The History Of Community Psychology & Comminity Psychology

Question 1

According to who define community Psychology

Answer 1

A complete state of wellbeing that includes physical, mental and social well-being.

Question 2

Define mental health

Answer 2

A state of well being where person realizes their own potential , can cope with normal stress , can work productively and is able to contribute to their community

Question 3

Define well being and the goal

Answer 3

Not just a matter of individual health, it involves transaction between individuals, supportive relationships and environment( stokels)

The goal is to understand factors that impact well-being so that we can move , individuals, groups and communities along the continuum between death and optimal wellness

Question 4

Differentiate between risk factors and protective factors

Answer 4

Risk factors are the increase in vulnerability for negative health outcomes, it threatens well-being and individual/interpersonal etc.
( violence, drugs, chronic disease, poverty)

Protective factors are moderate impact of risk factors on health, it decreases the susceptibility for negative health outcomes- protects well being.

Question 5

How do psychologist contribute to well-being

Answer 5

Through psychological interventions: they work together to other an affected target group and take action to enhance/maintain their functioning & well-being(Schillig)

Question 6

What is the relationship between theory , practice and research ?

Answer 6

Practice is what we do when we intervene.

Theory is what we use to design our intervention.

Research is all the activities undertaken to study the effect of the intervention.

Question 7

According to Yen what are the benefits of studying community history development

Answer 7

1. It’s shed light on socially constructed nature of psychological terms and concepts, which raises awareness of how our use of language plays a role in reproducing oppressive relations
2. Individuals and communities must be understood in terms of their social historical context, it allows us to see how certain ideas and trends in CP have developed in response to social conditions

Question 8

Why is the term community problematic according to Yen?

Answer 8

1. It sometimes assumed to exist where in fact it doesn’t
2. Has the potential to recall apartheid terminology and essentialist ideas of racial differences while also implying romanticized notions of homogenous/unified communities

Question 9

Briefly explain the emergence of community psychology in SA

15-20 marks

Answer 9

It developed in many countries in 60s& 70s as a response to conditions of political oppression

Began to develop models for interverntions focused on prevention of mental illness or changing social conditions thought to cause social and psych. Difficulties

In South Africa it was developed as a response to exclusion & oppression, SA psychology was largely silent and even supportive of status quo when it came to racism in its history

Psychology in society the journal had critical writing about the future of psych

SA CP began as loose diverse collection of approaches that emerged via engagement with social psychology problems around apartheid society

Many anti apartheid health care professions formed : PA and organization for appropriate social services in SA

NGOs played a crucial role in the CP development

The transition to a democracy created community oriented interventions and research projects in SA psychology , PASA was replaced with PsySSA

Community Psychologist worked in collaboration with government: new NGOs emerged and trauma centers, courses on CP offered at universities

Question 10

Explain the theoretical roots of community psychology as it pertains to Lewis

Answer 10

He attempted to theorize behavior as a function of both personal and social situation or environment

Psychology emphasizes the self contained individual as a source of action but CP interventions define in which social conditions and individuals interact

Community psychologists have developed approaches that combine theories of radical writers to overcome dualism separating the individual and society

Question 11

Define community psychology

Answer 11

Community psychology is a specialized field that applies and interacted with all the basic areas of psychological knowledge, it uses interventions, principles and skills from clinical and conselling psychology.

Community psychology is based on the assumption that adverse health outcomes are cause by context or environment. It addresses the conditions of inequality and oppression in society. It targets the community level analysis

Question 12

According to Dalton, Elias and Wandersman define community psychology

Answer 12

Concerns relationship of individuals with the community by intercepting research with actions in order to understand and enhance quality of life for individual, community and society

Question 13

According to Naidoo define community psychology

Answer 13

It is an emerging branch of applied psychology understanding people in the context of the communities using a variety of interventions to facilitate change and improve mental health and social conditions

Question 14

Define community psychology according to Rappaport

Answer 14

it is about an attempt to find alternatives to dealing with the deviance from societal norms, to support every persons right to be different without risk of sanctions

Question 15

Define community psychology according to orford

Answer 15

It is understanding people in their social worlds and uses as a way to increase their well-being

Question 16

What are the characteristics of COMMUNITY psychology

Answer 16

• social relevance
• ecological nature( the interaction between people and environment)
• focus on diversity
• democratic participation , uses democratic style of collaboration with community men ever in research and interventions
• promotion of well-being, making psychology useful to ordinary people (agency)
• multilevel perspective, behavior as part of interpersonal interaction in system

Question 17

What is the difference between community psychology and social psychology

Answer 17

Community psych focus on interaction between individual and the community , aims to enhance the quality of life via various interventions

Social psych studies the interaction of people with their social environment, focuses mainly on the study of community processes and more on changing the immediate conditions in which people live and legal processes

Question 18

What is community

Answer 18

Community can refer to people in a specific geographical area , time, can refer to a social system or a construction of a way of life or to a socio/political organization

Question 19

Define community as a location

Answer 19

A community is define in terms of a geographical area and can be described in terms of demographics, land use & quality of life or infrastructure

Question 20

Define community as a network of relationships

Answer 20

A network of people who share common characteristics/values or interest.
Characteristics are membership, influence, fulfillment, share emotional connection

Question 21

Define community as a socio-political organization

Answer 21

Concept of community has a socio-political meaning that shows histories and beliefs of people in context. Community can form a collective power structure that promotes a specific cause and influences decisions

Question 22

Define community as a construct of a way of life

Answer 22

Eco-communities etc.
Socially constructed and exist in history and ideology. Perspectives define communities as evolving and created via interactions. Space crisis and possibilities of interrelatedness of people , ideas and issues can be encountered

Question 23

What is the comprehensive definition of community according to Ferrinho?

Answer 23

Specific system of action that arises when a population settles in given territory, established structural organization/arrangement to organize self in order to live and survive as a groups. Develops interactive relationships among components and defines shared thinking

Question 24

What is the aim of community psychology

Answer 24

To extend mental health services to all citizens, transform conceptialisatuin of psychosocial problems and the psychological service delivery into appropriate services.
Address interracial tensions, social class, inequality etc

Question 25

Define values and goals

Answer 25

Values are underlying philosophy that guides all activities in the field of study.
Goals are more specific aims to the interventions

Question 26

What are the most important goals and values of Community psychology

Answer 26

Promotion of health and well-being

Caring and compassion

Self determination and participation, empowerment

Respect for diversity and human dignity
- don’t change people to fit norms but rather empower them

Social justice
- allocation of resources, obligations individual level, relationship level(developing sense of mutual accountability) , communal level( eliminate inequality etc)

Question 27

According to Orford to implement these values in study of communities, community psychology uses principles .

Name these principles (MARI)

Answer 27

-multilevel perspective , mental health is not situated in the individual it is the interaction between people over time in social and physical environment

Research methods , establish knowledge and theory through research it assists communities who improve its functioning

Approaches to services, proactive in reaching out to communities to help , helps prevention and mobilizing resources

Innovative and alternative services, provide people with resources or help them generate resources

Question 28

Explain Lewin’s equation

Answer 28

Lewin equated behavioyas a function of person and environment and the interaction between the two

B= P,E

Personal is the goals , dreams , interests etc.

Environment is physical and social, physical and environment is the pollution, quality of housing etc. social environment is the family structure, peer groups and the social norms

Question 29

Explain bronfenbrenner’s theory

Answer 29

Various interactive levels within a community and it presents larger context that impacts on behavior of individual.
Microsystem is the immediate systems of which the individual is a part of.
Organization is the various Microsystems
Community consists of the various organizations.
Macrocontext is the nation or governmental policies , cultures and economic systems, ideologies and belief systems forming a context within which other levels function interactively