COMMUNITY

PSYCHOLOGY
-MS. KIRTI GARG
UNIT 2
 SEVEN CORE VALUES IN
COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
 Our personal values about relationships,
accountability, social change priorities,
and our personal political world view all
shape our priorities and agenda for
community work. (Bond, 1989)

 Our work always promotes the ends of

some interest group, even if we do not
recognize that explicitly. (Riger, 1989)
 Values are deeply held ideals about what is moral, right,
or good. They have emotional intensity; they are
honored, not lightly held.
 Values may concern ends (goals), or means (how to
attain goals), or both. They are social; we develop
values through experiences with others. Individuals hold
values but so do families, communities, and cultures.
 Values may be rooted in spiritual beliefs or practices but
can also be secular. Many values conflicts involve
choices about which of two worthy values is more
important in a given situation (Nelson & Prilleltensky,
2010; O’Neill, 1989; Rudkin, 2003; Schwartz, 1994;
Snow, Grady, & Goyette-Ewing, 2000)
 In community psychology, discussions of
values are useful for several purposes.
 First, values help clarify choices for research
and action. Even defining a problem is a
value-laden choice, strongly influencing
subsequent action (Seidman & Rappaport,
1986).
 Public definitions of community and social
problems reflect the worldviews of the
powerful and help to maintain the status quo
 For community psychologists, deciding
whether to work with a particular
organization or community requires
attention to values. Sometimes, the
community psychologist may conclude
that his or her values do not match those
of a setting and choose not to work in
that setting (Isenberg, Loomis,
Humphreys, & Maton, 2004).
 Second, the discussion of values helps to
identify when actions and espoused values do
not match.
 Consider a community leader who helps to
found a neighborhood social center to empower
teens who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
questioning their sexuality. The leader decides
how to renovate the space and plans programs,
allowing the youth themselves little say. Despite
the leader’s intent, this actually disempowers
the youth (Stanley, 2003). The leader “talks the
talk” but does not “walk the walk.”
 Third, understanding a culture or community
involves understanding its distinctive values.
 For instance, Potts (2003) discussed the
importance of Africanist values in a program for
middle school African American youth. Native
Hawai’ian cultural conceptions of health are closely
tied to values of ‘ohana and lokahi, family and
community unity, and of interdependence of the
land, water, and human communities.
 A health promotion program in Native Hawai’ian
communities needs to be interwoven with these
values (Helm, 2003).
 Fourth, community psychology has a distinctive
spirit (Kelly, 2002a)—a shared sense of purpose
and meaning. That spirit is the basis of our
commitment and what keeps us going when
obstacles arise (Kelly, 2010). It is thoughtful but
also passionate and pragmatic, embodied in
research and action.
 Our discussion of these seven values is
influenced by, yet different from, the discussions
of values by Isaac Prilleltensky and Geoffrey
Nelson (2002; Nelson & Prilleltensky, 2010;
Prilleltensky, 1997, 2001).
Individual and Family Wellness

 Wellness refers to physical and psychological

health, including personal wellbeing and
attainment of personal goals (Cowen, 1994,
2000a, 2000b, 2000c).
 Indicators of wellness include symptoms of
psychological distress and such measures of
positive qualities as resilience, social-emotional
skills, personal wellbeing, and life satisfaction.
 These and similar indicators are often outcome
criteria for community psychology
interventions.
 Strengthening families can promote
individual wellness. Community
prevention programs that focus on child
development often address parent and
family functioning. However, individual
and family wellness are not synonymous.
 For example, when violence or other
exploitation of family members is ongoing,
preserving the family conflicts with the
individual wellness of those victims.
 To promote individual/family wellness,
community psychologists have studied and
developed community interventions focused on
the prevention of maladaptive behavior,
personal and family problems, and illness;
promotion of social-emotional competence and
of health; social support networks and mutual
help groups; intervention programs in such
nonclinical settings as schools and workplaces;
and advocacy for changes in social services,
laws, policies, and programs to promote
physical and mental health.
 Prilleltensky (2001) proposed the
concept of collective wellness to refer to
the health of communities and societies.
Cowen’s (1994, 2000c) descriptions of
wellness include concepts of
empowerment and social justice.
Certainly, individual and community
well-being are interwoven, and collective
wellness is an attractive general
principle.
Sense of Community
 Sense of community is the center of some definitions of
community psychology (Sarason, 1974). It refers to a
perception of belongingness, interdependence, and
mutual commitment that links individuals in a collective
unity (McMillan & Chavis, 1986; Sarason, 1974).
 For example, community psychologists have studied
sense of community in neighborhoods, schools and
classrooms, mutual help groups, faith communities,
workplaces, and Internet virtual environments (e.g.,
Fisher, Sonn, & Bishop, 2002; Newbrough, 1996).
 Sense of community is a basis for community and social
action as well as a resource for social support and
clinical work.
 The value of sense of community balances the
value of individual/family wellness. The
emphasis in Western cultures and in their fields
of psychology is on the individual, which in its
worst forms can foster selfishness or
indifference to others (Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan,
Swidler, & Tipton, 1985; Sarason, 1974).
 Building a sense of community goes beyond
individualism to a focus on interdependence and
relationships. From a community psychology
perspective, quality of life for individual and
community ultimately depend on each other.
 Yet sense of community is not always positive. It
can involve distancing “insiders” from
“outsiders.” It can be bolstered by ignoring or
attacking diversity within a community, creating
injustice or a deadening conformity. It is not a
cure-all. In especially risky neighborhoods,
withdrawal from the community may be
adaptive for adults or children (Brodsky, 1996).
 Thus, this value must be balanced with other
values, especially social justice and respect for
diversity
Respect for Human
Diversity
 This value recognizes and honors the variety of
communities and social identities based on
gender, ethnic, or racial identity, nationality,
sexual orientation, ability or disability,
socioeconomic status and income, age, or other
characteristics.
 Understanding individuals-in-communities
requires understanding human diversity (Trickett,
1996). Persons and communities are diverse,
defying easy generalizations and demanding
that they be understood in their own terms.
 This is not a vague respect for diversity as a politically
correct attitude. To be effective in community work,
community psychologists must understand the
traditions and folkways of any culture or distinctive
community with whom they work (O’Donnell, 2005a).
 That includes appreciating how the culture provides
distinctive strengths and resources for living.
Researchers also need to adapt research methods and
questions to be appropriate to a culture. This is more
than simply translating questionnaires; it involves a
thorough re-examination of the aims, methods, and
expected products of research in terms of the culture
to be studied (Hughes & Seidman, 2002)
 Respect for diversity does not mean moral
relativism; one can hold strong values while also
seeking to understand different values. For
example, cultural traditions differ in the power
they grant to women; religious traditions vary in
their teachings abo
 Respect for diversity also must be balanced with
the values of social justice and sense of
community—understanding diverse groups and
persons while promoting fairness, seeking
common ground, and avoiding social
fragmentation (Prilleltensky, 2001).
 To do that, the first step is usually to study
diversities in order to understand them. A
related step is to respect others as fellow
persons, even when you disagree.
 Starnes (2004, p. 5) described how she
promoted respect for diversity in Atlanta by
strengthening affirmative action policies,
insurance coverage for domestic partners in gay
and lesbian couples, and related ways of
addressing past and present discrimination
(matters of both social justice and respect for
diversity).
Social Justice
 Social justice can be defined as the fair,
equitable allocation of resources,
opportunities, obligations, and power in
society as a whole (Prilleltensky, 2001, p.
754). It is central to some definitions of
community psychology (Nelson &
Prilleltensky, 2010; Rappaport, 1981).
 Distributive justice concerns the allocation
of resources (e.g., money, access to good
quality health services or education)
among members of a population.
 Who determines how such resources are
distributed? That is the question of
procedural justice, which concerns whether
processes of collective decision making
include a fair representation of citizens.
 Thus, distributive justice concerns the
outcomes of a program or social policy,
while procedural justice concerns how it
is planned and implemented (Drew,
Bishop, & Syme, 2002; Fondacaro &
Weinberg, 2002).
 A social justice perspective is often most
concerned with advocacy: for social
policies (e.g., laws, court decisions,
government practices, regulations) and
for changes in public attitudes, especially
through mass media.
 But it can also guide clinical work with
members of oppressed populations and
research on psychological effects of social
injustice or changes in social policy.
 Social justice involves concern for wellness of
all persons and an inclusive vision of
community and recognition of human diversity.
 Procedural justice is especially related to values
we present next: citizen participation in making
decisions and genuine collaboration between
psychologists and community members.
 In practice, the pursuit of social justice must be
balanced with other values and with
inequalities in power that are difficult to change
(Prilleltensky, 2001).
Empowerment & Citizen
Participation

 Fundamental to a community psychology

perspective is the consideration of power
dynamics in individual relationships,
organizations, and communities.
 Empowerment is aimed toward
enhancing the possibilities for people to
control their own lives (Rappaport, 1981,
1987).
 Empowerment is a process that works across
multiple levels and contexts; it involves
gaining access to resources and exercising
power in collective decision making.
 Citizen participation is a strategy for exercising
this power. It emphasizes democratic
processes of making decisions that allow all
members of a community to have meaningful
involvement in the decision, especially those
who are directly affected (Prilleltensky, 2001;
Wandersman & Florin, 1990).
 Citizen participation also refers to the
ability of a community to participate in
decisions by larger bodies (e.g.,
macrosystems) that affect its future.

 Empowerment and citizen participation

are related to the concept procedural
justice
 Citizen participation does not
automatically lead to better decisions.
Sometimes, citizens do not consider the
rights and needs of all individuals or
groups, and empowerment has been
used to justify the strengthening of one
group at the expense of another.
 Thus, this value must be balanced with
values of sense of community, social
justice, and respect for diversity
Collaboration & Community
Strengths
 Perhaps the most distinctive value of community
psychology, long emphasized in the field,
involves relationships between community
psychologists and citizens and the process of
their work.
 Psychologists usually relate to community
members as experts: researchers, clinical or
educational professionals, and organizational
consultants. That creates a hierarchical, unequal
relationship of expert and client—useful in some
contexts but often inappropriate for community
work.
 Psychologists also traditionally address deficits in
individuals (e.g., diagnosing mental disorder), while
community psychologists search for personal and
community strengths that promote change.
 Community psychologists do have expertise to share
with communities.
 However, they also need to honor the life
experiences, wisdom, passionate zeal, social
networks, organizations, cultural traditions, and
other resources (in short, the community strengths)
that already exist in a community.
 Building on these strengths is often the best
pathway to overcoming problems
 Furthermore, community psychologists
seek to create a collaborative
relationship with citizens so community
strengths are available for use. In that
relationship, both psychologist and
citizens contribute knowledge and
resources, and both participate in
making decisions (Kelly, 1986;
Prilleltensky, 2001; Tyler, Pargament &
Gatz, 1983).
 For example, community researchers
may design a study to meet the needs of
citizens, share research findings with
citizens in a form that they can use, and
help use the findings to advocate for
changes by decision-makers. Developers
of a community program would fully
involve citizens in planning and
implementing it.
 Collaboration is best pursued where
psychologist and community share
common values. Thus, it is crucial for
community psychologists to know their
own values priorities and to make careful
choices about with whom to ally in the
community. It also means that
differences in views that emerge must
be discussed and resolved fairly
Empirical Grounding
 This value refers to the integrating research
with community action, basing (grounding)
action in empirical research findings whenever
possible.
 This uses research to make community action
more effective and makes research more valid
for understanding communities.
 Community psychologists are impatient with
theory or action that lacks empirical evidence
and with research that ignores the context and
interests of the community in which it occurred.
 Community psychologists use
quantitative and qualitative research
methods
 Community psychologists prize
generating knowledge from a diversity of
sources, with innovative methods (Jason,
Keys, Suarez-Balcazar, Taylor, & Davis,
2004; Martin, Lounsbury, & Davidson,
2004).
 Community psychologists believe no research
is value-free; it is always influenced by
researchers’ values and preconceptions and by
the context in which the research is conducted.
 Drawing conclusions from research thus
requires attention to values and context, not
simply to the data. This does not mean that
researchers abandon rigorous research but that
values and community issues that affect the
research are discussed openly to promote
better understanding of findings.
 No discipline commands unanimity among its members, and
community psychologists in particular can be a skeptical,
questioning lot (recall Rappaport’s Rule).
 These core values therefore must be understood in terms of
how they complement, balance, and limit each other in
practice (Prilleltensky, 2001).
 For example, individual wellness must be balanced with
concern for the wider community. Collaborating with local
community members is a time-consuming approach that can
slow the completion of research. Promoting a local sense of
community or cultural identity does not necessarily promote
a wider concern for social justice.
 Community life and a wise community psychology require
accommodations among these values rather than single-
minded pursuit of one or two