Finding Solutions to Social Problems

This work applies the powerful tool of behaviour analysis to some of the most pressing and intractable of contemporary social problems - like teen pregnancy, youth violence, racism and drug abuse. While there has been substantial research in the field of behavioural science, this is the first volume that brings together this conceptual and empirical material in ways that are useful for clinical practice, policy making and community interventions. The volume begins with three chapters that provide readers with the theoretical underpinning of behaviour analysis and include discussions of cultural design, ethical considerations, and the contingencies of social welfare policy. Each of the following 11 chapters focuses on a specific social problem, so that, for example, a reader interested in dealing with child maltreatment will find an epidemiological examination of the incidence of the problem, a review of existing empirical work and conceptual approaches, a behavioural analysis of the issue, and a review of behavioural interventions that consider clinical practice, programme planning and community intervention.
Areas of future research are suggested throughout, and methods for investigating the outcomes of community interventions are outlined. This volume eschews simplistic, universal techniques and provides substantial guidance for the thoughtful professional. Psychologists, researchers, students, policy analysts, policymakers, social workers, cultural anthropologists, political scientists, and those involved in community efforts should find much in this volume to inspire both action and analysis.