What is Community Psychology?
Social justice. Action-oriented research. Global in nature. Influencing public policy. Working for empowerment. Multidisciplinary in focus. Celebrating culture. Preventing harm. Behavior in context. Social action. Supporting community strengths. Reducing oppression. Promoting well-being. Scientific inquiry. Honoring human rights. Respecting diversity.
Community psychology goes beyond an individual focus and integrates social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and international influences to promote positive change, health, and empowerment at individual and systemic levels.
Featured New Content
When the Feds Need Help: Community-Based Policing and Deportation
Posted in: Criminal Justice, Immigrant Justice, Uncategorized | Tags: Featured ContentSubmitted by: Doris Marie Provine While there is a long history of cooperation between local police and sheriffs and federal immigration agents in the United States, the issue has more recently become a source of conflict. Federal initiatives begun in the Clinton Administration are designed to encourage more intense and on-going relationships with local police. […]
Supporting Community-Based DV Services Through Academic Collaboration
Posted in: Coalition Building, Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured ContentPublished in: Global Journal of Community Psychology PracticeSubmitted by: Daniel W. Snook, Miklós B. Halmos, M. Alejandra Arce, Hannah L. Joseph, Gabriel P. Kuperminc, Rebecca Rodriguez, Rosario de la Torre, & Teresa Burns Interventions to support survivors of domestic violence (DV) have historically and predominantly been developed with and geared toward White, English-speaking, non-immigrant populations. Interventions to reduce negative effects of domestic […]
Raising Awareness and Getting to Action: Uprooting White Supremacy and Promoting Racial Justice
Posted in: Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured ContentIn response to the repeated police killings of Black people, including the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Rayshard Brooks, and the global mobilization demanding structural change to ensure that Black Lives Matter, the Society for Community Research and Action membership pulled together resources to support awareness raising and action for […]
Society for Community Research and Action Statement on Police Brutality
Posted in: Criminal Justice, Marginalized Groups, Public Policy, Violence Prevention | Tags: Featured ContentWe, the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA), are in solidarity with those calling to move funding out of policing and into systems that facilitate community wellness. For this reason, we take up policing as an institution.
Celebrate and Replicate! Building Community through the New Bank for Community Solutions and Ideas
Posted in: Inspiration | Tags: Featured ContentSubmit your stories of community-building, action, and hope to the The New Bank for Community Solutions!
Featured Research
Paying Time After Time: The Costs of Criminal Record Stigma
Posted in: Criminal Justice | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologySubmitted by: Elaina R. McWilliams and Bronwyn A. Hunter In 2018, researchers from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County invited members of a nationwide Facebook Group to complete an online survey if they were over 18 and had a felony and/or misdemeanor conviction. In the survey, we asked about 1) whether they believed that most […]
The Scalability of Mentoring
Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status | Tags: Featured ResearchGroup mentoring is a promising strategy for building resilience among young people vulnerable to school dropout. Mentoring in small groups is more scalable than traditional one-on-one mentoring.
With Racism Everywhere, What makes Youth “Engage Against the Machine?”
Posted in: Coalition Building, Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyActivism is a crucial part of the democratic process. Social action can be helpful in combating the exhaustion of daily inequality.
Engaging Stakeholders about the “Wicked Problem” of Educational–Behavioral Health Disparities
Posted in: Marginalized Groups, Prevention Science | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyMany important societal problems can be defined as “wicked” because they have multiple, complex causes, impact individuals in different ways, and do not lend themselves to simple solutions. Researchers should seek to collaborate with the individuals most affected by the topic under study so that any (partial) solutions to identified problems can be informed by […]
Critical Reflection as an Antidote for Oppression
Posted in: Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyCritical reflection is associated with lower levels of internalized oppression and higher levels of collective efficacy. It can liberate people from oppressive ideologies and empower them to resist social injustice.
