That’s a great question, and you’d probably get a different take on it from everyone you ask.
Here’s how the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) (Community Psychology, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association, a network of Community Psychologists) defines it:
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.
Another definition that might be useful is from NOBA (a learning community that offers free psychology modules and textbooks):
Community Psychology is the branch of psychology that seeks to understand complex individual–environment interactions in order to bring about social change, particularly for those who have limited resources and opportunities. … Over the past five decades, the field of Community Psychology has matured with recurring themes of prevention, social justice, and an ecological understanding of people within their environments.
In my words, Community Psychology is an organized, rigorous approach to working for change. Community Psychology has an agenda: social justice. Community Psychologists (CPs) look at the big picture, and we have a critical analysis of systemic power imbalances, oppression, discrimination, and complex social issues. We engage communities and facilitate people from across sectors and disciplines coming together and building comprehensive strategies and solutions, always with an eye to improving quality of life, particularly for communities that are marginalized. We draw on community strengths to co-create multi-pronged strategies for achieving equity and fairness for all people, whatever their background, identity, or life experiences.
We know it’s important to meet people where they’re at, and to respect and integrate their ways of knowing and being into the work we do together. Our processes are participatory, empowering, and holistic - we focus on well-being, and on building community strengths, capacities, and confidence. We care about the long-term health of people and the planet, and we promote eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable practices. We strive to build belonging and a sense of community for everyone.
We have lots of tools and processes we can draw on, and they can be applied in different settings and address different issues. Some of our tools are:
A final point is that we recognize our subjectivity - we are not neutral, objective observers. Instead we reflect on and articulate how our values, assumptions, and life experiences influence our work; we support each other in surfacing biases and hidden assumptions, and identifying how they affect the way we bring ourselves to the work.
Resources
If you want to know more, here are some resources you might want to check out:
It’s been an interesting process trying to articulate a definition, and thinking about how I would describe Community Psychology, so thanks for asking the question!
