Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment

Bestselling UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, 8e looks at lifespan through the lens of social work theory and practice as it covers human development and behavior theories within the context of family, organizational, and community systems. Using a chronological lifespan approach, the text presents separate chapters on biological, psychological, and social impacts at the different lifespan stages with an emphasis on strengths and empowerment.

Charles Zastrow, MSW, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he chaired the Social Work Department for six years. He has also been the Assistant Director and Professor in the Social Work Program at George Williams College in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, where he currently teaches. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Wisconsin, Dr. Zastrow has worked as a practitioner for various agencies, chaired social work accreditation site visit teams for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and served on the Commission on Accreditation of CSWE. He also is a member of the BPD board. A leader in social work education and a bestselling author, Dr. Zastrow has written more than 45 articles in professional journals as well as nine books, including four textbooks: THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK, SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS, SOCIAL PROBLEMS: ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS, and UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT (with Dr. Karen Kirst-Ashman).

Karen K. Kirst-Ashman is Professor Emerita and former chairperson in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she taught for 28 years. She has written six social work textbooks in multiple editions and numerous publications, articles, and reviews on social work and women's issues. She also has served as a consulting editor on many social work journals. Dr. Kirst-Ashman was a board member of the CSWE from 1998 to 2001 and has served as a CSWE accreditation site visitor on various occasions. She is certified as a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Wisconsin and has been the recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Roseman Award for Excellence in Teaching. She earned her BSW degree in 1972 and MSSW degree in 1973 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. in social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.