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 Research
Teach the Children Well: Social Justice in College Predicts Preference for Socially Responsible Jobs
Posted in: Education | Tags: Featured ResearchTaking a social justice focused course or participating in extracurricular volunteering made it more likely for students to want to work for a socially responsible company.
The Effects of Deportation on Families and Communities
Posted in: Aging, Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice, Marginalized Groups, Public Policy | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyThe Effects of Deportation on Families and Communities A Policy Statement by the Society for Community Research and Action: Division 27 of the American Psychological Association[1] Prepared by: Regina Day Langhout, University of California at Santa Cruz, Sara L. Buckingham, University of Alaska at Anchorage, Ashmeet Kaur Oberoi, University of Miami, Noé Rubén Chávez, City […]
Why Chatting with your Best Friend about how much Fun you had at the Party is Good for You and Your Community’s Health
Posted in: Prevention Science, Sense of Community | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyIt is intuitive that social support and positive interactions within communities are linked to better physical and emotional health for individual community members. However, we have not be able to say, from a research standpoint, how or why this is the case. In Sharing Positive Experiences Boosts Resilient Thinking: Everyday Benefits of Social Connection and […]
How Does Exposure to Violence During Adolescence Impact Future Orientation?
Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Mental Health | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyExposure to violence (ETV) is associated with poorer mental and physical health outcomes including mental distress, suicidal ideation, problematic behaviors, and substance abuse. Individuals with regular exposure to violence may be at higher risk of hopelessness and more likely to avoid consideration of the future in a positive way. Up to now, we haven’t known […]
Is it Any of Our Business? How Religious Leaders Understand and Respond to IPV
Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyWhat is the role of a spiritual leader in the private sphere of the home? How do church leaders address the tensions between reducing the rate of divorce, promoting family stability, and addressing the needs of church members at risk for emotional, financial, and physical violence within their families? The “holy hush” refers to a […]
How We Can Promote “Citizenship” in Communities
Posted in: Marginalized Groups, Mental Health, Public Policy | Tags: Featured Research, ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyIf we return to the definition of citizenship as a sense of belonging to a group, we gain an understanding of “community” as more broad than simple geographical proximity, membership, or identification with a group.
Featured New Content
Introducing Alternatives to Suicide: An Interview with Caroline Mazel-Carlton about a New Approach to Crisis
Posted in: Mental Health, Self Help | Tags: Featured ContentPublished in: The Community PsychologistEmily Cutler (EC): How would you describe Alternatives to Suicide? Caroline Mazel-Carlton (CMC): Alternatives to Suicide” (Alt2Su) describes an approach to suicide that focuses on connection and relationship-building among those who are struggling. This approach was informed by “Alternatives to Suicide” peer support groups where people can share openly and authentically about their suicidal thoughts and feelings. Groups originated in the Western Mass Recovery […]
Demystifying Decolonialization: A Practical Example from the Classroom
Posted in: Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured Content, PracticePublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyDecolonization is a process of examining and undoing unearned privilege resulting from historical and present day injustice. As a process, decolonization can push students from apathy to develop a sense of activism.
How to Use Feedback Loops to Engage your Community
Posted in: Coalition Building, Sense of Community | Tags: Featured ContentPublished in: Global Journal of Community Psychology PracticeInvolving marginalized voices in the community can be difficult. The Feedback Loop process is one way to more authentically engage more folks.
Just Living is Not Enough: Community Gardens Promote Life and Connection to Others
Posted in: Environment, Sense of Community | Tags: Featured ContentIn an increasingly fractured world, we search for visceral places to make human contact. Working together on a shared goal increases a sense of community by way of enhancing a person’s individual happiness. It’s a classic win-win! Sure, community gardens promote “feel good” spaces detoxing us from traffic and urban sprawl by enticing our spirits […]
Hands Across the Hills
Posted in: Coalition Building, Inspiration, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status, Rural Communities | Tags: Featured ContentIn the wake of the 2016 United States presidential election, Americans were awash in angry media and divisive partisian rhetoric, which suggested deep divisions. It struck at our core of what it means to be an American. We felt that we were being encouraged to see the “other” as different from ourselves and often as […]
Living Community Psychology-Louis Brown
Posted in: Inspiration | Tags: Featured ContentPublished in: The Community PsychologistFor this installment, we feature Louis Brown of El Paso, Texas. Louis’ original focus, starting in graduate school, was on mental health self-help consumer groups, but his eventual move to a heavily Latino population on the U.S.-Mexico border and to a school of public health, have led to a broadened perspective, to multiple health-related issues, […]
