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7th edition APA Format required with a Reference page and without abstract/ 5-7 quotes from the book/ provide examples Social Workers identify, evaluate and integrate multiple sources of knowledge and evidence, while continuously evaluating their impact and benefit to users of their services. Reflection is an essential part of social work.This self-assessment reflection assignment is designed to study and embrace your essential self. Describe your character strengths, your developmental assets, your developmental risk factors and resulting resiliency: https://resiliencyquiz.com/index.shtml this link is for resiliency take it and and then start working / a preview to your professional approach to social work/psychology/other career goals.Use your documents and textbook to conjecture and formulate your essential unique approach to services you plan to provide.
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Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and
Communities. Social workers
collect and organize data, and apply critical thinking to interpret
information from clients and constituencies;
apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment,
person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical
frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and
constituencies;
develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based
on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within
clients and constituencies; and
select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment,
research knowledge, and values and preferences of clients and
constituencies.
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups,
Organizations, and Communities. Social workers
critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice
goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies;
apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment,
person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical
frameworks in interventions with clients and constituencies;
use interprofessional collaboration as appropriate to achieve
beneficial practice outcomes;
negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of diverse clients
and constituencies; and
facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually
agreed-on goals.
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups,
Organizations, and Communities. Social workers
select and use appropriate methods for evaluation of outcomes;
apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment,
person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical
frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes;
critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate intervention and program
processes and outcomes; and
2
apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the
micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course
and Social Work Core Competencies
Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course and Social W
Chapter
Engage
Ethical and
Diversity
Professional
and
Behavior
Difference
Human
Research
Social
Rights
Policy
and
Work
and
Practice
Practice
Engagement
Justice
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Total
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Chapters
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To all the teachers and students who have inspired me to think
more critically about human behavior. They are always in my
head and heart as I continue to learn about the fascinating
subject of human behavior.
4
Dimensions of Human
Behavior
The Changing Life Course
Sixth Edition
Elizabeth D. Hutchison
Virginia Commonwealth University, Emerita
and Contributors
Los Angeles
London
New Delhi
Singapore
Washington DC
Melbourne
5
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6
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hutchison, Elizabeth D.
Title: Dimensions of human behavior : the changing life course / Elizabeth D.
Hutchison, Virginia Commonwealth University, Emerita, and contributors.
Description: Sixth edition. | Thousand Oaks, California : SAGE, [2019] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018021374 | ISBN 9781544339344 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Social psychology. | Human behavior. | Life cycle, Human. | Social
service.
Classification: LCC HM1033 .D553 2019 | DDC 302dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2018021374
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
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Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Proofreader: Rae-Ann Goodwin
Indexer: Molly Hall
Cover Designer: Scott Van Atta
Marketing Manager: Jenna Retana
7
Brief Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Case Studies
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 A Life Course Perspective
Chapter 2 Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth
Chapter 3 Infancy and Toddlerhood
Chapter 4 Early Childhood
Chapter 5 Middle Childhood
Chapter 6 Adolescence
Chapter 7 Young Adulthood
Chapter 8 Middle Adulthood
Chapter 9 Late Adulthood
Chapter 10 Very Late Adulthood
References
Glossary
Index
About the Author
About the Contributors
8
Detailed Contents
Case Studies
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 A Life Course Perspective
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 1.1: The Suarez Family After September 11,
2001
Case Study 1.2: Michael Bowling, Swallowing His Pride
Case Study 1.3: Phoung Le, Serving Family and
Community
The Life Course Perspective and Social Work Practice
Theoretical Roots of the Life Course Perspective
Basic Concepts of the Life Course Perspective
Cohorts
Transitions
Trajectories
Life Events
Turning Points
Major Themes of the Life Course Perspective
Interplay of Human Lives and Historical Time
Timing of Lives
Dimensions of Age
Standardization in the Timing of Lives
Linked or Interdependent Lives
Links With Family Members
Links With the Wider World
Human Agency in Making Choices
Diversity in Life Course Trajectories
Developmental Risk and Protection
Strengths and Limitations of the Life Course Perspective
Integration With a Multidimensional, Multitheoretical Approach
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
9
Chapter 2 Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 2.1: Jennifer Bradshaws Experience With
Infertility
Case Study 2.2: Cecelia Kins Struggle With the Options
Case Study 2.3: The Thompsons Premature Birth
Sociocultural Organization of Childbearing
Conception and Pregnancy in Context
Childbirth in Context
Childbirth Education
Place of Childbirth
Who Assists Childbirth
Reproductive Genetics
Genetic Mechanisms
Genetic Counseling
Control over Conception and Pregnancy
Contraception
Induced Abortion
Infertility Treatment
Fetal Development
First Trimester
Fertilization and the Embryonic Period
The Fetal Period
Second Trimester
Third Trimester
Labor and Delivery of the Neonate
Pregnancy and the Life Course
At-Risk Newborns
Prematurity and Low Birth Weight
Newborn Intensive Care
Major Congenital Anomalies
Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth Under Different
Circumstances
Substance-Abusing Pregnant Women
Pregnant Women With Eating Disorders
Pregnant Women With Disabilities
Incarcerated Pregnant Women
HIV-Infected Pregnant Women
Pregnant Transmen
10
Risk and Protective Factors in Conception, Pregnancy, and
Childbirth
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 3 Infancy and Toddlerhood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 3.1: Hollys Early Arrival
Case Study 3.2: Sarahs Teen Dad
Case Study 3.3: Overprotecting Henry
Developmental Niche and Typical Infant and Toddler
Development
Physical Development
Growth Patterns
Self-Regulation
Sensory Abilities
Reflexes
Motor Skills
The Growing Brain
Vaccinations
Cognitive Development
Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development
Information Processing Theory
Language Development
Socioemotional Development
Eriksons Theory of Psychosocial Development
Emotion Regulation
Temperament
Attachment
Bowlbys Theory of Attachment
Ainsworths Theory of Attachment
Attachment and Brain Development
The Role of Play
Developmental Disruptions
Childcare Arrangements in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Parental Leave
Paid Childcare
Infants and Toddlers in the Multigenerational Family
11
Risks to Healthy Infant and Toddler Development
Poverty
Inadequate Caregiving
Child Maltreatment and Trauma
Protective Factors in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Maternal Education
Social Support
Easy Temperament
National and State Policy
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 4 Early Childhood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 4.1: Terris Terrible Temper
Case Study 4.2: Jacks Name Change
Case Study 4.3: A New Role for Ron and Rosilands
Grandmother
Typical Development in Early Childhood
Physical Development
Cognitive and Language Development
Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development
Vygotskys Sociocultural Perspective
Information Processing Theory
Theory of Mind
Language Skills
Moral Development
Understanding Moral Development
Helping Young Children Develop Morally
Personality and Emotional Development
Eriksons Theory of Psychosocial Development
Emotions
Aggression
Attachment
Social Development
Peer Relations
Self-Concept
Gender Role Development
12
Racial and Ethnic Identity
The Role of Play
Play as an Opportunity to Explore Reality
Plays Contribution to Cognitive Development
Play as Practice for Morality
Play as an Opportunity to Gain Control
Play as a Shared Experience
Play as the Route to Attachment to Fathers
Developmental Delays and Disabilities
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood in the Multigenerational Family
Risks to Healthy Development in Early Childhood
Poverty
Homelessness
Ineffective Discipline
Divorce and Parental Relationship Dissolution
Violence
Community Violence
Domestic Violence
Child Maltreatment
Protective Factors in Early Childhood
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 5 Middle Childhood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 5.1: Anthonys Impending Assessment
Case Study 5.2: Jasmines Headaches
Case Study 5.3: Gabrielas New Life
Historical Perspective on Middle Childhood
Middle Childhood in the Multigenerational Family
Development in Middle Childhood
Physical Development
Cognitive Development
Cultural Identity Development
Emotional Development
Social Development
The Peer Group
13
Friendship and Intimacy
Team Play
Gender Identity and Gender Roles
Technology and Social Development
Spiritual Development
Middle Childhood and Formal Schooling
Special Challenges in Middle Childhood
Poverty
Family and Community Violence
Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Emotional/Behavioral Disorder
Family Disruption
Risk Factors and Protective Factors in Middle Childhood
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 6 Adolescence
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 6.1: Davids Coming-Out Process
Case Study 6.2: Carls Struggle for Identity
Case Study 6.3: Monicas Quest for Mastery
The Social Construction of Adolescence Across Time and Space
The Transition From Childhood to Adulthood
Biological Aspects of Adolescence
Puberty
The Adolescent Brain
Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep
Psychological Aspects of Adolescence
Psychological Reactions to Biological Changes
Changes in Cognition
Identity Development
Theories of Self and Identity
Gender Identity
Cultural Identity
Social Aspects of Adolescence
Relationships With Family
14
Relationships With Peers
Romantic Relationships
Relationships With Organizations, Communities, and
Institutions
School
The Broader Community
Work
Technology
Adolescent Spirituality/Religiosity
Adolescent Sexuality
Sexual Decision Making
Sexual Orientation
Pregnancy and Childbearing
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Potential Challenges to Adolescent Development
Substance Use and Abuse
Juvenile Delinquency
Bullying
School-to-Prison Pipeline
Community Violence
Dating Violence and Statutory Rape
Poverty and Low Educational Attainment
Obesity and Eating Disorders
Depression and Suicide
Social Work Grand Challenge: Ensure Healthy Development for
All Youth
Risk Factors and Protective Factors in Adolescence
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 7 Young Adulthood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 7.1: Caroline Sanders as a Transgender Young
Adult
Case Study 7.2: Sheila Hendersons Long-Awaited
Family Reunification
Case Study 7.3: Jonathan Stuart and Kai Hale as Older
Parents of Twins
15
A Definition of Young Adulthood
Theoretical Approaches to Young Adulthood
Eriksons Psychosocial Theory
Levinsons Theory of Life Structure
Arnetts Emerging Adulthood
Cultural and Social Class Variations
Multigenerational Concerns
Physical Functioning in Young Adulthood
The Psychological Self
Cognitive Development
Spiritual Development
Identity Development
Social Development and Social Functioning
Relationship Development in Young Adulthood
Romantic Relationships
Parenthood
Mentoring and Volunteering
Young Adults and Technology
Work and the Labor Market
Risk Factors and Protective Factors in Young Adulthood
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 8 Middle Adulthood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 8.1: Mark Raslin, Finding Stability at 42
Case Study 8.2: Lisa Balinski, Trying to Balance It All at
50
Case Study 8.3: Maha Ahmed, Struggling to Find
Meaning and Purpose at 57
The Changing Social Construction of Middle Adulthood
Changing Age Demographics
A Definition of Middle Adulthood
Culture and the Construction of Middle Adulthood
Theories of Middle Adulthood
Eriksons Theory of Generativity
Jungs and Levinsons Theories of Finding Balance
Life Span Theory and the Gain-Loss Balance
16
Biological Changes and Physical and Mental Health in Middle
Adulthood
Changes in the Reproductive System and Sexuality
Changes in the Brain
Changes in Health Status
Intellectual Changes in Middle Adulthood
Personality Changes in Middle Adulthood
Trait Approach
Human Agency Approach
Life Narrative Approach
Spiritual Development in Middle Adulthood
Relationships in Middle Adulthood
Middle Adulthood in the Context of the Multigenerational
Family
Relationships With Spouse or Partner
Relationships With Children
Relationships With Parents
Other Family Relationships
Relationships With Friends
Work in Middle Adulthood
Risk Factors and Protective Factors in Middle Adulthood
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 9 Late Adulthood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 9.1: The Smiths in Early Retirement
Case Study 9.2: Ms. Ruby Johnson, Caretaker for 3
Generations
Case Study 9.3: Joseph and Elizabeth Menzel, a German
Couple
Demographics of the Older Population
Diversity of the Late-Adult Population
Cultural Construction of Late Adulthood
Psychosocial Theoretical Perspectives on Social Gerontology
Biological Changes in Late Adulthood
Health and Longevity
Age-Related Changes in Physiology
17
The Aging Brain and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Dementia
Alzheimers Disease
Parkinsons Disease
Psychological Changes in Late Adulthood
Personality Changes
Intellectual Changes, Learning, and Memory
Mental Health and Mental Disorders
Social Role Transitions and Life Events of Late Adulthood
Families in Later Life
Grandparenthood
Work and Retirement
Caregiving and Care Receiving
Widowhood
Institutionalization
The Search for Personal Meaning
Resources for Meeting the Needs of Elderly Persons
Informal Resources
Formal Resources
Technology and the Late-Adult Population
Risk Factors and Protective Factors in Late Adulthood
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
Chapter 10 Very Late Adulthood
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Case Study 10.1: Margaret Davis Stays at Home
Case Study 10.2: Pete Mullin Loses His Sisters Support
Case Study 10.3: Marie Cipriani Is Losing Her Life
Partner
Very Late Adulthood: Charting New Territory
Very Late Adulthood in Historical and Cultural Perspective
What We Can Learn From Centenarians
Functional Capacity in Very Late Adulthood
Relationships in Very Late Adulthood
Relationships With Family and Friends
Intimacy and Sexuality in Very Late Adulthood
Relationships With Organizations and Community
18
The Use of Technology
The Housing Continuum
Spirituality in Very Late Adulthood
The Dying Process
Advance Directives
Care of People Who Are Dying
End-of-Life Signs and Symptoms
Loss, Grief, and Bereavement
Theories and Models of Loss
Culture and Bereavement
The Life Course Completed
Implications for Social Work Practice
Key Terms
Active Learning
Web Resources
References
Glossary
Index
About the Author
About the Contributors
19
Case Studies
Chapter
Case
Case Information
Puerto Rican American
1.1 The Suarez family who lost family
Family After
member at the World Trade
September 11, Center on September 11,
2001
2001, trauma in a
multigenerational family
1. A Life
Course
Perspective
2.
Conception,
Pregnancy,
and
Childbirth
Page
2
1.2 Michael
Bowling,
Swallowing
His Pride
57-year-old male engineer
from the Midwest, laid off
from work, no health
insurance, stroke, still
unemployed
3
1.3 Phoung
Le, Serving
Family and
Community
60-something Vietnamese
refugee woman,
intergenerational family
acculturation issues
4
2.1 Jennifer
Bradshaws
African American female,
Experience
late 30s, infertility issues
With Infertility
35
2.2 Cecelia
One womans struggles with
Kins Struggle
the options regarding
With the
pregnancy termination
Options
36
2.3 The
Thompsons
Premature
Birth
37
Military family with
deployment in war zone,
premature baby
20
3.1 Hollys
Early Arrival
3. Infancy 3.2 Sarahs
Teen Dad
and
Toddlerhood
4. Early
Childhood
Infant born 3 months
premature, caregiver stress
75
Teen father, primary
caregiver to infant daughter
76
Loss of toddler to
3.3
community violence,
Overprotecting
traumatized mother caring
Henry
for infant son
76
4.1 Terris
Terrible
Temper
3-year-old adopted female,
parenting issues
116
4.2 Jacks
Name Change
4-year-old boy, parental
divorce
116
4.3 A New
Role for Ron
and Rosilands
Grandmother
3-year-old boy and 5-yearold sister, living with
117
grandmother while mother is
incarcerated
5.1 Anthonys
Impending
Assessment
6-year-old boy living in
impoverished section of
154
large city, adolescent mother,
problem behaviors at school
5.2 Jasmines
Headaches
9-year-old girl, homeless
with her mother and siblings, 154
imprisoned father
5. Middle
Childhood
5.3 Gabrielas
New Life
11-year-old girl recently
moved from northern
Mexico to reunite with her
father in the United States,
155
mother with health problems,
father with substance-use
21
issues, discord at home
6.1 Davids
Coming-Out
Process
17-year-old male, son of
Bolivian immigrants, issues
of coming out as gay
190
17-year-old male, loneparent family, estranged
from father, underachieving
at school, drug
experimentation, overweight
190
6.3 Monicas
Quest for
Mastery
High-achieving high school
senior female, college
planning, racial identity
issues
191
7.1 Caroline
Sanders as a
Transgender
Young Adult
23-year-old trans female who
recently had gender
232
confirmation surgery,
transitioning at work
7.2 Sheila
Hendersons
Long-Awaited
Family
Reunification
28-year-old female, mother
of 8-year-old girl, recently
returned from second tour of
military duty in war zone,
brain injury, reentry issues
7.3 Jonathan
Stuart and Kai
Hale as Older
Parents of
Twins
Married upper-middle-class
gay couple, living in Hawaii,
234
soon to become the parents
of twins through surrogacy
6.2 Carls
6.
Struggle for
Adolescence Identity
7. Young
Adulthood
8.1 Mark
Raslin,
Finding
42-year-old male with
history of childhood abuse,
homelessness, and mental
health and substance-abuse
22
233
270
and emotional stability
8. Middle
Adulthood
8.2 Lisa
Balinski,
Trying to
Balance It All
at 50
50-year-old female, daughter
of Polish immigrants to
Minnesota, high school
271
teacher, caregiver to
depressed mother, support
for young-adult daughters
8.3 Maha
Ahmed,
Struggling to
Find Meaning
and Purpose at
57
57-year-old Arab American
woman, seeking
psychotherapy for depression
272
after the death of her mother
and her young-adult children
leaving home
Caucasian couple in early
9.1 The Smiths retirement, 66-year-old
in Early
woman and 68-year-old man, 313
Retirement
difficult transition to
retirement
9. Late
Adulthood
71-year-old African
9.2 Ms. Ruby American woman, 4Johnson,
generation family, caregiving
314
Caretaker for 3 issues, difficulties with
Generations
medical expenses, end-of-life
issues
79-year-old woman with
dementia of the Alzheimers
9.3 Joseph and
type, living in small town in
Elizabeth
Bavaria, Germany, with 84Menzel, a
year-old husband, family
German
caregiving issues, informal
Couple
and formal caregiving
integration
85-year-old Caucasian
23
314
10. Very
Late
Adulthood
10.1 Margaret
Davis Stays at
Home
85-year-old Caucasian
woman, rural southern West
Virginia, hypertension, type
2 diabetes, undiagnosed
memory problems, family
caregiving issues
10.2 Pete
Mullin Loses
His Sisters
Support
96-year-old secondgeneration male Irish
American Catholic, living in
rural Florida retirement
community with sister who
is dying, loss and grief
issues, care planning issues
10.3 Marie
Cipriani Is
Losing Her
Life Partner
86-year-old woman,
daughter of Italian
immigrants, longtime partner
359
to 79-year-old African
American woman with stage
IV lung cancer
24
358
358
Preface
Like many people, my life has been full of change since the first edition of
this book was published in 1999. After a merger/acquisition, my husband
took a new position in Washington, DC, and we moved to the nations
capital from Richmond, Virginia, where we had lived for 13 years. I
changed my teaching affiliation from the Richmond campus of the
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work to the satellite
program in northern Virginia. While I worked on the second edition of the
book in 2002, my mother-in-law, for whom my husband and I had served
as primary caregivers, began a fast decline and died rather quickly. A year
later, my mother had a stroke, and my father died a month after that.
Shortly after, our son relocated from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and
our daughter entered graduate school. In 2005, we celebrated the marriage
of our daughter. After the third edition was published, we welcomed a first
grandchild, my husband started an encore career in California, and our son
was married. In the year I worked on the fourth edition, I retired from
teaching and joined my husband in California, we welcomed a second
grandchild, and my mothers health went into steep decline and she died.
That was a year of great change in our family. After the fourth edition, my
son moved back to Massachusetts and now lives in the neighborhood
where we lived when he was a toddler. He and his wife are raising their
own young daughter there, and when we visit them, I am reminded that
sometimes the life course takes us in circles. Just as the fifth edition went
to press, my husband and I sold our home in California and moved to
Reno, Nevada, where we live 5 minutes from my daughters family and 40
minutes from beautiful Lake Tahoe. With this move, we have been able to
participate actively in the lives of two of our grandchildren. These events
and transitions have all had an impact on my life course as well as the life
journeys of my extended family.
But change has not been confined to my multigenerational family. Since
the first edition of the book was published, we had a presidential election
for which the outcome stayed in limbo for weeks. The economy has
peaked, declined, revitalized, and then gone into the deepest recession
since the Great Depression in the 1930s. It is strong again, for now. Also
since the first edition, terrorists hijacked airplanes and forced them to be
flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City
25
and into the Pentagon near my school. The United States entered military
conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the one in Afghanistan continues to
be waged at this writing, the longest war in U.S. history. Thirty-three
students at Virginia Tech died in a mass murder/suicide rampage that
shook the campus on a beautiful spring day, and a number of school
shootings have broken our collective hearts, including the recent shooting
at Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School in Florida. Natural disasters
have killed and traumatized millions around the world, and the climate is
becoming increasingly unstable. New communication technologies
continue to be developed at a fast clip, increasing our global
interdependence and changing our behavior in ways both good and bad.
The United States elected, and then reelected, its first African American
president, but our government has been locked in an increasingly polarized
philosophical division, made worse by foreign interference in a
presidential election and increasingly hostile interactions on social media.
Since I was a child listening to my grandmothers stories about the
challenges, joys, and dramatic as well as mundane events in her life, I have
been captivated by peoples stories. I have learned that a specific event can
be understood only in the context of an ongoing life story. As social
workers you will hear many life stories, and I encourage you to remember
that each person you meet is on a journey that is much more than your
encounters might suggest. I also encourage you to think about your own
life story and how it helps and hinders your ability to really see and hear
the stories of others.
Organized around life course time, this book tries to help you understand,
among other things, the relationship between time and human behavior.
The companion volume to this book, Person and Environment, analyzes
relevant dimensions of person and environment and presents up-to-date
reports on theory and research about each of these dimensions. This
volume shows how these multiple dimensions of person and environment
work together with dimensions of time to produce patterns in unique life
course journeys.
Life Course Perspective
As in the second, third, fourth, and fifth editions, my colleagues and I have
chosen a life course perspective to capture the dynamic, changing nature of
personenvironment transactions. In the life course perspective, human
26
behavior is not a linear march through time, nor is it simply played out in
recurring cycles. Rather, the life course journey is a moving spiral, with
both continuity and change, marked by both predictable and unpredictable
twists and turns. It is influenced by changes in the physical and social
environment as well as by changes in the personal biological,
psychological, and spiritual dimensions.
The life course perspective recognizes patterns in human behavior related
to biological age, psychological age, and social age norms. In the first
edition, we discussed theory and research about six age-graded periods of
the life course, presenting both the continuity and the change in these
patterns. Because mass longevity is leading to finer distinctions among life
phases, nine age-graded periods were discussed in the second through fifth
editions and are again covered in this sixth edition. The life course
perspective also recognizes diversity in the life course related to historical
time, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, social class, sexual
orientation, ability/disability, and so forth, and we emphasize group-based
diversity in our discussion of age-graded periods. Finally, the life course
perspective recognizes the unique life stories of individualsthe unique
configuration of specific life events and personenvironment transactions
over time.
General Knowledge and Unique Situations
The social and behavioral sciences help us to understand general patterns
in personenvironment transactions over time. The purpose of social work
assessment is to understand unique configurations of person and
environment dimensions at a given time. Those who practice social work
must interweave what they know about unique situations with general
knowledge that comes from theory and empirical research. To assist you in
this process, as we did in the first five editions, we begin each chapter with
three stories, which we then intertwine with contemporary theory and
research. Most of the stories are composite cases and do not correspond to
actual people known to the authors. In this sixth edition, we continue to
expand on our efforts in the last five editions to call more attention to the
successes and failures of theory and research to accommodate human
diversity related to gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, culture,
sexual orientation, disability, and so on. We continue to extend our
attention to diversity by being intentional in our effort to provide a global
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context to understand the human life course.
In this sixth edition, we continue to use some special features that we hope
will aid your learning process. We have added learning objectives to each
chapter. As in the first five editions, key terms are presented in bold type
in the chapters and defined in the glossary. As in the fourth and fifth
editions, critical thinking questions are used throughout the chapters to
help you think critically about the material you are reading. Active
learning exercises and web resources are presented at the end of each
chapter.
The bulk of this sixth edition will be familiar to instructors who used the
fifth edition of Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life
Course. Many of the changes that do occur came at the suggestion of
instructors and students who have been using the fifth edition. To respond
to the rapidity of changes in complex societies, all chapters have been
comprehensively updated. As the contributing authors and I worked to
revise the book, we were once again surprised to learn how much the
knowledge base had changed since we worked on the fifth edition. We did
not experience such major change between the first four editions, and this
led us to agree with the futurists who say we are at a point where the rate
of cultural change will continue to accelerate rapidly. You will want to use
the many wonders of the World Wide Web to update information you
suspect is outdated.
Also New in This Edition
The more substantial revisions for this edition include the following:
Learning objectives have been added to each chapter.
Consistency with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
curriculum guidelines is emphasized in Chapter 1.
Coverage of advances in neuroscience continues to expand.
More content on traumatic stress appears throughout the book.
Content on the impact of information, communication, and medical
technologies on human behavior in every phase of life is greatly
expanded.
Coverage of the global context of human behavior continues to
expand.
More content has been added on the effects of gender and gender
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identity, race and ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and
disability on life course trajectories.
New content on gender identity and expression was added to several
chapters.
New exhibits have been ad
