Chapter 1: Human Behavior:
You are required to write 1 page per question. Cite the material from the textbook, videos and power points to justify for your reflections.
Case Study Reflection Question - Chapter 2 - Dimensions of Human Behavior Person in the Environment (Green Book) Elizabeth D. Hutchinson
1. Like individuals in other professional groups, social workers tend to develop and use language among themselves that others not associated with the profession might consider being ‘jargonese’ or difficult to understand. Although Bethany is planning to go to nursing school, she is very much interested in what social workers do and is curious about how a social worker would assess the problems in her family. Explain to Bethany, in lay person’s language, the 8 theoretical perspectives and how each of the theoretical perspectives can help a social worker understand different aspects of her family’s situation.
Chapter 5: The Psychological Person: Cognition, Emotion, and Self - Dimensions of Human Behavior Person in the Environment (Green Book) Elizabeth D. Hutchinson
1. Of all the theories discussed in the chapter, choose one from each category (self in relationships, concept of stress, coping and adaptation) that you think might be MOST helpful in understanding Dan’s situation. Provide a rationale as to why you think these particular theories would be most helpful and discuss how you would use each of the theories that you’ve selected in Dan’s case.
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLmKfXwWQtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLmKfXwWQtE
(https://www.acesconnection.com/blog/handouts-for-parents-about-aces-toxic-stress-and-resilience)
A Multidimensional Approach
DIMENSIONS OF
Person and Environment
HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Chapter Outline
Case study: Manisha and her changing environments
Human behavior: Individual and collective
A multidimensional approach
Diversity, inequality, and the pursuit of social justice: A global perspective
Knowing and doing
Scientific knowledge: Theory and research
A word of caution
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
The Complexity of Human Behavior: Consider Manisha’s Story
Focus on the person: What is it about Manish’s physical, emotional, and spiritual self that helps us to understand her behavior?
Focus on the environment: How did/do the geography, culture, political events, social organizations, and family relationships in Manisha’s world influence her?
Focus on time: What has changed in Manisha’s life? How have past experiences and events impacted Manisha’s current situation?
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Human Behavior: Individual and Collective
Person and his/her environments have been essential considerations in social work practice
Element of time has been added to call attention to dynamic nature of people and environments
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
A Multidimensional Approach
Multidimensional: having several identifiable dimensions
Dimension: a feature that can be focused on separately but that cannot be understood without also considering other features
The dimensions are embedded with each other and interact to determine behavior
Multidetermined behavior: behavior that develops as a result of many causes
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Personal Dimensions
Biopsychosocial approach – recognizes human behavior as a result of interactions of integrated biological, psychological, and social systems
Psychology inseparable from biology
Argument for greater attention to the spiritual dimension of persons
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Environmental Dimensions
Bronfenbrenner (2005):
Microsystems
Mesosystems
Exosystems
Macrosystems
Chronosystems
Anderson and Carter (1974):
Culture and society
Communities
Organizations
Groups
Families
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Environmental Dimensions Cont.
Dimensions:
Person
Environment
Time
page 12
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Person Dimension
Biological
The body’s biochemical, cell, organ, and psychological systems
Psychological
The mind and the mental processes
Spiritual
The aspect of the person that searches for meaning and purpose in life
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Environmental Dimension
Physical
Culture
Social Structure and Social Institutions
Formal Organization
Community
Social Movements
Small Groups
Families
Dyads
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Time Dimensions
Dimensions not only interact dynamically, but also change over time
Linear time
Time ordered from past through present into the future
Historical era
Specific block or period of time in which individuals and collective lives are enacted
Chronological age
How people change at different ages and life stages as they pass from birth to death
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
The concept of time differs by culture:
Clock time and orientation to the future associated with more industrialized countries
Event time and orientation to the past associated with less industrialized countries
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
A Multidimensional Approach: Some Examples of Dimensions
What are the major personal dimensions covered in the text?
What are some examples?
What are the major environmental dimensions?
What are some examples?
What are the major time dimensions?
What are some examples?
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Diversity, Inequality, and the Pursuit of Social Justice: A Global Perspective
Global perspective
To be aware that my view of the world is not universally shared
To have growing awareness of the diversity of ideas and practices
To be curious about conditions in other parts of the world and how they relate to our society
To understand where I fit in the global social structure
To have growing awareness of how people in other societies view my society
To have growing understanding of how the world works
Globalization – process by which the world’s people are becoming more interconnected economically, politically, environmentally, and culturally
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Diversity
Increasing racial, ethnic, and religious diversity in the U.S.
Heightened consciousness of human differences
Gender, cultural, sexual orientation, abilities, disabilities, family forms, and so on
Heterogeneity – differences among individuals
Diversity – differences among groups
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Inequality
Gender, race, and class are categorizations used to develop hierarchical social structures that influence social identities and life chances
Privilege – unearned advantage
White privilege
U.S. privilege
Social locations – where we fit into a system of social identities
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Diversity, Inequality, and the Pursuit of Social Justice
What is Heterogeneity?
What is Diversity?
What is meant by “shifting nature of terminology” and why is it important to understand?
What is meant by “mechanisms of oppression” and what are they?
What is meant by “privilege” and “disadvantage” and how are they multidimensional?
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
The Pursuit of Social Justice
NASW Code of Ethics identifies social justice as one of six core values of social work
Mechanisms of oppression can be used intentionally or unintentionally
Global social justice
Theories of social justice:
Fairness
Capabilities approach
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
The Pursuit of Social Justice Cont.
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Knowing and Doing
Four ingredients of “knowing how” to do social work:
Knowledge about the case
Develop understanding of situation
Select and order information
Knowledge about the self
Understanding one’s own thinking processes, emotions, and social location
Values, and ethics
Established by NASW
Scientific knowledge
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Scientific Knowledge: Theory and Research
Theory – interrelated set of concepts and propositions, organized into a deductive system, that explains relationships among aspects of our world
Provides framework for understanding person/environment transactions
Guides interventions
Focuses our attention on particular aspects of the person-environment-time configuration
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research Continued
Theory Cont.
Concepts – building blocks of theory
Propositions – assertions
Deductive reasoning – use of propositions to generate specific hypotheses to test
Assumptions – beliefs held to be true without testing or proof
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research Continued
Empirical research – careful, purposeful, and systematic observation of events with the intent to note and record them in terms of their attributes, to look for patterns in those events, and make our methods and observations public
A problem-solving process
Is empirical - something that we experience through our senses, as opposed to something that we experience purely in our minds
Is a way to test the assumptions of theories
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research Continued
Empirical research cont.
Positivist perspective: world has order that can be discovered, findings can be applied to other groups, findings are tentative, scientific methods are value-free
Quantitative methods of research – measures concepts, standardize collection of data, attend to preselected variables, use statistical measures
Interpretist perspective (constructivist): assumption that reality is based on people’s definitions of it
Qualitative methods of research – flexible, experiential, captures how participants view social life
Postpositivism: philosophical position that recognizes the complexity of reality and limitations of human observers
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research Continued
Criteria for Evaluating Theory
Coherence and conceptual clarity
Testability and evidence of empirical support
Comprehensiveness
Consistency with social work’s emphasis on diversity and power arrangements
Usefulness for social work practice
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research Continued
Criteria for Evaluating Research
Corroboration
Multidimensionality
Definition of terms
Limitation of sample
Influence of setting
Influence of the researcher
Social distance
Specification of inferences
Suitability of measures
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research Continued
In summary:
Theory = ideas or assumptions about what is happening and why
Research = evidence based, what we can see, hear, feel about what is happening
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Theory and Research in a Multidimensional Approach: Questions to Ponder
Do the dimensions of human behavior have an objective reality that exists outside a person’s consciousness OR is all reality based on personal perception (subjective reality)?
Belief in objective reality is congruent with positivist perspective that uses quantitative research methods to test theory
Belief in subjective reality is congruent with an interpretist perspective that uses qualitative research methods to understand how people experience their lives
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
A Word of Caution
Textbook presents personal and environmental dimensions separately
Note that person and environment cannot be separated when thinking about human behavior
Approach has been taken for several reasons:
1. Personal and environmental dimensions have been studied separately
2. Introduce dimensions not typically covered in social work textbooks
3. Ensure collective behavior receives attention it deserves
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.
Questions to ask as you read the material
What is the evidence for this statement?
Is this true for all people (for me, for my client, for other people I know)?
How can I use this information in my practice?
Is there anything left out of this argument?
What is the main point of this section?
Can I summarize the argument?
How does this relate to other evidence about this topic?
Hutchison, Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment, Fifth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications.