A Critical Approach to Human Growth & Development

Abstract

Students of various ages and life stages, from a range of sociological contexts, with all manner of lived experiences are drawn to social work education and training. This assemblage of students can result in groupings which are richly diverse—learning landscapes that offer fresh insights, exposure to difference and access to change. Equally, social work education and training can evoke intra- and interpersonal conflicts, as students are presented with knowledge that they find ‘troublesome’ (Morgan, 2012, p. 220). It is within this context that A Critical Approach to Human Growth & Development stands out. Nicolson begins by clearly acknowledging the complex nature of the human condition, linking this to practice effectiveness by way of skilful decision making that is not only informed, but compassionate. One of the most notable features of the book is the way in which silo-type thinking that can lead to unhelpful polarities is challenged, proposing the ‘material-discursive-intra-psychic’ (MDI) (p. 5) perspective as a way of connecting understandings in a manner that reflects the whole person in context. It is a form of analysis that captures and contextualises the essence of a lived experience through critical thinking which ‘takes account of HGD in all its features, from the biological to the societal, while paying close attention to the ways in which socio-political-historical constructions of subjective knowledge interconnect with emotional experience’ (p. 65). Whilst the title or the content of the model might sound slightly verbose or complicated, discussions that follow in later chapters unpack the layers of the model as it is expertly applied to each of the life stages. The theoretical character of the text tethers the reader in a very real sense to the subject matter, with the chapters sequentially presenting the key phases of lifespan development, from infancy through to older adulthood. In addition, Nicolson cautions against thinking about development as ‘linear’ or solely relating to ‘age’ or ‘stage’ (p. 7), explaining it as ‘diverse’ and ‘complicated’ (p. 84). This inclusion serves as a reminder of the descriptive nature of social work practice as opposed to the prescriptive form it can often take (p. 260). Each chapter benefits from a set of ‘learning objectives’ that help to settle the reader into the respective themes that follow. Thereafter, historic and contemporary practice examples, pause-and-reflect exercises and further reading help to triangulate the learning experience. Nicolson draws attention to the significance of understanding the self and the other as separate yet mutually involved from the outset (p. 8)—an important theme which is maintained skilfully throughout much of the discussion. However, given that ‘questions remain … regarding not only what professional socialization to social work actually looks like, but also how it occurs and what components are most critical’ (Miller, 2013, p. 369), it might have been interesting, particularly in Chapter 3 when outlining ‘socialisation’ (p. 46), to have exploited the significance of this learning point further. Nevertheless, whether you are new to social work education and training, in practice or wishing to update Human Growth and Development curricula (Boylan and Ray, 2012), what Nicolson provides is a context in which to think deeply about what it means to be a human practitioner within human services, offering this in accessible and digestible chunks. Servings of learning that provide one with the time and tools to absorb what is being read and re-emerge from these learning encounters having been challenged, and indeed revitalised to engage proactively and creatively with the many unknowns that the human condition presents. A Critical Approach to Human Growth & Development is an enriching read—one that connects the reader not only to the content, but also to the essence of what ethical, informed and skilful social work practice looks like. This is not simply ‘another’ book on human, growth and development where the reader is a passive receiver of information; it is an academic text, an aide memoire and a resource for meaningful ‘reflective-relational’ practice (p. 109).