Human Behavior in Social Environments: Approaches to Understanding, Exams of Psychology

Download Human Behavior in Social Environments: Approaches to Understanding and more Exams Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 2 - Human Behavior in the Social Environment Person-In Environment Approach - comprehensive approach describing human behavior and problems in relation to their interaction with the environment. Systems Approach - Interrelated aspects of clients' lived which function as an integrated whole. Ex. human body and its processes, or families and communities. Micro, Mezzo, Macro - views people as active agents whose lives, relationships and environments are interdependent. (exemplifies the person in environment) Micro level - facets of an individual such as biological, psychological, developmental, spiritual, emotional, cognitive, recreational, and financial aspects of personality and individual functioning considered vital to a person's well-being. Includes age, income, gender and ethnic background. Mezzo level - Elements in a person's immediate environment, family, friends, coworkers, neighborhood, work environment, church activities, local resources and services. Macro level - larger social forced, government policy, discrimination, oppression, social policy, economic condition, societal values, and historical events. Critique of micro, mezzo, macro - - endless list of things to explore - too many issues, too little time - can't be empirically tested - no valid or reliable way to measure effectiveness benefits of micro, mezzo, macro - - helps social workers address complex lives - takes blame off client and instead looks for causes of problems - lends itself to macrolevel focus Biopsychosocial approach - breaks down human behavior into components involving biological, psychological, and social functioning. Individual focused. biological level (biopsychosocial) - diet, health, exercise patterns, sexual functioning, medication and substance use, and family health and genetic history. psychological level (biopsychsocial) - self-esteem, coping skills, mental health, personality, characteristics, family history or mental illness, spiritual development, and cognitive and emotional development. social level (biopsychosocial) - work stability, engagement with social activities and recreation, relationships with family, friends and coworkers. Critiquing biopsychosocial approach - - too narrow when used by itself - too problem-oriented and not focus on people's strengths - focuses entirely on individual who is facing the problem - perpetuates social issues that contribute to an individual's problems. genograms (systems theory) - visual representation of family system, both how it's structured and how dynamics play out. Includes symbols to denote key events, characteristics, relationships, health and mental issues. ecomaps (systems theory) - demonstrate how family member are affected by, and react to, their broader ecological context. Includes systems which the family is involved such as schools, churches, medical clinics, media exposure. Critique of Systems theory - - not easy to identify all systems influencing client's life. - difficult to test empirically, especially when predicting behavior - too problem oriented - less likely for social workers to attend to biological aspects - may overlook past functioning that's relevant. Ecological Theory - explains human development by describing aspects of the individual, the environment, and the interaction between the two. People play an active role in their development. Influenced equally by nature and nurture. Fundamental tenant of Ecological Theory - people place meaning on events that happen to them and the way they interpret these events in the context of their environments have a major impact on how these events influence their well-being. microsystem (ecological theory) - consists of roles and relationships that a person has in the immediate environment. home, school, work and neighborhood. mesosystem (ecological theory) - focus on interactions among two or more environmental settings in which people live. a system of microsystems. EX: dynamic between person's work and home lives impacting one another. exosystem (ecological theory) - social settings in which things happen that affect people. EX: policy decisions about school closures in a community. macrosystem (ecological theory) - larger cultural factors that affect a person's environment and how they affect a person's development. laws, political philosophy and cultural beliefs. transactions (ecological theory) - positive and negative exchanges with others. energy (ecological theory) - takes form of input and output. education, services or health benefits are inputs; spending time or money on a family member's care or a neighborhood renewal project are examples of output. adaptation (ecological theory) - ability of individuals to adjust to their environments coping (ecological theory) - ways in which individuals deal with negatives events and situations. interdependence (ecological theory) - reciprocal and mutually reliant relationships that people have with one another and their environments. social environment (ecological theory) - conditions, circumstances, and human interactions that encompass human beings. critiquing ecological theory - - endless number of areas in each level that could be assessed. -difficult to test empirically - does not pay attention to biological aspects of clients Ecosystems theory - combining ecological and systems theories. - look at interactions and interdependecne between person and environment. - view interactions and relationships as dynamic Strengths perspective - based on assumption that all human beings have capacity for growth, change, and adaptation. examining skills, talents, resources, abilities and goals. critique of strengths perspective - -ignores impacts of inequality -promotes idea that self-esteem alone can promote well-being - assumes that communities and other resources are inherently good - social workers can define strengths differently. - social workers who want to use may not be taken seriously.