Synopses & Reviews
Principles of Community Psychology, now in a new edition, is a comprehensive text integrating theory, research, and practice across the diverse subject matter of community mental health and community psychology. Emphasizing an ecological approach, this text places problems in both their current and historical perspectives, focusing on the individual in the environment and the influences that shape and change behavior and mental health. Conceptually built around the models of stressful life events, social support, and coping, it applies these concepts as a key integrative device for analyzing diverse phenomena and interventions which include self-help, prevention, and social action. Thoroughly updated, this second edition has been completely rewritten to include updated references and research, boxes on current topics, chapter outlines, expanded case studies, practical examples, and chapter discussions. The authors have made their arguments and research less abstract and more practical, offering students a more accessible text that presents concrete, detailed, up-to-date examples of programs, research, and scholarship from many different fields. The text covers the history of community mental health and shows its relationship to social welfare policies and legal and political systems. It also shows the limits inherent in the medical model of practice in dealing with such a full range of formal mental health problems, including the every day stressful life events that make up the Soap Opera life. Principles of Community Psychology ultimately challenges community psychologists as well as students of psychology, sociology, and social work to look at the impact of the new conservatism on human services and the opportunities that are presented for innovative approaches in the new political climate.
Synopsis
This text provides a coherent and balanced presentation of the principles and practices of community psychology. Opening chapters analyze the conceptual roots of community psychology in epidemiology, the medical model of mental health, and social ecology, while later chapters focus on practical applications in preventive mental health and social and community change. Unusual but increasingly important topics are also addressed, such as self-help, consciousness raising, labelling theory, school desegregation, and the role of behavioral scientists in social change. The authors subject basic concepts to critical analysis and provide up-to-date reviews of empirical research throughout.
Synopsis
'Principles of Community Psychology, now in a new edition, is a comprehensive text integrating theory, research, and practice across the diverse subject matter of community mental health and community psychology. Emphasizing an ecological approach, this text places problems in both their
current and historical perspectives, focusing on the individual in the environment and the influences that shape and change behavior and mental health. Conceptually built around the models of stressful life events, social support, and coping, it applies these concepts as a key integrative device
for analyzing diverse phenomena and interventions which include self-help, prevention, and social action. Thoroughly updated, this second edition has been completely rewritten to include updated references and research, boxes on current topics, chapter outlines, expanded case studies, practical
examples, and chapter discussions. The authors have made their arguments and research less abstract and more practical, offering students a more accessible text that presents concrete, detailed, up-to-date examples of programs, research, and scholarship from many different fields. The text covers
the history of community mental health and shows its relationship to social welfare policies and legal and political systems. It also shows the limits inherent in the medical model of practice in dealing with such a full range of formal mental health problems, including the every day stressful life
events that make up the Soap Opera life. Principles of Community Psychology ultimately challenges community psychologists as well as students of psychology, sociology, and social work to look at the impact of the new conservatism on human services and the opportunities that are presented for
innovative approaches in the new political climate.'
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 434-479) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Introduction: An Overview of Community Psychology
1. Life Is a Soap Opera
2. The Social and Historical Context of Community Psychology
3. The Ecological Analogy
4. Three Psychological Conceptions of the Environment
5. Labelling Theory: An Alternative to the Illness Model, and Its Limitations
6. Adaptation, Crisis, Coping and Support
7. Prevention in Mental Health
8. Self-Help Groups
9. Consciousness-Raising as Self-Help
10. The Problem of Change
11. School Desegregation: A Societal-Level Intervention
12. Social Action in Community Psychology: Science, Politics, and the Ethics of Community Intervention