Synopses & Reviews
HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE MACRO SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT: AN EMPOWERMENT APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND GROUPS offers a solid foundation for assessment of human behavior in macro settings. Best-selling author Karen Kirst-Ashman provides readers with practical and concrete ways of thinking about how macro systems affect human behavior, and how these influences have implications for macro social work practice. The book focuses on empowerment, building on the strengths of communities, organizations, and groups to promote change -- which lies at the heart of social work?s goals and central philosophies.
Synopsis
Best-selling author Karen Kirst-Ashman introduces you to the ins and outs of human behavior in macro settings in HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE MACRO SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT: AN EMPOWERMENT APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND GROUPS. The text challenges you to think critically about how macro systems affect human behavior and ultimately, the practice of social work. Kirst-Ashman focuses on empowerment, highlighting the ways that communities, organizations, and groups promote positive change by building upon their strengths -- taking you straight to the heart of what social work is all about.
About the Author
Karen K. Kirst-Ashman, BSW, MSSW, PhD, has been a full professor and was a former chairperson in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she taught for 28 years. She is certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Wisconsin. She has worked as a practitioner and administrator in child welfare and mental health agencies. She received the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1986 and the University Outstanding Teaching Award in 2007. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in addition to being an accreditation site visitor. She is also a current member of CSWE, BPD, and NASW. She has served on the Editorial Board of Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, and as a consulting editor for many social work journals, including the Journal of Social Work Education. She has written six social work textbooks in multiple editions and numerous publications, articles, and reviews concerning social work and women's issues.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Human Behavior in the Macro Social Environment. 2. Values and Principles That Guide Generalist Practice in the Macro Social Environment. 3. Human Behavior in Groups: Theories and Dynamics. 4. Types of Groups in the Macro Social Environment. 5. Knowledge and Theories About Organizations. 6. Social Service Organizational Settings, Goals, and Environmental Contexts. 7. Organizational Structures and Dynamics. 8. Human Behavior, Management, and Empowerment in Organizations. 9. Communities in the Macro Social Environment: Theories and Concepts. 10. Assessment of Geographic Communities and Empowerment. 11. Neighborhood Empowerment. 12. Diversity, Populations-At-Risk, and Empowerment in the Macro Social Environment. 13. Social Justice and the Global Community.