Social And Cultural Foundations Of Counseling and Human Services: Multiple Influences on Self-Concept Development

A basic premise of this new text is that such foundational knowledge includes learning about self-concept development within a cultural and sociological context and about the impact that both individual differences and collectivistic philosophies have on cultural and personal identity. It distinctively features a social psychology perspective of diversity, complemented by an understanding of self-concept theory and its interaction with other models of identity development.

Highlights of the First Edition:

• Maintains a balanced perspective on the impact of individualistic and collectivistic philosophies on a person's development.
• Utilizes a thorough treatment of social status variables that influence self-concept development, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation identity, family, aging, spirituality, physical ability and disability, and social class.
• Provides concrete examples through exercises and narratives to help students understand the impact of specific social and cultural influences on personal development (Chapters 5-9).
• Contains “Counseling Inferences” sections at the end of every chapter to help summarize chapter content in the context of what it means for practicing counselors and human service providers.
• Provides information on and access to numerous Web sites that contain social and cultural topics (Appendix A).