Human Behavior in the Social Environment from an African American Perspective

In Human Behavior in the Social Environment from an African American Perspective, leading black scholars come together to discuss complex human behavior problems faced by African Americans and to force the abandonment of conceptualization theories made without consideration of the Black experience. Challenging you to engage in different thinking and develop new theories for addressing the needs of African Americans, this book highlights the assets of black individuals, families, and communities and guides you through program interventions and public policies that strengthen and empower African Americans. You will learn to enhance your clients’coping strategies and resilience by factoring in their strengths rather than focusing on their weaknesses.Human Behavior in the Social Environment from an African American Perspective contextualizes community behavior patterns, gender roles, and changing contemporary identities to challenge your assumptions about African American culture and communities and convince you to rethink your intervention strategies and methods. To further help you fine-tune your service delivery, this book leads you through discussions on: help-seeking behaviors of young street males the association of sociocultural risk factors with suicides the use of emotive behavior therapy to help African Americans cope with the prospect of imminent death advocating for changes in institutions and systems which negatively impact the lives of the poor and the oppressed how social work has ignored one segment of the African American community--young girls in urban settings psychological consequences of coming of age in a hostile environmentSocial workers, community-based groups, policymakers, and other helping professionals owe it to their clients to shrug off culturally incompetent services and care. Using Human Behavior in the Social Environment from an African American Perspective as a guide, you will learn to redress your programs and policies with a sensitivity to the factors and mechanisms that maximize the buoyancy of disadvantaged groups over various stages of their life development.

Contents Preface Introduction Human Behavior Theory and the African American Experience The Black Family in the 21st Century and the Church as an Action System: A Macro Perspective Enhancing the Resilience of African American Families The Psychological Effects of Skin Color on African Americans’ Self Esteem Re-Gendering Social Work Practice and Education: The Case for African American Girls Teenage Black Girls and Violence: Coming of Age in an Urban Environment Young African American Males: Promoting Psychological and Social Well-Being Substance Abuse Among African American Children: A Developmental Framework for Identifying Intervention Strategies Cultural Alignment, African American Male Youths, and Violent Crime Black on Black Crime: Compensation for Idiomatic Purposelessness African American Street Gangs: A Quest for Identity A Postmodern Perspective on Black Suicides in the United States African American Gay Men and Lesbians: Examining the Complexity of Gay Identity Development The Adult Life Cycle of Poor African American Fathers Young African American Grandmothers: A Missed Developmental Stage Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in the Process of Dying: Focus on Aged African Americans and Latinos Index Reference Notes Included

Letha A See