Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice (Modern Applications of Social Work Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0202361810 ISBN 13: 9780202361819

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice remains a foundation work for those interested in the practice and teaching of social work. Roberta Greene covers theoretical areas and individual theorists including classical psychoanalytic thought, Eriksonian theory, Carl Rogers, cognitive theory, systems theory, ecological perspectives, social construction, feminism, and genetics. She discusses the historical context, its philosophical roots, and major assumptions of each theory. The general theme, which distinguishes this volume, is that the person-in-environment perspective has been a central influence in the formation of the profession's knowledge base, as well as its approach to practice. Greene provides perspective on how individuals and social systems interact.

This book examines how social workers can use theory to shape social work practice by increasing his or her understanding of and potential for enhancing human well-being. Greene covers the relationship between human behavior theory and professional social work practice. She also explores the challenges and limitations of each theory and addresses the following issues: how the theory serves as a framework for social work practice; how the theory lends itself to an understanding of individual, family, group, community, or organizational behavior; what the implications are of the theory for social work interventions or practice strategies; and what role it proposes for the social worker as a change agent.

Throughout the profession's history, social workers have turned to a number of theoretical approaches for the organizing concepts needed to define their practice base. The aims of social work--to improve societal conditions and to enhance social functioning of and between individuals, families, and groups--are put into action across all fields of practice and realized through a variety of methods in a range of settings. This third edition, completely revised, represents a fundamental contribution to the field, and like its predecessors, will be widely used as a basic text.

About this title

About the Author

Roberta R. Greene was the Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology and Social Welfare at the School of Social Work, University of Texas-Austin. 

Review

“Another in a growing collection of books by social workers designed to summarize and clarify a variety of conceptual paradigms that purport to explain human behavior in its social context. The book is useful and timely and compares favorably with similar works... Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students.”

—F. J. Peirce, Choice

“This is the new edition of an established collection of critiques which identifies and explains frameworks for common human behavior theories applied in contemporary social work... Each critique contains its own glossary of terms for comprehension and application of the various theoretical approaches to clinical practice.”

—Journal of Social Work

“The teacher of human behavior theories for social work is faced with a daunting task—presenting a wide range of theories relating to micro-, meso-, and macrosystem levels in a thorough, comprehensive, systematic, and practice relevant way, and all in one year. There is a great need for textbooks that help accomplish this nearly impossible task... [This] book is worth consideration by social work educators, especially for courses dealing with individual, family, and group behavior within a social-ecological perspective. The book may also be  useful for practitioners who wish to refresh their familiarity with microfocused human behavior theories.”

—Edward Canada, Social Work

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0202361810
• ISBN 13: 9780202361819
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 352
• Editor: Greene Roberta R.