Community Psychology

Community psychology is the study of human behavior in its multiple ecological, historical, cultural, and [Page 110]sociopolitical contexts. It is concerned with the interdependence of individuals and communities. Human behavior is understood as the result of interactions between persons, groups, and their environments. This understanding is applied to the creation of person– environment transactions that prevent dysfunction, facilitate empowerment and social justice, and promote wellness in individuals, groups, and communities. Community psychology is a shift away from psychology's internal, cognitive, and nuclear family emphases toward the incorporation of greater attention to the role of social systems and structures in human functioning.

Community psychology insists on multiple levels of analysis: individual (e.g., attitudes, cognitions, emotions), microsystem (e.g., family, classroom, team), organizational (e.g., a school, a church, an ...