Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice with Marginalized Oppressed Populations

Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice with Marginalized Oppressed Populations addresses what social workers can do to combat the increasingly complex social concerns that face the profession, and explores how to incorporate the celebration of diversity and the protection of human rights into social work curricula and the helping process. The authors combine human behavior theories with a narrative, postmodern practice methodology that deals with both the client’s or constituencies’ presenting problem and equity issues, and, as a result, the book is both theoretical and applied. Two major integrating themes throughout are at the forefront of the book―the celebration of diversity and the equality of human rights. The goal is to strengthen diversity and human rights components of the social work curriculum and to provide more practice guidelines for cross-cultural practice.

Roberta R. Greene has numerous publications (17 books) on human behavior and gerontology, including risk and resilience, such as Greene and Schriver’s Handbook on Human Behavior (2016, Transaction Press), and an article on resilience in the Encyclopedia of Social Work (2008, NASW Press). She served on the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy Commission, which mandates curriculum competencies.

Michael Wright has a PhD in social work from the University of South Carolina with a specialization in technology. He is a Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker (TN) and former university professor with almost 20 years of experience with specializations in human behavior and macro-practice. He continues to teach training events both online and in person.

Melvin Herring has a PhD in human development and is Director of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Johnson C. Smith University School of Social Work. He is responsible for writing student evaluation and other curriculum standards for the MSW program’s accreditation. His community work pertinent to the book includes: recruiting at-risk males to participate in a program designed to combat self-defeating attitudes and behaviors; consulting with hospital medical staff to determine the most appropriate treatment for patients in crisis; and providing culturally inclusive training for a city police department.

Nicole Dubus, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor in Social Work at San José State University, San José, California. Her research is on the life course experiences of refugees and forced migrants. She has been practicing clinical social work for over 30 years and brings that practice experience into her teaching.

Taunya Wright, a registered nurse with 24 years of experience, is the Health Literacy Director for MawMedia group, a consulting firm. She is a coach and author of The Brady Boe series (2018).