Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Micro Level: Individuals and Families - Softcover

Van Wormer, Katherine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195187563 ISBN 13: 9780195187564

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2007

Synopsis

In a fresh, elegant, and accessible manner, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Micro Level explores the nuances of the biological, psychological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of our social lives. Drawing on examples from social work, psychology, literature, philosophy, and current events, it richly illustrates human development and behavior, both normal and abnormal. Katherine van Wormer skillfully integrates recent research ranging from brain imaging to international surveys on happiness, lending extraordinary insight into our drives and motivations. The result is a singular textbook that truly bridges theory and practice by revealing the patterns and paradoxes of our behavior in the social context.



*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 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, Macro Level, written with Fred Besthorn and Thomas Keefe, 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.

About this title

About the Author

Katherine van Wormer is Professor of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa and is the author or co-author of nine books in the fields of women and criminal justice, addictions treatment, social welfare in global perspective, and confronting oppression. She has practiced social work in Washington State and Norway and has always been intrigued by human behavior cross-culturally and in the family. Her website is www.katherinevanwormer.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Turning Points in People's Lives: A starting point in the science of human behavior is to take a look at the moments in people's lives, usually revealed after the passage of time, that have special meaning for them and that, when viewed retrospectively, can be seen as defining moments. Literature is full of such key events or revelations, sometimes called dramatic climaxes, beyond which life neither could nor would be the same again. Many such experiences, of course, are negative. Consider this account of Hurricane Katrina survivor Toni Miller, who stepped on an airplane, not knowing where she was going and wound up in Des Moines, Iowa...

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195187563
• ISBN 13: 9780195187564
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256