Lesson 5 Discussion Think of a task that one of the social groups to which you belong is considered

Exploring Unintentional Racism:
The Case of Tim Hanks

by
Robert W. Grossman

Psychology Department, Kalamazoo College

Thomas E. Ford
Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University

Introduction
This case study is designed to help you explore your attitudes about race and learn about the complexity
of the concept of racism. The case consists of several parts, or sections. After reading each part, we will
discuss and also be writing about the issues raised in each part before moving on to the next segment of
the case. A handout follows Part III on the social psychology of attribution theory, the concept of
unintentional racism, and the idea of institutionalized racism.

While we are waiting to begin, please jot down a few notes about what comes to mind when you think of
racism.

After you have done this, introduce yourself to the people next to you and discuss your thoughts and
feelings concerning racism.

Some things you might want to think about include:

! How serious a problem do you think racism is in this society today?
! Is it worse or better than it was years ago?
! Have you experienced any incidents of racism?
! How do you distinguish between prejudice and discrimination?
! If you see these as problems, what are you doing to deal with them?

Please do not go on to the next section until asked by your instructor to do so!

Exploring Unintentional Racism: The Case of Tim Hanks
by

Robert W. Grossman, Psychology Department, Kalamazoo College
Thomas E. Ford, Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University

Part I—Tim Hanks
I was an instructor at a suburban community college in a unique program for students who had very
poor academic records in high school. As the social science instructor for 120 students, I worked to
coordinate my teaching with three other instructors; one each in natural science, the humanities, and
composition. Being a “sixties liberal,” I wanted to make a contribution to integration and take a strong
stand against racism. Tim Hanks, the only African-American student in my course, wasn’t helping any.
He attended class sporadically, turned assignments in late, missed others altogether, and performed
poorly on tests. When he did come to class, he was usually late and always left before I had a chance to
talk to him.

Like the other faculty in the program, I felt it was my responsibility to pull each student, regardless of
race, through. I wouldn’t lower standards but was prepared to do everything in my power to help all
students meet the requirements. Nothing that worked with other students seemed to work with Tim. He
made appointments to meet with me and his other instructors, only not to show up. Offers of extra time
and assistance on assignments didn’t help either. Attempts to call Tim at the phone number listed for
him with the college were unsuccessful; the number had been disconnected. Letters to his listed address
were returned as undeliverable.

Questions
Discuss the following with the people sitting next to you and look for as many different perspectives as
you can find.

1. What would be some of your thoughts about the possible reasons for Tim Hanks’ behavior?

2. If you were his teacher, what might you have done with him or any student who behaved this
way?

Please do not go on to the next section until asked by your instructor to do so!

Exploring Unintentional Racism: The Case of Tim Hanks
by

Robert W. Grossman, Psychology Department, Kalamazoo College
Thomas E. Ford, Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University

Part II—Turnaround
Eventually I came to the conclusion that Tim simply lacked the motivation to complete assignments and
attend class regularly. He didn’t have the academic skills to do the work nor the drive to correct his
deficiencies.

As the semester drew to a close, it was clear that Tim would fail the course. It was painful to flunk any
student but this was doubly so; something was obviously deficient in me. I didn’t have what it took to
succeed with African-American students. Shaking my head, I wrote an F on the grade sheet.

When I received my class list for the next semester I saw that Tim Hanks was in my class again. Feeling
somewhat uncomfortable I wondered why Tim didn’t try some other instructor. Tim obviously couldn’t
get motivated to do the work in my class the previous semester. Was he just a glutton for punishment?

Seven or eight weeks later Tim came in to get his midterm test from me. It was an A-. He had earned no
lower than a B+ on any of his assignments. As he sat down to talk (a big smile on his face after seeing
the grade on his midterm), I asked him, “What makes the difference between someone I had to fail last
winter and someone I’ll have to give an A to this fall?”

“I have a car,” he said.

“How can a car make such a difference?” I asked, puzzled.

“Well, I live downtown near the Art Center. In a car it’s a thirty minute trip. On a bus it’s an hour and
half both ways on a good day.” Embarrassed, he looked down at the floor as he said, “On a bad day I
would be OK till I got out here to Main Road. Then it would be hit or miss whether the bus drivers
would pick me up. A couple of them would even swerve to splash slush all over me. If they did, I’d feel
so bad I just got on a bus going back home.” When asked why he didn’t come in and tell me about these
difficulties he said, “I was so embarrassed about doing so poorly in your class I just couldn’t get myself
to come in.”

Questions
Discuss the following with the people sitting next to you and look for as many different perspectives as
you can find.

1. How would you have reacted to these explanations? How does this affect your thoughts about the
reasons for his behavior?

2. What would you have done next?

Please do not go on to the next section until asked by your instructor to do so!

Exploring Unintentional Racism: The Case of Tim Hanks
by

Robert W. Grossman, Psychology Department, Kalamazoo College
Thomas E. Ford, Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University

Part III—Racist?
I was crushed. I admitted to Tim that I had assumed he didn’t come to class regularly and had trouble
with his assignments because he didn’t like my class. Tim said, “Oh no! I really liked your course. It
was just first on my schedule and so, if even one driver didn’t pick me up, I couldn’t get to it on time.”

I didn’t say that I’d thought Tim had no motivation and poor academic skills. In fact, at that moment,
though I was too embarrassed to admit it to him, I realized how racist my assumptions were. Partly I was
projective because I attributed Tim’s behavior to the things that would have caused me to behave as he
had. If I didn’t get to class on time or failed to get my homework done, it would be due to my low
motivation. By implicitly assuming Tim was just like me, I had dramatically misunderstood Tim’s
behavior in a very racist way.

But worst of all was the realization that my attributions were simply intellectualized versions of
unconscious racist stereotypes about African-Americans. I’d thought, “Tim doesn’t have the academic
skills to do the work nor the drive and motivation to correct his deficiencies.” “Lack of academic skills”
was my way of covering the unconscious feeling that Tim wasn’t bright enough to do college work. In
essence I was saying he was lazy. If the school had consulted me on a decision to let Tim have a second
try, my attributions could have ruined Tim’s chances. Luckily they didn’t ask me. If he had come in to
see me during his first semester, would I have confronted him on his “low motivation”? Ironically he
missed his appointments so I didn’t confront him. If I had, what effect would that have had on him and
his willingness to relate to me in the future? Here I was, a “sixties liberal” and a self-convicted racist.

I wondered if my nonverbal communication gave Tim any hint of these underlying feelings. If so, did
they in any way contribute to his hesitancy to communicate about his transportation problems the term
before? As a clinical psychologist I would have to guess that my nonverbal signals, and those of my
colleagues, probably did contribute to Tim’s uneasiness. I wondered if my fear of making a mistake with
a minority person and deeper discomfort being around someone who looked so different made me more
hesitant to ask why he was having trouble in my class in the first place.

What I learned was one didn’t have to be a bigoted bus driver to be part of the system of racism. All I
had to do to was to make a “natural” “assumption of similarity” and give in to my “normal” fear of
difference. I didn’t have to hate African-Americans or consciously discriminate against them all. All I
had to be was myself, and the racism operated.

Questions
Discuss the following with the people sitting next to you and look for as many different perspectives as
you can find.

1. Do you agree with the instructor’s conclusion that he is a racist? Explain your answer.

2. How is prejudice different from discrimination? For example, would you have considered the
instructor racist if he had told the readmission committee about his view of Tim as lacking
academic skills and the motivation to improve them? Would you consider the instructor racist if
he had confronted Tim on his low motivation?

3. Find someone who disagrees with you. Write out their definition of racism and compare it with
yours. Do they disagree? If so, on what dimensions? Do they agree? If so, along what dimensions?

4. How would you characterize the difference between the racism of the bus drivers and the racism
of the instructor? Are both kinds equally prevalent in our society, and to what degree are they both
destructive?

5. Can you think of any examples of racism in your experience? How are they similar to and
different from this example? Was your experience nearer the “bus driver” end of the racism
continuum or more like the instructor’s “racism”?

6. Take some time to think back and see where your attitudes toward African-Americans may have
come from. Do you remember the first time you met or saw an African-American? Were your
views affected at all by the television, newspapers, and movies you saw as a youngster? What
were your later experiences like?

Please do not go on to the next section until asked by your instructor to do so!

Exploring Unintentional Racism: The Case of Tim Hanks
by

Robert W. Grossman, Psychology Department, Kalamazoo College
Thomas E. Ford, Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University

Three Theories from Social Psychology That Are Useful in
Understanding Our Reactions to This Case
One theory that helps make sense of our reactions to this case was developed in the research of Gaertner
and Dovidio (1986). Gaertner and Dovidio distinguish between aversive racism or unintentional racism
and old-fashioned, or blatant racism. In contrast to old-fashioned racism, which is characterized by
overt hatred for and discrimination against African-Americans or other minorities, aversive racism is
characterized by more complex, ambivalent racial attitude. On the one hand, aversive racists are well-
intentioned people who typically (1) avoid acting in a racist manner, (2) support public policies that
promote racial equality, (3) sympathize with victims of past injustice, (4) identify with liberal political
agendas, (5) possess strong egalitarian values, and (6) regard themselves as non-prejudiced. On the other
hand, aversive racists almost unavoidably possess negative feelings and beliefs about African-
Americans (it may be built into the social fabric of our minds). In contrast to the old-fashioned racist,
however, the negative feelings experienced by aversive racists are not hatred and animosity toward
African-Americans, but rather discomfort, uneasiness, or fear in the presence of African-Americans
(which may be built on our biologically based fear of strangers). In addition, this negative affect is
frequently unacknowledged or dissociated from the self because it conflicts with one’s egalitarian self-
concept and value system.

Because aversive racists are concerned with maintaining an egalitarian self-concept, they typically do
not consciously or intentionally discriminate against African-Americans. The negative affect underlying
the racial attitude of aversive racists, then, is likely to influence behavior in subtle, unconscious, and
unintentional ways. That is, the aversive racist is likely to discriminate against African-Americans only
in situations in which discriminatory behavior can be easily rationalized, such as when the norms for
what is appropriate (non-racist) behavior are unclear (Gaertner, 1973), or when there are nonracial
justifications for one’s discriminatory behavior (Gaertner & Dovidio, 1977). People may unconsciously
and unintentionally discriminate against African-Americans even while consciously making every effort
to behave in a non-racist manner.

A second set of ideas that are helpful here are from attribution theory and the concept of fundamental
attribution error (FAE). This framework helps us understand the racist implications of the way the
professor thought about Tim Hanks. This theory explores how we account for or explain the causes of
behavior we perceive. The process of trying to account for cause is called the attribution process.
Researchers in this area point out that one may conclude that a given behavior is either indicative of the
actor’s disposition (i.e., personality, attitudes, etc.) or the situation in which the behavior was performed
(e.g., Jones & Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1967). The FAE was then introduced as the natural tendency to
unknowingly overestimate the extent to which another person’s behavior is indicative of his or her
disposition and underestimate the extent to which it is indicative of the situation (e.g., Fiske & Taylor,
1984).

It is argued that the FAE can have racist implications because whites are more likely to make derogatory
dispositional attributions for negative behaviors performed by an African-American versus another
white person. For instance, in one small class of undergraduate students that did this case, 29 students

proposed a total of 77 different explanations for Tim’s behavior. Of those 77 explanations, 59 (77%)
suggested dispositional causes whereas only 18 suggested situational causes. At least one dispositional
cause was listed by 27 of 29 students, and 18 (67%) students proposed only dispositional causes.

Some of the more popular attributions were: (1) Tim did not like the class, (2) Tim lacked motivation,
(3) Tim was embarrassed by his poor performance, (4) Tim was shy, (5) Tim was lazy, and (6) Tim was
irresponsible. Only 11 students mentioned even a single situational cause for Tim’s behavior, and each
of those students also listed at least one dispositional cause. In addition, the situational causes listed
tended to be more vague and abstract than dispositional causes. For example, one student making a
situation attribution said “there might be something else going on in his life besides the class.” Four
other students thought that Tim might have “family problems.” Interestingly, none of the students
reported racism as a possible cause for Tim’s difficulties.

A third concept from social psychology that is important here is institutionalized racism (Jones, 1991,
pp. 610-611). Although this concept applies more to organizations than to individuals, this case can be
used to see how a person can unintentionally contribute to decisions that have racist consequences. In
particular, if the professor in our case were invited to sit in on a readmission decision for Tim, he might
offer his opinion that Tim just lacked the motivation, skills or appropriate self-discipline to be a part of
the program. Based on that view, the admissions committee might deny Tim a second opportunity to
take courses. This would appear to the admissions committee to be a fair, color-blind and therefore non-
racist decision. In fact, because the environmental conditions are quite different for Tim than they would
be for a Caucasian student, the decision would have a racist or discriminatory effect. In other words,
“color-blind” usually means that we treat people as if they were white-middle-class or even white-upper-
middle-class. The existence of institutional racism makes it important that we all examine our academic
policies to see if there are any negative racial, social, or ethnic effects. If there are, then we need to
examine our assumptions about how level the playing field really is. Making fair, seemingly race-blind
decisions may actually lead to racist policies and we might be overlooking unique barriers to success.
This case suggests that it is valuable to recognize social category memberships like race, and examine
those memberships for the constraints, benefits, and perspectives that go along with them.

Some discussion questions for these three ideas from social psychology include:

1. How does the concept of “aversive racism” fit your reactions in this case? (Fit reactions in your
teaching?)

2. Do discomfort, uneasiness, and /or fear characterize your reaction when in the presence of
African-Americans and other underrepresented groups?

3. Does your behavior ever unintentionally end up discriminating against members of
underrepresented groups?

4. Were the responses of the instructor in this case more dispositional or situational? List each of his
attributions and decide which type they were.

5. Can you find examples of situational and dispositional attributions in your responses to this case?
Which type predominates?

6. Do you see that the professor’s behavior with the admissions committee could have been an
example of institutionalized racism? Can you think of any other policies that might have this
effect?

7. Does emphasis on “academic rigor” ever have a discriminatory effect in courses?

A second set of discussion questions (if there is time) related to Tim Hanks being the only African-
American in a class of 120 students include:

1. How do you think being the only African-American in a class of 120 affected Tim? How do you
think you would you feel if you were Tim?

2. How do you think this affected the way other students perceived him?

3. Why would it have been hard for Tim to find a friend to ride with? Or a group to study with? Or
someone to get notes from?

4. Do you think Tim would have been looked at as the spokesperson and/or example for minorities
in the class?

References
! Fiske, S.T., and S.E. Taylor. 1984. Social Cognition. New York, NY: Random House.

! Ford, T. E., R.W. Grossman, and E.A. Jordan. 1997. Teaching about unintentional racism in
introductory psychology. Teaching of Psychology 24(3):186-188.

! Gaertner, S.L. 1973. Helping behavior and racial discrimination among Liberals and
Conservatives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 25:335-341.

! Gaertner, S.L., and J.F. Dovidio. 1977. The subtlety of white racism, arousal and helping
behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 35:691-707.

! Gaertner, S.L., and J.F. Dovidio. 1986. The aversive form of racism. In: J.F. Dovidio and S.L.
Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, Discrimination and Racism: Theory and Research. Orlando, FL:
Academic Press, pp. 61-89.

! Jones, E.E., and K.E. David. 1965. From acts to dispositions: The attribution process in person
perception. In: L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. New York:
Academic Press, vol. 2, pp. 219-266.

! Jones, R.L. 1991. Racism: A cultural analysis of the problem. In: R.L. Jones (Ed.), Black
Psychology 3rd edition. Berkeley, CA: Cobb & Henry Publishers, pp. 610-636.

! Kelley, H.H. 1967. Attribution theory in social psychology. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation
14:192-241.

Date Posted: 01/26/04 nas

Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/racism/racism.asp

Copyright © 2003 by the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. Please see our usage guidelines, which
outline our policy concerning permissible reproduction of this work.

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I

Human Behavior and the
Social Environment I

SUSAN TYLER

U N I V E R S I T Y O F A R K A N S A S L I B R A R I E S

F AY E T T E V I L L E , A R

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I by Susan Tyler is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License,
except where otherwise noted.

All content CC BY-NC-SA unless otherwise noted.

Contents

Introduction 1

Attributions 6

Part I. The Person in Environment

Chapter 1: How We Use Our Expectations 25

Part II. The Biopsychosocial Dimension

Chapter 2: Lifespan Theories 79

Part III. The Sociocultural Dimension

Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives 105

Chapter 4: The Elements of Culture 120

Part IV. The Social Change Dimension

Chapter 5: Social Categorization & Stereotyping 161

Chapter 6: In-group Favoritism & Prejudice 191

Chapter 7: Reducing Discrimination 210

Chapter 8: Racial & Ethnic Inequality 233

Part V. Pre-Pregnancy & Prenatal Development

Chapter 9: Heredity, Prenatal Development, &

Birth

Heredity 280

Prenatal Development 291

Birth 320

279

Part VI. Development in Infancy & Toddlerhood

Chapter 10: Physical Development in Infancy &

Toddlerhood

347

Chapter 11: Cognitive Development in Infancy &

Toddlerhood

387

Chapter 12: Psychosocial Development in Infancy

& Toddlerhood

Infant Emotions 429

Forming Attachments 433

425

Part VII. Development in Early Childhood

Chapter 13: Physical Development in Early

Childhood

465

Chapter 14: Cognitive Development in Early

Childhood

502

Chapter 15: Psychosocial Development in Early

Childhood

551

Part VIII. Development in Middle Childhood

Chapter 16: Physical Development in Middle

Childhood

603

Chapter 17: Cognitive Development in Middle

Childhood

630

Chapter 18: Psychosocial Development in Middle

Childhood

690

Part IX. Development in Adolescence

Chapter 19: Physical Development in Adolescence 733

Chapter 20: Cognitive Development in

Adolescence

763

Chapter 21: Psychosocial Development in

Adolescence

786

Part X. Development in Early Adulthood

Chapter 22: Physical Development in Early

Adulthood

815

Chapter 23: Cognitive Development in Early

Adulthood

861

Chapter 24: Psychosocial Development in Early

Adulthood

897

Part XI. Development in Middle Adulthood

Chapter 25: Physical Development in Middle

Adulthood

959

Chapter 26: Cognitive Development in Middle

Adulthood

1023

Chapter 27: Psychosocial Development in Middle

Adulthood

1064

Part XII. Development in Late Adulthood

Chapter 28: Physical Development in Late

Adulthood

1135

Chapter 29: Cognitive Development in Late

Adulthood

1197

Chapter 30: Psychosocial Development in Late

Adulthood

1245

Additional Resources 1299

Adopt this book! 1302

Why do people do the things they do?

That’s what we are here to find out – Human Behavior and the
Social Environment (HBSE) – How do they connect? How does it
shape us? Why do we think and feel the way we do?

This will be explored throughout this course by examining human

behavior throughout life stage developments and our interactions

with the social environment. This course will explore theoretical

perspectives in Social Work to help provide a foundation for

organizing thoughts about client needs and issues they are seeking

supports for. Theories will then be connected to important

developmental, social, and cultural issues that present throughout

each stage of life to create an overall picture of a client’s experience

and how we can use this information to have a better understanding

of how people we work with are influenced and why. Knowledge of

typical development in each stage of life will also inform the Social

Worker if any other supports, resources, or services may be needed.

“Social workers are knowledgeable about human

behavior across the life course; the range of social

systems in which people live; and the ways social

systems promote or deter people in maintaining or

achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply

theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to

understand biology, social, cultural, psychological and

spiritual development.” – CSWE (2008, p.6)

There is no single definition for HBSE. I encourage you to think

Introduction | 1

about what it means to you. In Social Work, rarely do we work with

people whose problems are straightforward. Typically we encounter

problems that are complex and interconnected on several levels

and require looking at the relationships between behaviors and

environments. We like to explore as much as possible in Social

Work and use of theories within various dimensions (biological,

psychological, social, and spiritual) allows us to have a broader

knowledge base in several different areas to have a better

understanding and ability to “put it all together” to assess and

intervene with client concerns.

We will utilize vignettes to work in connecting each theory,

approach, perspective, and life stage of development throughout

this course. Each section will begin with a vignette that will be

incorporated throughout to demonstrate examples of each concept

(that is not covered in your readings). Life stage development

vignettes will be used as an “unfolding case” to allow you to work in

critical thinking of how the theories, approaches, and perspectives

connect throughout each life stage.

Social Work Values:

Service – engage in this by helping people address
and hopefully resolve their problems/concerns – also

engage in service through volunteering time to

organizations within the community (boards, mentoring

programs, etc).

Social Justice – advocate and fight against social
injustices for individuals/groups – generally focusing in

areas of poverty, discrimination, education,

unemployment, etc.

2 | Introduction

Integrity – We must always work to be trustworthy,
honest, and responsible in our work and with our

clients.

Competence – always strive to improve our
knowledge and expertise through continuous learning

and education.

Human relationships – connect as partners
throughout the process – also work to improve

relationships within the client’s system to help improve

overall functioning through increased connections/

supports.

Dignity – value and respect each person we meet and
engage with compassion and respect.

Critical Thinking Skills:

What is it?

• Reasoning – interest in the unknown – what’s
going?

• Evaluating – challenging appearances – what do
you think you see vs what you actually see?

• Problem-solving/decision making – explore all
sides and determine the best decision.

Introduction | 3

• Analyzing – how do they connect? What does it
all mean? How does it all add up? Best decision?

Time for reflection.

Why is this important?

1. Theories, approaches, and perspectives help lay the foundation

for any realistic and rational practice in any field. Our

professional values lay the foundation on which social work’s

mission is based. They help guide us in decision making as they

are directed towards a specific purpose and help us to grow

and develop.

2. Justification for your decisions – we must use critical thinking

skills to explore and process how decisions may impact our

clients and we must be able to discuss how our decisions were

determined.

About the Author:

Susan Tyler, MSW, LCSW – Clinical Assistant Professor, University

of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

Professor Tyler has been teaching at the School of Social Work

since Spring 2018. Before joining the School of Social Work, she

worked in a community based mental health agency for over 10

years with a focus in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

and School-Based Mental Health services revolving around issues

4 | Introduction

related to trauma, abuse, attachment, anxiety, depression, domestic

violence, foster care, adjustments, disruptive behaviors, and ADHD,

through use of play therapy techniques and dyadic interventions.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
“You can do it” – Rob Schneider

References:

CSWE Commission on Accreditation. (2008). EPAS Handbook.

Council on Social Work Education.

Introduction | 5

Attributions

The Meaning Behind This Book

I began my career in Social Work working in the mental health field

with a focus in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. I realized

during this time just how much a person’s experiences and their

environments impacted all aspects of their lives, including why they

made the choices or responded the way they did. After a little over

a decade of mental health work, I had an opportunity to make a

change in my career and joined the world of academia. During my

first semester teaching, I became aware of the Open Educational

Resources at our university and immediately thought of the benefits

of transitioning this course with providing a free, online accessible

textbook that would support both students and instructors alike

in exploring human behavior, social environment, and life stage

development. I began working with the University library system to

compile different chapters from different open and free textbooks

from other disciplines and then added original content to support

connection to Social Work foundations and practice in the first

four sections, as well as creating vignettes to use throughout each

section. This text will support the reader with a deeper

understanding of Social Work theories, perspectives, and

approaches, life stage development, and connection of how they are

utilized in organizing, assessing, and planning for client support.

It is my hope you will come away from this course seeing others

through a lens of empathy, compassion, and curiosity, stopping to

ask yourself, “what must they have experienced in their life?” to

gain a better understanding before jumping to conclusions or

assumptions of others.

“We are all unique. Don’t judge, understand instead.” ~ Roy T.
Bennett

6 | Attributions

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I is adapted from

various work produced and distributed under the Creative

Commons License. Below, is the list of all adapted chapters used in

the making of this book.

Cover Image: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
Chapter 1: Adapted from Chapter 2.2 from Principles of Social

Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative

Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

International License, except where otherwise noted.

Chapter 2: Adapted from Chapter 9.2: Lifespan Theories
in OpenStax, Psychology. OpenStax CNX. Oct 2, 2019

http://cnx.org/contents/
[email protected] Download for free
at http://cnx.org/contents/
[email protected]

Chapter 3: Adapted from Theoretical Perspectives by Rice
University under the Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial 4.0 license.

Chapter 4: Adapted from Chapter 3.2 from Sociology by the
University of Minnesota under the Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where

otherwise noted.

Chapter 5: Adapted from Chapter 12.1 from Principles of Social
Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative

Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

International License, except where otherwise noted.

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Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative

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International License, except where otherwise noted.

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Psychology by the University of Minnesota under the Creative

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Chapter 8: Adapted from Chapter 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8

Attributions | 7

from Social Problems by the University of Minnesota under the

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

International License, except where otherwise noted.

Chapter 9: Adapted from Chapter 2 from Lifespan Development:
A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by Martha Lally and

Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative Commons

Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported license.

Chapter 10 – 12: Adapted from Chapter 3 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Chapter 13 – 15: Adapted from Chapter 4 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Chapter 16 – 18: Adapted from Chapter 5 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Chapter 19 – 21: Adapted from Chapter 6 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Chapter 22 – 24: Adapted from Chapter 7 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Chapter 25 – 27: Adapted from Chapter 8 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

8 | Attributions

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Chapter 28 – 30: Adapted from Chapter 9 from Lifespan
Development: A Psychological Perspective Second Edition by

Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French under the Creative

Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported

license.

Attributions | 9

PART I

THE PERSON IN
ENVIRONMENT

Learning Objectives:

• Explore the Person in Environment Approach

• Describe the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro

Approach

• Describe the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual

Approach

• Describe Systems Theory

• Describe Ecological Theory

• Describe Ecosystems Theory

• Introduce Strengths Perspective

The Person in Environment | 11

Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash

Vignette

Jason’s parents have been

called by the school social

worker to discuss concerns

related to fighting with a peer

and declining grades. His

parents also report concerns at

home with poor sibling

relationships, anger issues, and

“a bad attitude, always talking

back, never listening or doing

what we ask him to do”. They report a long family history of substance

abuse and mental health issues (anxiety and depression). They report

increased concerns related to this as they recently found marijuana in

Jason’s room. Jason (14 y/o) reports “My parents don’t know what

they’re talking about. My little brother and sister just get me in trouble

because I don’t let them touch my stuff, besides, my parents don’t care,

they don’t listen to me, they just want me to do what they say. And I

don’t see what the big deal is with me smoking a little weed, it helps

me feel better and not be so mad all the time.”

What comes to mind when you hear
Person-In-Environment?

This approach is the concept that people can be heavily influenced

by their environment. It highlights the importance of understanding

an individual and their behavior through their environment. A

person’s environment, along with their experiences, will help shape

the way they view the world, how they think, and why they respond

the way they do. In Social Work, gathering information from our

clients is a foundation piece of the work we do and knowing what

12 | The Person in Environment

information to seek and how to organize it is like gathering pieces

of a puzzle and working to put them together to get the whole

picture (or at least as much of it as we can). This lesson will begin to

introduce some particular approaches, perspectives, and theories

that help build the lens and foundation of the Social Work

profession.

Micro, Mezzo, and Macro

We will first start with the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Approach. This
is simply looking at levels within a person’s system, which will help

give you some direction in what supports may be needed.

The Micro-level represents individual needs and involves direct
interactions with clients, which is the most common type of social

work. This level explores aspects related to biology, psychological

needs, social (peer) and interpersonal (family) relationships or

supports, and spiritual beliefs.

Jason’s micro level – Biologically no physical health

issues have been reported but some concerns may be

related to how use of marijuana may affect his physical

health. He is an adolescent which means his body

continues to experience hormonal and physical changes.

Family reports history of substance abuse issues as well as

struggles with mental health issues, which may indicate

possible genetic connections to be explored. This may also

be connected to psychological needs as he may be

experiencing anxiety or depressive symptoms or if he

reports use of marijuana as a coping mechanism. He is

The Person in Environment | 13

also reported to present with anger, fighting with his

siblings and struggling with strained family relationships.

This connects us to social aspects, exploring how he

identifies his relationships and supports. No spiritual

beliefs were reported in the vignette but would need to be

explored when meeting with Jason.

The Mezzo-level represents connections or interactions with small
groups, such as family, schools, churches, neighborhoods,

community organizations, and peers/co-workers.

Jason’s mezzo level – Here we would look further into

how his relationships and interactions with various

groups impact him – family, peers, school staff/faculty,

possible spiritual affiliation/church, and any community

groups or organizations he identifies being connected

with.

The Macro-level represents connections to systemic issues within
large systems, such as laws/legislation, policy, healthcare systems,

and international associations. This level also explores ethical

frameworks, historical impacts of group experiences, and how

discrimination and prejudice can impact marginalized populations.

Jason’s macro level – Education/school policies, mental

health policies, healthcare systems, culture and historical

14 | The Person in Environment

impacts of group experiences, drug laws and policies, and

possible discrimination and prejudice impacts need to be

explored.

It is important to remember to explore the interconnectedness and

interactions between what information is presenting on each level

for the person and how this may have an impact on their functioning

and development within their environment.

Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual

The Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Approach assesses levels of
functioning within biological, psychological, social, and spiritual

dimensions (and how they are connected) to help understand

human behavior. This approach includes much of the same

information you will find in the Micro level but we are wanting

to take a deeper look at how the individual is functioning in each

dimension as well as how they can impact one another.

The Biological component includes aspects related to overall
health, physical abilities, weight, diet, lifestyle, medication/

substance use, gender, and genetic connections/vulnerabilities.

Jason’s biological aspects – No concerns with overall

physical health, developmental aspects of adolescence

need to be considered, substance use concerns and

impacts, identifies as male, and possible genetic

The Person in Environment | 15

connections/vulnerabilities (substance abuse, anxiety,

depression, or any other family history of concern).

The Psychological component includes aspects related to mental
health, self-esteem, attitudes/beliefs, temperament, coping skills,

emotions, learning, memory, perceptions, and personality.

Jason’s psychological aspects – Anger, substance use

concerns and impacts, possible esteem issues, poor coping

skills and emotional regulation, cognitive development

and any related concerns, personality and temperament

characteristics, and explorations of how he perceives his

world.

The Social component includes aspects related to peer and family
relationships, social supports, cultural traditions, education,

employment/job security, socioeconomic status, and societal

messages.

Jason’s social aspects – Strained family relationships,

school relationships/educational supports, exploration of

socioeconomic impacts, exploration of cultural traditions,

16 | The Person in Environment

and identification/exploration of peer relationships and

supports.

The Spiritual component includes aspects related to spiritual or
religious beliefs, or belief in a “higher being” or higher power they

feel connected to or supported by.

Jason’s spiritual aspects – No spiritual aspects were

reported but we would want to explore what this means

to Jason. Does he identify with a church, religion, or

higher power/being? What does it mean to him? Does it

bring any support and comfort or is it causing increased

stress as he is working to “figure out what it all means”?

Looking at each dimension of the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual

Approach allows you to engage in a more holistic exploration and

assessment of a person as it examines and connects four important

domains of their life.

Systems Theory

Systems Theory states behavior is influenced by a result of factors
that work together as a system and are interconnected – each part

plays an important role in the function of the whole, and the whole

in turn supports and sustains the parts. A person’s family, friends,

school, work, economic class, home environment, and other factors

all influence how a person thinks and acts. A social worker must

The Person in Environment | 17

observe and assess all of the systems a person experiences, as they

contribute to their behavior and well-being, and work to strengthen

those systems as they are connected and influence one another.

This is used to develop a holistic view of individuals within their

environment, which is then used to lead to the most appropriate

practice intervention.

Within Systems Theory we will also explore roles (routine tasks

and behaviors of people within a system). We all have roles and

engage in them whether we recognize it or not. Some examples of

roles are leader, caretaker, parent, child, sibling, enabler, scapegoat,

citizen, spouse, and worker. Many people feel their roles identify

them. This may reinforce behaviors when positive feelings or

experiences are associated with the role(s) or maybe a motivator for

change when the role(s) are connected to more negative feelings or

experiences. Knowing what roles a person is engaged in, and how

they perceive each role, will support your work in understanding

their experiences and what needs are presenting.

Ecological Theory

Ecological Theory focuses on the interaction between the
individual and their environment. It discusses the active

involvement of people with their environments and development as

well as both (environment/development) continuously changing.

“Thoughts become perception, Perception becomes reality. Alter
your thoughts, Alter your reality.” ~ William James

An important reminder of this theory is to remember the

importance of perception – how people perceive or interpret their

environment and experiences influences their overall functioning

or well-being. This is also regardless of how problems or concerns

may appear to the social worker. You will need to explore how the

client views their situation before assuming certain situations are

problematic. We need to try and see it through their eyes and get

18 | The Person in Environment

an understanding of how they were feeling. It is their story and

their reality. In social work practice, this can best be understood by

looking at individuals, families, policies, communities, and cultures

and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the transactional

processes between the systems.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model used to
explore Ecosystems Theory:

https://www.slideshare.net/CLMontecarlo/

bronfenbrenner-ecological-theory-54149823

Bronfenbrenner believed an individual’s development was affected

by everything in their surrounding environment and divided the

environment into five different levels: the microsystem, the

mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the

chronosystem.

The microsystem is the system closest to the individual and the
one in which they have direct interactions. Some examples include

home, school, or work. A microsystem typically includes family,

peers, or caregivers. Relationships in a microsystem are bi-

directional, meaning, how you respond and react to the people will

affect their response and reaction to you. This is the most influential

level within the theory.

The mesosystem is where a person’s individual microsystems are
interconnected and influence one another. These interactions have

an indirect impact on the individual, which can be positive or

negative depending on the elements of the system working together

(positive) or working against each other (negative).

The exosystem refers to a setting in which the person is not
an active participant, but still affects them. This includes decisions

The Person in Environment | 19

that affect a person, but they have no decision-making abilities. An

example of this would be a child affected by a parent losing a job.

The macrosystem is the cultural environment in which the
person lives and all other systems that affect them such as economy,

cultural values, and political systems.

The chronosystem encompasses transitions and shifts
throughout a person’s life. It looks at the timing of the event in

relation to a person’s development, such as how death affects

children of different ages. Historical events that occur during a

person’s life are also explored such as the impacts of the September

11th attacks.

Jason’s story – With use of Systems Theory, we will

want to look at aspects of micro, mezzo, and macro levels

as well as bio-psycho-social-spiritual dimensions above

and how they interact and influence one another. Here we

will also explore what roles Jason feels he engages in (son,

brother, student, friend) as well as roles he may not

recognize or identify (leader, caretaker (if he is asked to

help with caring for younger siblings), or role model). We

will also want to explore how Jason perceives each role

(positive or negative) to gain a better understanding of his

experience and work in supporting his needs. With use of

Ecological Theory, we add the addition of looking at how

development and environment continue to grow and

change, and how this continues to impact our clients as

they engage within their systems. Ecosystems Theory

takes from both Systems Theory and Ecological Theory,

combining major tenets from each and providing us the

opportunity to look deeper into the complexity of each

network a client experiences and gain a better

20 | The Person in Environment

understanding of how they interact and impact one

another.

Strengths Perspective

A foundational perspective of Social Work is the Strengths
Perspective. All people have strengths and abilities that allow them
to grow and adapt. This perspective takes the focus off the problem

and allows us to identify ways for clients to use their strengths

in achieving their goals. Clients are seen as the experts of their

experiences. We utilize their insights to explore times of resiliency

and partner with them to identify supports and solutions and help

support their ability to grow. It is also important to remember to

evaluate the environment for possible barriers and impacts while

assessing needs and strengths.

The Person in Environment | 21

A YouTube element has been excluded from this version of the

text. You can view it online here: https://uark.pressbooks.pub/

hbse1/?p=3

Jason’s Strengths – Family support, both biological

parents in home and still together, awareness of family

history, school supports, able bodied, no developmental

delays reported (but should be explored if any concerns

connected to this), has found a coping skills (even if it is

not the most appropriate way, he is engaging in some self

regulation work), and was able to engage with the school

Social Worker during their meeting instead of remaining

closed off and refusing to speak.

22 | The Person in Environment

What other strengths can you identify?

How would you work to explore and …