Community Psychology
Chapter 1: Community Psychology
What is Community Psychology?
• Community refers to people and psychology is concerned with the health of an
individual
• Community psychology is a specialized field that applies and interacts with the basic
areas of psychological knowledge, such as:
- Social psychology
- Group dynamics
- Personality and developmental psychology
- And critical psychology
• It uses intervention principles and skills from clinical/counselling psychology
• It is viewed as “an integrated focus that enriches the meaning of different subfields of
psychology”.
Definition of community:
It is difficult to define community psychology with one definition, the following definitions
each contain different aspects of the field:
1. Concerns the relationship of individuals with communities and societies
2. Concerned with the social issues of individuals in the context of their communities. It
attempts to optimise the well-being of the community using innovative and
collaborative interventions.
3. Concerned with understanding people in the context of their communities using a
variety of interventions to facilitate change, improved mental health and social
conditions for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities
4. An attempt to dealing with deviance from societal based norms. To support every
person’s right to be different
5. Focuses on social issues, social institutions, and other settings that influence groups
and organizations.
Key characteristics of community psychology as seen in the definitions:
• Social relevance: Socially responsible psychological skills and deals with issues people
experience.
• Ecological nature: People in interaction with their social and physical environments
Chapter 1: Community Psychology
What is Community Psychology?
• Community refers to people and psychology is concerned with the health of an
individual
• Community psychology is a specialized field that applies and interacts with the basic
areas of psychological knowledge, such as:
- Social psychology
- Group dynamics
- Personality and developmental psychology
- And critical psychology
• It uses intervention principles and skills from clinical/counselling psychology
• It is viewed as “an integrated focus that enriches the meaning of different subfields of
psychology”.
Definition of community:
It is difficult to define community psychology with one definition, the following definitions
each contain different aspects of the field:
1. Concerns the relationship of individuals with communities and societies
2. Concerned with the social issues of individuals in the context of their communities. It
attempts to optimise the well-being of the community using innovative and
collaborative interventions.
3. Concerned with understanding people in the context of their communities using a
variety of interventions to facilitate change, improved mental health and social
conditions for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities
4. An attempt to dealing with deviance from societal based norms. To support every
person’s right to be different
5. Focuses on social issues, social institutions, and other settings that influence groups
and organizations.
Key characteristics of community psychology as seen in the definitions:
• Social relevance: Socially responsible psychological skills and deals with issues people
experience.
• Ecological nature: People in interaction with their social and physical environments
