Human Behavior and Social Environment - Essay Example

Mindlessness on the other hand is an illusion people create for themselves that deceives them that they are in control of every situation which is not entirely the case. Mindlessness leads to an individual having a narrow self-image, they acquire learned helplessness and they often lose control leading to unintended cruelty.

A social worker that is mindful can handle the challenges that come with their work. They can for example convince patients about the importance of their health by appealing to their mindsets and using their innovation to assist them change their behavior for the better. By appealing to their minds, they will have led to a behavioral change (Langer, 2014).

Social Workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course. How does Life Course theory assist us in gaining, organizing, and using this critical information? How is Life Course theory different from traditional life-span theories? Provide clear examples to distinguish theories.

Life course theory discusses a variety of human concepts and does not limit itself to only a particular course. They handle concepts such as the social changes, the structural contexts, and the historical as well as socioeconomic context of their lives over some time. This, therefore, means that in analyzing the behavior of people using this theory, the social workers will cut across different disciplines from history to biology, sociology,  psychology, and even economics as they all affect human behavior throughout their life. People are therefore able to compartmentalize the information they receive throughout their life and assist in being mindful of what they do and say.

Traditional life span theories only focus on the developmental aspect of an individual’s life and hence they leave out other important aspects, especially the behavior of an individual in the present and future such as their socioeconomic status, their historical context over some time among others which might provide a clue on how to transform their behavior for the better in society (Schriver, 2015).

Social Workers recognize the extent to which cultural structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create enhance privilege and power. How does the section on "Islam and Spirituality" help you to understand the issues when working with families who identify as Islamic?

Islam is one of the religions in the world that is strict on its values and religious as well as cultural structures. They provide power to the men while at the same time marginalizing and oppressing their women who are considered subordinates and at a lower level in society and hence lacking any power (Schriver, 2015). When working with families that are Islamic as a social worker, it is important to understand that the man of the house always has the final word and the woman simply for aesthetical purposes when it comes to any power or decisions to be made. This, therefore, means that the social worker should learn to direct the important questions to the man of the family and not the woman as they simply cannot help them in any way (Schriver, 2015). This should also be respected by social workers as it is not only religion but culture as well.