LSU Professor Emeritus Timothy Page Authors Book on Psychosocial Human Development
September 20, 2024
Book titled Psychosocial Theories of Human Behavior and Development: An Evolution of Big Ideas focuses on the helping professions.
BATON ROUGE, LA — In the United States, social work is among the fastest growing professions, with an expected addition of almost 54,000 new social work jobs between 2022 and 2032. Social work scholars provide vital support for the field’s practice mission through their research and in their roles as educators of future social workers. A recent example comes from Timothy Page, PhD, LSU School of Social Work professor emeritus, with his new book, Psychosocial Theories of Human Behavior and Development: An Evolution of Big Ideas.
"My hope for the book is that it will invite students, teachers, and practitioners to understand the astounding breadth of ideas about human behavior and development that emerged in the 20th century and continues to be the foundation of our knowledge in the field,” said Page. “I also hope it will provide opportunities to reflect on the scientific and social processes through which this knowledge has come about.”
Page notes that while the book was written primarily with graduate and upper division undergraduate social work students in mind, it will be relevant for students in various helping professions, as it draws on the contributions of theorists across the disciplines of developmental psychology, psychiatry, cognitive science, social psychology, sociology, ethology and neuroscience. The emphasis throughout is on the historical contexts in which the ideas in the book arose and the mutual influences that shaped their development.
Page continues, “It isn’t uncommon to find people who champion one particular theory or viewpoint over others; perhaps it’s less common to understand the ways in which all good and enduring ideas must be interrelated. Enduring ideas evolve over time in relation to new discoveries and the social circumstances in which they occur. The insights these ideas have provided, and continue to provide, into how we live our lives and create our worlds can be truly transformative.”
Page began his tenure in the LSU School of Social Work in 2001. During his time at LSU, he researched children’s narratives as enactments of their representational worlds, attachment theory as a conceptual foundation for human development, the Circle of Security© parenting intervention, and child maltreatment and mental health. Page retired from LSU in 2018.
About School of Social Work
The LSU School of Social Work (SSW) is a vibrant center of intellectual development
and knowledge generation, a leader in promoting and supporting diverse communities,
and an advocate for an integrated and inclusive model of social work, all within a
learning environment that supports best educational practices. The SSW offers Bachelor
of Science in Human Development and Family Science, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW),
Master of Science in Human Development and Family Science, Master of Social Work (MSW),
online MSW, and Social Work PhD. SSW is part of the College of Human Sciences & Education.
Visit the School of Social Work website.
About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division
of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education,
the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership
& Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration
schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age
four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12.
The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute,
the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social
Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards
in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across
the lifespan.