Summary
Summary Community psychology week 2 & 3
- Course
- Institution
In depth Community psychology notes. this is all you need to CUM the exam.
[Show more]
Seller
FollowShael
Reviews received
Content preview
Week 2Community Psychology
Maretha Visser
▪ Case Study page 21
Page | 1
The above shows:
1. The complex interaction within communities + how incidents in community’s
history can impact on the lives of people + communities for decades
2. That people attach meaning to situations that influence their actions + way
they construct their lives + they are influenced by more than just immediate
context + families
Community Psychology: developing field of study that focuses on understanding
the individual in the social context + aims to enhance quality of life, heath + well-
being of people through interventions focusing on various levels of community
o Focus on the interaction between individual + social context in which they live
o Aim: improving well-being of people in that context
o Relevance in understanding + addressing psychosocial problems disrupting
the lives of people
o Stimulates reconciliation through interactive involvement using a collective
action research framework to guide interventions
WHAT IS COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY?
Specialized field that applies + interacts with all basic areas of psychological
knowledge – Social Psychology, Group Dynamics, Personality + Developmental
Psychology + Critical Psychology
Uses intervention principles + skills from Clinical + Counselling Psychology
Definition of Community Psychology
▪ Definitions pages 23 +24
The Community Psychology Approach
, Week 2
Some key characteristics include:
Socially responsive psychological praxis
Social relevance
+ deals with issues people experience
Focuses on people in interaction with Page | 2
Ecological nature their social + physical environments –
holistic approach
Behaviour as part of organizational +
Multilevel perspective communal structures + part of cultural
perspectives
Focus on making psychological
knowledge useful to ordinary people in
order to develop resources + enhance
Promotion of well-being
capacities + promote well-being + social
change to allow for equally distributed
health
Accepts + respects diversity + rights of
Focus on diversity all > differences seen as resources
rather than threats
Democratic style of collaboration +
partnership with community members in
Democratic participation
research + interventions where
psychologist forms part of interaction
Differs from Social Psychology: it focuses on strong focus on interventions aimed at
improving conditions [strongly related to Social Work]
Definition of community
Community: people in specific geographical area + time OR a social system OR
construction of way of life OR sociopolitical organization
In S.A.: concept assumed a specific racial connotation
The Community Psychology Approach
, Week 2
COMMUNITY AS A LOCATION
Boundaries demarcate periphery of neighbourhoods, cities + states + easily ID on a
map
Interpersonal relationships: based on proximity + shared experiences + not Page | 3
necessarily by choice
Community defined in terms of location can be described in terms of:
1. Demographic characteristics – gender, class etc
2. Land use + quality of housing – development in area such as high-density,
informal settlements, large farms
3. Infrastructure or formed organizations – schools, churches, shops
COMMUNITY AS A NETWORK OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Essential functions of a community [socialization, role fulfilment, goal achievement +
support] are achieved by interacting in groups = community as a network of people
who share some common characteristics or values + interests
Person feels part of community with the following characteristics present:
o Membership – feeling of belonging
o Influence – mutual influence between person + group
o Fulfilment of needs – sharing of values + resources in group to satisfy
individual needs
o Shared emotional connection – feeling connected through shared emotional
experiences
Community as a social system with its interacting members compromising various
subsystems within it [interrelated + interdependent]
COMMUNITY AS A CONSTRUCTION OF A WAY OF LIFE
Communities are socially constructed + exist within history + ideology > communities
as evolving + created through interaction
The Community Psychology Approach
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Shael. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.54. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67866 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now