Community psychology is an applied branch of psychology that places emphasis on understanding people in their own context, and promoting their health and wellbeing within this context. It is particularly relevant in the quest to empower people to address psychosocial problems through community development. Community psychology focuses on how theories and research are used to inform practice in South Africa.
Community psychology applies theories relevant to the study of people in South Africa's diverse multicultural environment, delving deeper into the psychosocial problems of violence and crime, poverty and unemployment, racism and xenophobia, gender-based violence/gender equity, masculinities, community trauma, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, child and adolescent mental health and the elderly in the community. It develops a new perspective on interpretation of communities, resulting in meaningful engagement which can lead to real social change.
CHAPTER 1 Community Psychology
SECTION 1 CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES
CHAPTER 2 System Theory in Community Psychology
CHAPTER 3 Social constructionism: discourses and community narratives
CHAPTER 4 Critical social theory traditions in Community Psychology
CHAPTER 5 African-centred Community Psychology
CHAPTER 6 Decolonising (Community) Psychology
SECTION 2 RESEARCH STRATEGIES
CHAPTER 7 (Participatory) action research
CHAPTER 8 Research-as-social-change: activating the transformative potential of research in Community Psychology
CHAPTER 9 Implementation science
CHAPTER 10 Community social impact assessment
SECTION 3 COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS
CHAPTER 11 Mental health services in communities in South Africa
CHAPTER 12 Prevention, promotion and empowerment
CHAPTER 13 Promoting community wellbeing at personal, relational and collective levels: a positive psychology perspective
CHAPTER 14 Peer support groups as community interventions
CHAPTER 15 Community mobilisation and social change
SECTION 4 CHALLENGING COMMUNITY ISSUES
CHAPTER 16 HIV/AIDS and community interventions
CHAPTER 17 Substance abuse
CHAPTER 18 Violence and crime
CHAPTER 19 Gender-based violence and community wellbeing
CHAPTER 20 Masculinities: new South African men
CHAPTER 21 Poverty, unemployment and homelessness
CHAPTER 22 Racism and xenophobia in South Africa: psychological sequalae
CHAPTER 23 Community trauma CHAPTER 24 Child and adolescent mental health: an ecological perspective
