Writing a textbook in community psychology requires the resolution of two challenges. First, community psychology
consists of a way of thinking more than a set of accumulated facts. Second, the field's values inform action as
much as basic research and theory. Textbooks traditionally focus on received knowledge--the stable, time-tested,
agreed-upon "facts" of a field. This cannot be done for community psychology, at least not in the same
way. A hallmark of community psychology is the view of understanding as contextual. Knowledge develops within a
sociocultural and historical setting, and science is not pure, objective, and value-free. Moreover, the goal of
community psychology is not solely to increase understanding but to use our knowledge to create a more just and
humane society. Community psychology's existence as a way of thinking and acting rather than a body of facts helps
explain why there have been a dearth of textbooks, but it also makes the field immensely exciting.
Guiding Principles and Orienting Concepts as the Organizational Schemes
The organizing scheme of this textbook makes. clear community psychology's unique approach. The book is divided
into two main sections: guiding principles, which anchor community psychologists to a coherent set of fundamental
values, and orienting concepts, that allow us to remain open to paradigm-shaking perspectives.
Throughout the years, community psychologists have delineated a set of principles that define our way of thinking.
These principles differentiate community psychology from other areas of psychology. They give the field its singular
character, instill a sense of identity and pride in its practitioners and permit the field to exist as a stable
and circumscribed entity.
Two introductory chapters ground the inquiry into community psychology. The first describes where community
psychology came from and what it is. The second describes who community psychologists are and what we do. The next
section consists of five chapters, each of which examines one of community psychology's guiding principle. The
five principles are:
A view of knowledge as fluid and value based;
The belief that one cannot understand an individual without also understanding the many-leveled social contexts
in which that individual lives;
Attention to the voices of diverse (and often disenfranchised) groups;
A commitment to improving the lives of individuals through intervention and social change;
An emphasis on a strengths model rather than deficit model of mental health.
While the guiding principles are the stable foundation on which the practice and research of community psychology
build, orienting concepts allow the field to remain relevant in a changing world. Orienting concepts are frameworks
that summarize past research and theory, give meaning to current knowledge, and guide future research and action.
They put the guiding principles into action. Orienting concepts, unlike fundamental principles, are supposed to
change. As our knowledge grows and Zeitgeists shift, so too do our orienting concepts. The field needs new orienting
concepts to inspire new insights, bring new energy, and shake us out of our collective intellectual complacency
Without new orienting concepts, community psychology's research and practice would become "one-sided"
(Rappaport, 1981, p. Z1).
The third section of this book describes the field's orienting concepts. Four chapters examine each orienting
concept, thereby providing a review and application of the guiding principles, and a chronological overview of
the development of the field. The orienting concepts are:
Stress and coping
Prevention
Empowerment
Resilience
In keeping with community psychology's emphasis on the context of knowledge, each chapter begins with a description
of the surrounding culture from which the chapter's ideas emerged and ends with a forward-looking section entitled
The Promise of Community Psychology. In this section I examine an idea from the chapter that has captured my own
imagination and may have implications for future community psychology. Thus, I have tried to attend to the past,
present, and future of community psychology, balancing reviews of classic work, descriptions of the current state
of the field, and emerging perspectives.
Textbooks frequently present information as definitive, objective summaries of a field. My goal however, is
not to line up silent and obedient facts that students can march-into examination booklets. I hope readers feel
invited into a dialogue about community psychology that continues after the last word of this text is read. Toward
this goal, I have provided numerous references as resources for future inquiries.
Community psychology recognizes that researchers and practitioners are not disengaged observers of life, but
active participants whose own beliefs and experiences influence their work. One goal of the field has been to resist
the temptation to present scientific endeavors as value-free and to be candid instead about the viewpoints that
inform our own understanding. In keeping with this perspective, I have adopted a personal approach to the material
and relate how my experiences have influenced my thinking about community psychology. At the same time, I realize
the limitations of one person's perspective (limitations that I expect will be even more apparent to readers),
but I hope that my perspective provides a helpful window to the material and encourages readers to bring themselves
and their varied experiences to the table as well. This book is not intended as a definitive attempt to cover the
field, but as an invitation to students to discover the field and make it their own.
Action Orientation
Community psychology views knowledge as constructed and therefore focuses on ways of thinking rather than facts
per se. Learning to think like a community psychologist is not, however, an end goal. Community psychology succeeds
as a field only to the extent that its unique ways of thinking promote useful ways of acting in the world. The
study of community psychology should result in a raised consciousness about the sorts of problems that require
intervention and an increased awareness of how to intervene effectively.
Community psychology's emphasis on the practical application of knowledge is at odds with the traditional view
of academia. Webster's Dictionary offers the following among its definitions of academic: "theoretical without
having an immediate or practical bearing... having no practical or useful significance." This view is not
compatible with community psychology. Kurt Lewin, a forefather of the field, held that generating a knowledge base
and effecting social change were two equally important and highly compatible goals of community research. Similarly,
teaching in community psychology can and should be socially useful as well as theoretically meaningful. Thus, the
textbook encourages informed student involvement in their communities.
Students interested in community psychology have likely been attracted to the field because they have a good
dose of inspiration to start with, believe that change is possible, and want to make a difference. This book succeeds
if it fuels rather than stifles student creativity and activism. Photographs, cartoons, and other pedagogical devices
are included to further engage the imagination. The dual interest in academics and action is also reinforced through
the inclusion of Classic Research and Community Intervention boxes. The Classic Research boxes describe influential
studies relevant to the chapter topic, sometimes in areas other than community psychology. The Community Intervention
boxes show how the field's principles have been put into action by community psychologists and by others. (Admittedly,
in a field that combines research and action, the distinction between research and intervention sometimes blurs.)
Encouragement of student action permeates the text and becomes explicit at the end of each chapter in a section
entitled Action Agenda. The activities in this section allow students to use information from the chapter as a
basis for: (1) seeing themselves and their communities with new eyes; (2) generating ideas for needed changes;
and (3) taking initial steps toward change. Certainly not all of these activities can be completed in the span
of a semester, but hopefully they present some provocative ideas for living out community psychology in the process
of studying it.
Summary
For courses in community psychology, both undergraduate and graduate.
A clear and compelling organization that conveys the unique perspective of community psychology. Written in an
engaging style, which includes art, photos, and cartoons, this paperback text encourages readersto think critically
about creating change.
Features
A clear and compelling organizational scheme. The book is divided into two main sections: guiding principles
and orienting concepts. Each of the field's five guiding principles is examined in its own chapter (The Importance
of Values, Beyond the Individual Level, Appreciating Diversity, Embracing Social Change, and A Strengths Perspective).
The four orienting concepts discussed (again, each in its own chapter) are: Stress and coping, prevention, empowerment,
and resilience.
Conveys the unique perspective of community psychology.
An engaging presentation--Features an open and inviting writing style; the use of photographs, cartoons, diagrams,
and boxed materials; and a personal approach to the material. Students are encouraged to bring themselves and their
varied experiences to the table as they make community psychology their own.
Encourages critical and creative thinking.
Promotion of informed student action--Fuels rather than stifles student creativity, enthusiasm, and interest
in creating change.
Promotes useful ways of acting in the world.
Action Agenda--At the end of each chapter
Allows students to use information from the chapter as a basis for seeing their communities with new eyes,
generating ideas for needed changes, and taking initial steps toward change. Also allows students to explore ways
of creating a community in the classroom as a microcosm of the larger society.
Photographs, cartoons, and other pedagogical devices.
Engage students' imaginations.
Each chapter begins with a description of the surrounding culture from which the chapter's ideas emerged, and
ends with a forward-looking section entitled The Promise of Community Psychology, which examines an idea from the
chapter that may have implications for future inquiry.
Promotes awareness of the past, present, and future of community psychology.
Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION.
1. Community Psychology: Where It Came from and What It Is.
2. Community Psychologists: Who We Are and What We Do.
II. GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
3. The Importance of Values.
4. Beyond the Individual Level.
5. Appreciating Diversity.
6. Embracing Social Change.
7. Strengths Perspective.
III. ORIENTING CONCEPTS.
8. Stress and Coping.
9. Prevention.
10. Empowerment.
11. Resilience.
