Community Psychology: Introduction

Duffy and Wong

1. COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

2. COMMUNITY PSYCH VS. CLINICAL PSYCH COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY TREATED PROBLEMS AND ISSUES BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND NOT COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY IS FOCUSED ON PREVENTION RATHER THAN VIEW INDIVIDUALS AS PASSIVE RECIPIENTS OF TREATMENT, COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGISTS COLLABORATE WITH THOSE THEY ARE TRYING TO HELP AND ATTEMPT TO EMPOWER THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO REALIZE THE PERSONAL OUTCOME THAT THEY DESIRE.

3. HISTORY OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY THE SIXTIES A NUMBER OF SOCIAL ISSUES HAD EMERGE DURING THE SIXTIES (SUCH AS, DRUG CULTURE AMONG THE YOUNG, GENDER INEQUALITY PROTEST AMONG OTHERS) SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS

4. HISTORY OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 1990-2013

5. Philosophy and goals of community psychology HAS EVOLVED TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON BEHAVIOR AS IT OCCURS AT INDIVIDUAL, GROUP, ORGANIZATIONAL AND SOCIETAL LEVELS. (HELLER ET AL., 1984) AN ATTEMPT TO FIND OTHER ALTERNATIVES FOR DEALING WITH DEVIANCE FROM SOCIETAL BASED NORMS… (RAPPAPORT, 1977)

6. COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY FOCUSES ON SOCIAL ISSUES, SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, AND OTHER SETTINGS THAT INFLUENCE GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS THE GOAL IS TO OPTIMIZE THE WELL BEING OF COMMUNITIES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH INNOVATIVE AND ALTERNATE INTERVENTIONS DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITH AFFECTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND WITH OTHER RELATED DISIPLINES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE PSYCHOLOGY.

7. PREVENTION RATHER THAN TREATMENT COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY TAKES A PROACTIVE APPROACH RATHER THAN REACTIVE ROLE.

8. LEVELS OF PREVENTIVE INTERVENTION PRIMARY PREVENTION- ATTEMPTS TO PREVENT A PROBLEM BEFORE IT OCCURS AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE MOMENT. IT REFERS MOST GENERALLY TO ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE UNDERTAKEN WITH A HEALTHY POPULATION TO MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE ITS HEALTH, PHYSICAL,AND EMOTIONAL.

9. CRITERIA FOR A PROGRAM TO BE CONSIDERED TRULY PRIMARY PREVENTIVE COWEN 1996: THE PROGRAM MUST BE MASS OR GROUP ORIENTED IT MUST OCCUR BEFORE THE MALADJUSTMENT IT MUST BE INTENTIONAL IN THE SENSE OF HAVING A PRIMARY FOCUS ON THE STRENGTHENING ADJUSTMENT OF THE AS YET UNAFFECTED.

10. CRITERIA FOR A PROGRAM TO BE CONSIDERED TRULY PRIMARY PREVENTIVE LEVINE (1999); EVALUATE AND PROMOTE SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS AND CONSIDER HOW TO MODIFY COUNTERVAILING FORCES BE STRUCTURED TO AFFECT COMPLEX SOCIAL STRUCTURES. EXAMINE INSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIETAL ISSUES, NOT JUST INDIVIDUAL FACTORS RECOGNIZE THAT WHATEVER THE PROGRAM, IT IS BUT ONE PART OF A MUCH LARGER CULTURAL EFFORT

11. SECONDARY PREVENTION- ATTEMPTS TO TREAT A PROBLEM AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE MOMENT BEFORE IT BECOME SEVERE OR PERSISTENT. AT-RISK INDIVIDUALS ARE ALREADY MANIFESTING SOME SYMPTOMS OR PROBLEMS.

12. TERTIARY PREVENTION- ATTEMPTS TO REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF A PROBLEM ONCE IT HAS PERSISTENTLY OCCURRED. IN OTHER WORDS, AT RISK INDIVIDUALS ARE ALREADY MANIFESTING SOME SYMPTOMS OR PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS.

13. COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY GIVES…. EMPHASIS ON STRENGTHS AND COMPETENCIES COMPETENCE – A SENSE OF MASTERY WHEN INTERACTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT ; A BASIC DESIRE TO FEEL CAPABLE IMPORTANCE OF THE ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE PERSON-ENVIRONMENT FIT. THE ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE MEANS AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT (SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL) AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OPTIMAL MATCH BETWEEN THE PERSON AND THE SETTING .

14. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE DIFFERENT , AND DIFFERENT DOES NOT MEAN INFERIOR. IF DIFFERENCE IS ACCEPTED AS A FACT OF LIFE THEN THE RESOURCES OUGHT TO BE EQUITABLY DISTRIBUTED TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. EMPOWERMENT THE PROCESS OF ENHANCING THE POSSIBILITY THAT PEOPLE CAN MORE A TIVELY CONTROL THEIR OWN LIVES. CHOICE AMONG ALTERNATIVES GIVEN A RESPECT FOR THE UNIQUENESS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL , RESPECT SHOULD LEAD TO AN UNDERSTANDING THAT A SINGLE HUMAN SERVICES IS NOT OPTIMAL FOR EVERYONE.

15. ACTION RESEARCH DIRECTED TOWARD RESOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEM IN COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY MOST ACTION RESEARCH IS PARTICIPATORY ; AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT MERELY “SUBJECTS” IN THE STUDY BUT RATHER ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN SHAPING THE RESEARCH AGENDA.

16. SOCIAL CHANGE UNPLANNED SOCIAL CHANGE- OCCURS SPONTANEOUSLY; NO ONE PLANS FOR IT TO HAPPEN…, IT JUST HAPPEN. PLANNED SOCIAL CHANGE- AN INTENTIONALLY CREATED SOCIAL CHANGE. HERE, WHATNIS TO BE CHANGE IS TOBE TARGETED IN ADVANCE; DIRECTED TOEWARDS ENHANCING THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDES FOR A ROLE IN THE DESIGN OF CHANGE BY THOSE AFFECTED BY THE CHANGE.

17. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER DISCIPLINE COLLABORATION WITH OTHERS GIVES NEW AWARENESS OF HOW OTHER DISCIPLINES EXPERIENCE A PHENOMENON

18. A SENCE OF COMMUNITY IF ENVIRONMENTS AND INDIVIDUALS ARE WELL MATCHED, A MORE OPTIMAL COMMUNITY AS WELL AS A COMMUNITY WITH ASENSE OF SPIRIT AND A SENSE OF “WE-NESS” CAN BE CREATED WHAT IS SENCE OF COMMUNITY? SENCE OF COMMUNITY IS THE FEELING OF THE RELATIONSHIP AN INDIVIDUAL HOLDS FOR HIS OR HER COMMUNITY.

19. A SENCE OF COMMUNITY IS SPECIFICALLY THOUGHT TO INCLUDE FOUR ELEMENTS: MEMBERSHIP- PEOPLE EXPERIENCE FEELINGS OF BELONGING IN THEIR COMMUNITY INFLUENCE- PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY INTEGRATION- MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY BELIEVE THAT THEIR NEEDS WILL BE MET BY THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY. EMOTIONAL CONNECTION- IMPLIES THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE AND WILL SHARE HISTORY, TIME, PLACES AND EXPERIENCES.

20. NEIGHBORING - A CONCEPT RELATED TO SENSE OF COMMUNITY, WHICH IS A PERSON’S EMOTIONAL, COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL ATTACHMENT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT MAKES HIM/HER MORE LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS, AND IS THEREFORE A DIFFERENT CONCEPT FROM SENSE OF COMMUNITY.

21. COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY TODAY THERE IS A SHIFT OF RESEARCH METHODS; FROM EXPERIMENTAL TO CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH THERE ARE NOW FEWER STUDIES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CHRONICALLY MENTALY ILL. INSTEAD AN EXAMINATION OF LARGER PORTIONS OF PARTICIPANTS FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE DEMONSTRATES THAT RECENT RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED WHERE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OCCUR WHICH ONE OF THE GOAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY.