Community Psychology syllabus

The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology

for The Handbook of Qualitative Methods in Psychology] 1 The Handbook of Qualitative Methods in Psychology Chapter 28: Community Psychology

Community psychology is a scientific discipline within the broad field of psychology which deals with mental health and social welfare issues of the community taking a holistic, systems-based approach to understanding behavior and how people fit in to society, much like related fields such as sociology and social psychology. Community psychology tends to be more centered on applying psychological and social knowledge to solving problems, creating real-world solutions and taking immediate action. Community psychologists primarily work in agency settings. Whether working in community health clinics involving in counseling practices and mental health work, or working in government or large social service agencies and doing research on existing social problems or planning and implementing grass roots social service programs. Their work is primarily with the marginalized and less-advantaged areas of society and those who struggle with poverty and discrimination amongst many other social ills. The primary purpose of a these psychologists is to strive for the wellbeing of an individual and society as a whole and to prevent issues from growing and treating them if they exit. The main focus of community psychologists are empowerment, social justice and wellness and prevention programs in community. These are all very broad areas of work that educate citizens to help themselves, their families and their communities to improve both their present and future. Despite the progress that has been made in Community Psychology since 1960s there is still much more improvement to be made. Societies are becoming increasingly diverse and with the continuing economic fluctuations many groups are becoming more and more marginalized. Community psychologists are working hand-in-hand with community members to identify and rectify problems as they arise and will continue to increase our knowledge regarding the society and improve the prosperity, health, well-being and lifestyles of society. Researchers have proposed one conceptual model for community crisis intervention for its development. Keywords: Community Psychology; Social Change; Marginalized; Mental Health; Prevention; Scra & Intervention.

Community psychology has historically focused on understanding individual behavior in sociocultural context, assessing high-impact contexts, and working in and with communities to improve their resources and influence over their futures. This review adopts an ecological perspective on recent developments in the field, beginning with philosophy of science and progressing through a series of substantive research and intervention domains that characterize current work. These domains include research on the ecology of lives, the assessment of social settings and their impact on behavior, culture and diversity as expressed in the community research process, and community intervention. 395 Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2009.60:395-419. Downloaded from arjournals.annualreviews.org by Universitat de Barcelona on 09/25/09. For personal use only.

The community perspective avoids "blaming the victim" for problems or labelling people as "deviant" and looks at the whole ecological systems, including political, cultural, and environmental influences, as well as focusing on institutional and organizational factors (Dohrenwend, 1978) This module is broadly concerned with the interface of psychological health and physical well-being with the broader environment, and addresses ways in which counsellors can intervene at the level of the community as a whole rather than at the level of the individual or the family to effect psychological health. The module focuses on the application of psychological theory, concepts and knowledge to address the needs, concerns and aspirations of communities and provides a theoretical orientation to concepts such as participation and empowerment. A collectivist paradigm in understanding behaviour and in applying relevant methods and techniques will be highlighted. This module provides the student with knowledge and insight into determinants and risk factors that significantly impact health within various contexts in South Africa and will equip the student to provide skilled professional input regarding how to practically deal with community issues in a health promoting way.

American Journal of Community Psychology, 2005

Following a developmental analogy, community psychology may be experiencing a "mid-life crisis" as it enters "middle age." The field needs to determine where to go from here. This paper argues that the field should attempt to expand. Expansion can best be accomplished by celebrating the diversity of orientations within the field (e.g., those emphasizing prevention, empowerment, and the ecological perspective) and the wide range of human problems of interest to community psychologists. To promote expansion of the field, community psychologists need to seek out relationships with diverse groups, such as the international community, those working in applied settings, ethnic minorities, and students and early-career professionals.

2017

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF QuALITATIVE METHODS Qualitative methods arise from and are utilized by multiple theoretical, philosophical, and disciplinary foundations and comprise many typologies, methods, and aims. Nonetheless, at their core they share a commitment to nonnumerical data and focus on such elements as experience, language, memory, meaning, and purpose. They are also uniquely suited to explore iterative processes. Although quantitative methods excel at testing a priori hypotheses,

American Journal of Community Psychology, 1980

A content analysis was conducted on all 478 empirical articles published from 1973 through 1978 in the American Journal of Community Psychology and the Journal of Community Psychology. Results indicate a substantial emphasis on policy analysis/research and program evaluation. The delivery of mental health services was extensively researched; however, a wide diversity of other topics such as work, substance abuse, and attitudes toward mental illness were also represented. There was a relatively high degree of participation by authors with nonuniversity affiliations. Also, in 65% of the studies subjects were not identTfied as having a psychological problem; in one-third of the studies children served as subjects; and in 71% of the studies both males and females served as subjects. A number of problems with the typical research design are noted, including: unrepresentative sampling of subjects, nonequivalent comparison groups, and small sample and cell sizes.

American Journal of Community Psychology, 2005

International Community Psychology: Shared Agendas in Diversity, 2009

Historical influences on the development of community psychology in the U.S. I take an historical perspective in discussing the relevance to community psychology of other social science and applied professional disciplines. I argue for the need for community psychologists to consider, adapt, and test (1) theories and research methods from urban, rural, and community sociology, social and environmental psychology, geography, anthropology, and policy research, and (2) intervention approaches from community organizing and development, organizational change, urban and regional planning, health promotion, social work, law and justice. I will conclude with an argument that as community psychology's viability within, and influence on, the broader field of psychology in the U.S. diminishes over time, the transdisciplinary and international opportunities and reality of community research and action outside of academic psychology have never been better.