Dimensions of Human The Changing Life Course, Second Edition presents a life course perspective to help students recognize how multiple dimensions of person and environment work together with dimensions of time to produce patterns in unique life course journeys. It examines general patterns of human behavior in age-graded periods, sources of diversity in life course trajectories, and unique life stories. It is multidimensional in scope and current in theory and research. This completely revised second edition maintains the use of case studies to help students appreciate the diversity of life course trajectories, and all chapters have been updated to reflect social trends and new developments in theory and research.
To reflect the trend toward finer gradations in life phases, this edition addresses nine age-graded periods instead of the six presented in the first Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth; Infancy and Toddlerhood; Early Childhood; Middle Childhood; Adolescence; Young Adulthood; Middle Adulthood; Late Adulthood; and Very Late Adulthood.
The Changing Life Course is the companion volume to Person and Environment (ISBN 0-7619-8765-7). The two volumes are also available as a Two-Volume Kit (ISBN 0-7619-8803-3). An Instructor′s Manual containing chapter summaries, suggested classroom activities and discussions, and essay and multiple choice questions is also available ( 0-7619-8804-1).
-I read this book for a MSW course and yet I realize this would have been better paired with the previously read "Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment." The information seemed repetitive, yet I am sure if paired together the texts may have flowed nicely. -It was helpful to see a collection of many theories together in one place, especially the charts which were both organized and clear. These were helpful reminders of information by popular theorists, tying together many theories that I hadn't fully organized in this way before. -It was frustrating to purchase this book after realizing that I know this information from previous textbooks, research articles, and courses I have taken!
I was assigned this book as part of my Master of Social Work coursework ("Human Development"). This was my one textbook that I looked forward to reading each week. It does a good job of highlighting the developmental issues of each age range and goes into an appropriate amount of depth without becoming too verbose. However, as with most social science textbooks, some parts lacked relevancy due to our quickly changing social environment.