Community psychology is an area of specialization within the broader field of psychology (Division 27 of the American Psychological Association). It emerged in the U.S. in the 1960’s, taking a progressive, pro-active approach towards key social issues including poverty, racism, and health/illness. Community psychology in the as practiced in the U.S. is a blending of the fields of social psychology, political science, and community development. Practitioners in this field use the various principles of psychology to enhance the health and functioning of people, and the communities in which they work and live.
Theoretical Framework
The specialization in community psychology differs from more traditional psychological theory and practice in numerous ways. Most importantly, instead of taking an individualistic, positivistic approach towards the study of behaviors and behavior change, community psychology adopts a systems perspective in which the reciprocal relationship between individuals...
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Suggested Reading
Levine, M., & Perkins, D. V. (1997). Principles of community psychology: Perspectives and applications. (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
O’Donnell, C. R., & Ferrari, J. R. (Eds.) (1997). Education in community psychology: Models for graduate and undergraduate programs. New York: Haworth Press.
Trickett, E. J., Watts, R. J., & Birman, D. (1994). Human diversity: Perspectives on people in context. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Suggested Resources
Society for Community Research and Action–http://www.scra27.org: The SCRA is Division 27 of the American Psychological Association, serves many different disciplines that focus on community research and action. Its members are committed to promoting health and empowerment and to preventing problems in communities, groups, and individuals.
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Mitchell, S.G., Lounsbury, D. (2010). Community Psychology. In: Clauss-Ehlers, C.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural School Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_82
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_82
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