The Conundrum of Human Behavior in the Social Environment

Get the new educational standard under the Council of Social Work Education for human behavior and social environment studies!

Critical thinking skills are an indispensable component of any educational program, but especially the HBSE curriculum. The Conundrum of Human Behavior in the Social Environment shows ways to spark those needed skills while providing a comprehensive framework on the social environment impact and human behavior theory crucial for graduate and undergraduate courses. Macro, mezzo, and micro forces are examined in depth, along with considerations for redesigning the content in HBSE curricula in accordance with current educational standards. Noted authorities detail evidence-based practices and present extensive referencing along with offering Web site listings and syllabi for coursework.

The Conundrum of Human Behavior in the Social Environment presents theories of behavioral change that can be facilitated by practitioners to eliminate or modify undesirable behaviors, as well as provides a framework useful for understanding how a macro-system consisting of four societal forces (social justice, social problems, social policy, and the political economy) works to influence a micro-system of community, organizational, and group dynamic. Four types of HB and SE course outlines are presented and discussed with an eye toward strengthening foundation courses, along with an analysis of fourteen frequently used Human Behavior and Social Environment textbooks based on the Council on Social Work Education’s 2001 guidelines that also offers a framework for integrating content. The application of the transtheoretical model of behavioral change to the welfare to work transition with public housing residents is presented using both quantitative and qualitative data that has been closely analyzed.

The Conundrum of Human Behavior in the Social Environment provides:

• extensive references
  
• clear and helpful figures and tables of data
  
• numerous appendices of useful detailed outlines and descriptions of textbooks
  
• lists of Web sites
  
• a syllabi and course sequence description for micro/macro/mezzo issues
  
  

The Conundrum of Human Behavior in the Social Environment is valuable reading for students, educators, social workers, health professionals, psychologists, sociologists, and other human services professionals interested in staying on top of the shifts of focus in human behavior and social environmental curriculums.

Marvin D. Feit, John S. Wodarski