Concepts Flashcards
List and briefly describe four broad principles that guide Community Psychology research and action? This was described in the text and in lecture.
Interdependence: all levels are connected; changing one aspect of an environment will have many ripple effects
adaption: focuses on interactions between persons and their environments to better understand why behaviour that is effective in one setting may not be useful in others
cycling of resources: the systematic process of using and developing materials and resources that impact community growth and development
succession: refers to the fact that communities are in a constant process of change, and this process causes changing requirements for adaption
For a Community Psychologist to be successful, what types of skills and abilities must he/she possess?
therapeutic with people
to organize a community service
study a complex social problem
create a sense of community
research
List and describe four intervention methods of dealing with homelessness. Of the four, which one do you think is best and explain why?
Biomedical and health strategies: medical interventions to improve the health status of individuals (helps on basic level)
educational and behavioural strategies: preventing homelessness or improving health status (not reasons for homelessness)
environmental strategies: changing the social, economical, or physical environment in a specific setting (environmental scans and needs assessments)
policy and legislative strategies: changing policies and legislation related to poverty, social housing, public health immigration and law enforcement (little evaluative work, little research)
Provide at least two reasons why it is difficult to get a clear picture of the extent of homelessness in Canada.
lack of clear consistent definition
hard to identify homelessness
lack of participation from local agencies
Provide at least three reasons why it might be difficult to develop interventions for homeless people.
a lot of people at risk but not yet homeless: availability of affordable housing
heterogeneity of homeless population: cultural groups at risk
reasons for homelessness complex: adverse childhood/family, substance abuse, discrimination etc.
What two ethical considerations do Community Psychologists often encounter?
To whom is the psychologist accountable? Arises because there is no clear formal contract
What is the psychologist accountable for? focuses attention on unanticipated consequences
What are James Kelly’s four principles of ecological systems?
Interdependence: all levels are connected; changing one aspect of an environment will have many ripple effects
Helps individuals recognize that everything is interconnected
Adaption: focuses on interactions between persons and their environments to better understand why behaviour that is effective in one setting may not be useful in others
Cycling of resources: the systematic process of using and developing materials and resources that impact community growth and development
Succession: refers to the fact that communities are in a constant process of change, and this process causes changing requirements for adaption
What are the three levels of competence?
Exposure: learned about the competencies and how they can be applied
experience: used the competencies in practice to perform related tasks
expertise: has several experiences with applying the competencies in work
What is the difference between first-order change and second-order change? Given an example of each
First order change: dInvolves minor changes that lead to small, short term improvements by focusing exclusively on the individuals
Second order change: Involves initiating more structural, long term, and sustainable transformational changes
What are the 4 categories of interventions for addressing health or social issues? (Review the Research Methods lecture)
Biomedical and health strategies
medical interventions to improve the health status of individuals (helps on basic level)
educational and behavioural strategies
preventing homelessness or improving health status (not reasons for homelessness)
environmental strategies
changing the social, economical, or phsycicla environment in a specific setting (envrionemntal scans and needs assessments)
policy and legislative strategies
changing policies and legislation related to poverty, social housing, public health immigration and law enforcement (little evaluative work, little research)
What is a “small-wins” approach? Provide an example.
recasting larger problems into smaller problems. used to identify a series of controllable opportunities to make an impact altogether
example: alcohols anonymous: stay sober one day at a time
What is stigma? Why is stigma a problem?
negative attitudes or discrimination against someone based on a distinguishing characteristic (mental illness, health condition disability)
Identify three reasons why psychologists may not want to embrace values.
Psychology is a “pure” science
risk losing credibility
Slippery slope: descriptive values and prescriptive values
discourages critical thinking: not liberal
Why do you think Community Psychology isn’t as prominent of a discipline as, say, Clinical Psychology?
community psych may be not as prominent because it is a shift from individualistic thinking. It takes looking at a broader social issues and then working with the community to develop interventions. This is complete shift from what individuals are used to and takes a lot of hard work
less known field - when individuals think of psychologists they think of typical clinical or counselling psychologists
Do Community Psychologists adhere to the scientific method? Explain why or why not.
Use scientific set of skills to collect and analyze data to help communities answer their questions, evaluate what they are doing, and use research to plan, learn, and make decisions. The community consultant will need research and evaluation skills to help communities to conduct needs assessments and gather data to use for planning and to evaluate the outcomes of their initiatives
Scientific method is used because it shows the population solid research and evidence of how and why community psychology works. Yet goes beyond to work within the community.
