps
me feel better and not be so mad all the time.”
What comes to mind when you hear Person-In-Environment?
This approach is the concept that people can be heavily influenced
by their environment. It highlights the importance of understanding
an individual and their behavior through their environment. A
person’s environment, along with their experiences, will help shape
the way they view the world, how they think, and why they respond
the way they do. In Social Work, gathering information from our
clients is a foundation piece of the work we do and knowing what
12 | The Person in Environment
information to seek and how to organize it is like gathering pieces
of a puzzle and working to put them together to get the whole
picture (or at least as much of it as we can). This lesson will begin to
introduce some particular approaches, perspectives, and theories
that help build the lens and foundation of the Social Work
profession.
Micro, Mezzo, and Macro
We will first start with the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Approach. This is simply looking at levels within a person’s system, which will help
give you some direction in what supports may be needed.
The Micro-level represents individual needs and involves direct interactions with clients, which is the most common type of social
work. This level explores aspects related to biology, psychological
needs, social (peer) and interpersonal (family) relationships or
supports, and spiritual beliefs.
Jason’s micro level – Biologically no physical health
issues have been reported but some concerns may be
related to how use of marijuana may affect his physical
health. He is an adolescent which means his body
continues to experience hormonal and physical changes.
Family reports history of substance abuse issues as well as
struggles with mental health issues, which may indicate
possible genetic connections to be explored. This may also
be connected to psychological needs as he may be
experiencing anxiety or depressive symptoms or if he
reports use of marijuana as a coping mechanism. He is
The Person in Environment | 13
also reported to present with anger, fighting with his
siblings and struggling with strained family relationships.
This connects us to social aspects, exploring how he
identifies his relationships and supports. No spiritual
beliefs were reported in the vignette but would need to be
explored when meeting with Jason.
The Mezzo-level represents connections or interactions with small groups, such as family, schools, churches, neighborhoods,
community organizations, and peers/co-workers.
Jason’s mezzo level – Here we would look further into
how his relationships and interactions with various
groups impact him – family, peers, school staff/faculty,
possible spiritual affiliation/church, and any community
groups or organizations he identifies being connected
with.
The Macro-level represents connections to systemic issues within large systems, such as laws/legislation, policy, healthcare systems,
and international associations. This level also explores ethical
frameworks, historical impacts of group experiences, and how
discrimination and prejudice can impact marginalized populations.
Jason’s macro level – Education/school policies, mental
health policies, healthcare systems, culture and historical
14 | The Person in Environment
impacts of group experiences, drug laws and policies, and
possible discrimination and prejudice impacts need to be
explored.
It is important to remember to explore the interconnectedness and
interactions between what information is presenting on each level
for the person and how this may have an impact on their functioning
and development within their environment.
Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual
The Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Approach assesses levels of functioning within biological, psychological, social, and spiritual
dimensions (and how they are connected) to help understand
human behavior. This approach includes much of the same
information you will find in the Micro level but we are wanting
to take a deeper look at how the individual is functioning in each
dimension as well as how they can impact one another.
The Biological component includes aspects related to overall health, physical abilities, weight, diet, lifestyle, medication/
substance use, gender, and genetic connections/vulnerabilities.
Jason’s biological aspects – No concerns with overall
physical health, developmental aspects of adolescence
need to be considered, substance use concerns and
impacts, identifies as male, and possible genetic
The Person in Environment | 15
connections/vulnerabilities (substance abuse, anxiety,
depression, or any other family history of concern).
The Psychological component includes aspects related to mental health, self-esteem, attitudes/beliefs, temperament, coping skills,
emotions, learning, memory, perceptions, and personality.
Jason’s psychological aspects – Anger, substance use
concerns and impacts, possible esteem issues, poor coping
skills and emotional regulation, cognitive development
and any related concerns, personality and temperament
characteristics, and explorations of how he perceives his
world.
The Social component includes aspects related to peer and family relationships, social supports, cultural traditions, education,
employment/job security, socioeconomic status, and societal
messages.
Jason’s social aspects – Strained family relationships,
school relationships/educational supports, exploration of
socioeconomic impacts, exploration of cultural traditions,
16 | The Person in Environment
and identification/exploration of peer relationships and
supports.
The Spiritual component includes aspects related to spiritual or religious beliefs, or belief in a “higher being” or higher power they
feel connected to or supported by.
Jason’s spiritual aspects – No spiritual aspects were
reported but we would want to explore what this means
to Jason. Does he identify with a church, religion, or
higher power/being? What does it mean to him? Does it
bring any support and comfort or is it causing increased
stress as he is working to “figure out what it all means”?
Looking at each dimension of the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual
Approach allows you to engage in a more holistic exploration and
assessment of a person as it examines and connects four important
domains of their life.
Systems Theory
Systems Theory states behavior is influenced by a result of factors that work together as a system and are interconnected – each part
plays an important role in the function of the whole, and the whole
in turn supports and sustains the parts. A person’s family, friends,
school, work, economic class, home environment, and other factors
all influence how a person thinks and acts. A social worker must
The Person in Environment | 17
observe and assess all of the systems a person experiences, as they
contribute to their behavior and well-being, and work to strengthen
those systems as they are connected and influence one another.
This is used to develop a holistic view of individuals within their
environment, which is then used to lead to the most appropriate
practice intervention.
Within Systems Theory we will also explore roles (routine tasks
and behaviors of people within a system). We all have roles and
engage in them whether we recognize it or not. Some examples of
roles are leader, caretaker, parent, child, sibling, enabler, scapegoat,
citizen, spouse, and worker. Many people feel their roles identify
them. This may reinforce behaviors when positive feelings or
experiences are associated with the role(s) or maybe a motivator for
change when the role(s) are connected to more negative feelings or
experiences. Knowing what roles a person is engaged in, and how
they perceive each role, will support your work in understanding
their experiences and what needs are presenting.
Ecological Theory
Ecological Theory focuses on the interaction between the individual and their environment. It discusses the active
involvement of people with their environments and development as
well as both (environment/development) continuously changing.
“Thoughts become perception, Perception becomes reality. Alter your thoughts, Alter your reality.” ~ William James
An important reminder of this theory is to remember the
importance of perception – how people perceive or interpret their
environment and experiences influences their overall functioning
or well-being. This is also regardless of how problems or concerns
may appear to the social worker. You will need to explore how the
client views their situation before assuming certain situations are
problematic. We need to try and see it through their eyes and get
18 | The Person in Environment
an understanding of how they were feeling. It is their story and
their reality. In social work practice, this can best be understood by
looking at individuals, families, policies, communities, and cultures
and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the transactional
processes between the systems.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model used to explore Ecosystems Theory:
https://www.slideshare.net/CLMontecarlo/
bronfenbrenner-ecological-theory-54149823
Bronfenbrenner believed an individual’s development was affected
by everything in their surrounding environment and divided the
environment into five different levels: the microsystem, the
mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the
chronosystem.
The microsystem is the system closest to the individual and the one in which they have direct interactions. Some examples include
home, school, or work. A microsystem typically includes family,
peers, or caregivers. Relationships in a microsystem are bi-
directional, meaning, how you respond and react to the people will
affect their response and reaction to you. This is the most influential
level within the theory.
The mesosystem is where a person’s individual microsystems are interconnected and influence one another. These interactions have
an indirect impact on the individual, which can be positive or
negative depending on the elements of the system working together
(positive) or working against each other (negative).
The exosystem refers to a setting in which the person is not an active participant, but still affects them. This includes decisions
The Person in Environment | 19
that affect a person, but they have no decision-making abilities. An
example of this would be a child affected by a parent losing a job.
The macrosystem is the cultural environment in which the person lives and all other systems that affect them such as economy,
cultural values, and political systems.
The chronosystem encompasses transitions and shifts throughout a person’s life. It looks at the timing of the event in
relation to a person’s development, such as how death affects
children of different ages. Historical events that occur during a
person’s life are also explored such as the impacts of the September
11th attacks.
Jason’s story – With use of Systems Theory, we will
want to look at aspects of micro, mezzo, and macro levels
as well as bio-psycho-social-spiritual dimensions above
and how they interact and influence one another. Here we
will also explore what roles Jason feels he engages in (son,
brother, student, friend) as well as roles he may not
recognize or identify (leader, caretaker (if he is asked to
help with caring for younger siblings), or role model). We
will also want to explore how Jason perceives each role
(positive or negative) to gain a better understanding of his
experience and work in supporting his needs. With use of
Ecological Theory, we add the addition of looking at how
development and environment continue to grow and
change, and how this continues to impact our clients as
they enga
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