An essential text to help to understand human behavior and the processes that guide human adaptation

Social workers and therapists need to assess the full range of aspects of their client problems such as socioeconomic status, academic achievement, parental incarceration, psychopathology, and other risks. African American Behavior in the Social Environment: New Perspectives explores the latest empirical and theoretical findings of human behavior and resiliency in African American individuals, families, and communities. Leading scholars provide unique insights into African American mental health, gender relations, family interactions and dynamics, inequality, poverty, the balance between work and family, and nontraditional families. This important text discusses in detail the importance of understanding the processes that guide human adaptation and understanding the dynamics of how particular ethnic groups, cultures, and people use resources to adapt to certain circumstances that can be useful in assessment and treatment.

African American Behavior in the Social Environment: New Perspectives presents the analysis and research of several individuals in order to provide an understanding of how the concept of protective factors, racial identity, and racial socialization has been approached, the direction their insights have taken them, and the results of exploring the dynamics of African American behavior in relationship to environments.

Research discussed in African American Behavior in the Social Environment: New Perspectives include:

• socioeconomic status
• health disparity
• the impact of having incarcerated parents
• academic achievement gap
• kinship ties
• leadership development
• race identity and socialization
• suicide among African American adolescents
• Black churches impact in HIV/AIDS prevention
• culturally relevant mental health services
• gender and sexuality issues
• policy and practice
• and much more!

African American Behavior in the Social Environment: New Perspectives is an invaluable resource for counselors, marriage and family therapists, educators, and students in African American studies.