Page 1 Introduction Community psychology and public health approaches are each different constituents and deals with different social problems. I will compare both of them and discuss each of its characteristics. Community Psychology Community psychology is tied up with mental health reform movements in the USA. The care of mental health is characterised by infrequent reforms and followed by long periods of virtual neglect. There are three important reform movements, namely; moral treatment in the early 100’s, mental hygiene during the 1900’s and the deinstitutionalisation in the 1960’s.
| 2014 | | UNISA DICHABE D I 53468473 | [COMMUNITY AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY] | ASSIGNMENT 1 | Table of content Introduction …………………………………………………………….p1 Approaches to social problems Similarities ………………………………p Difference....……………………………p Conclusion ……………………………………………………………….p Reference list …………………………………………………………..p Introduction According to Reber, Allen & Reber (2010) community psychology is defined as an applied branch of psychology in which the practitioner/ psychologist works in a variety of ways with the community members towards improving the quality of life. On the other hand public health approaches can be best understood as any approach that seek to prevent social problems. In this assignment, it is expected of me to critically compare and contrast the community psychology and public health approaches to social problems. Throughout this assignment will pointing out some of the strength and weakness of the two approaches and discussing the useful ideas and methods shared by both approaches. Lastly, I will conclude the assignment by giving a brief reflective summary of what I discussed throughout the assignment.
INTRODUCTION The aim of this assignment is to compare and contrast community psychology and public health approaches to social problems. Community psychology is defined by Lewis, Lewis, Daniels, & D’Andrea (1998) as a “comprehensive helping framework of intervention strategies and services that promote the personal development and well-being of all individuals and communities”. Public health can be defined as consisting of organized efforts by society to improve the health of people (Gilbert1995). This assignment will provide a broad overview of the origins of community psychology and public health; as well as present the similarities and differences of both community psychology and public health and lastly look at how the two can work together. ORIGINS OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH Community psychology originated in the united state of America as a result amongst growing concern from psychologist about the state of treatment facilities for mental health sufferer’s, due to the fact that there were high levels of neglect and lack of ongoing care for the mentally ill (Seedat, Cloete and Shochat, 1998).
1 STUDENT NUMBER: 55-11-86-82 PYC 4811 ASSIGNMENT 01 2 Table of contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3 History and core concepts……………………………………………………………………...3 Similarities and differences…………………………………………………………………….5 Strengths and weaknesses…………………………………………………………………….6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….6 Reference list…………………………………………………………………………………….7 3 Critically compare and contrast community psychology with the public health approach Introduction In this essay, I will critically compare and contrast community psychology and the public health model in terms of their origins, core concepts, strengths and pitfalls of each approach, similarities and differences and in what way these approaches do or do not supplement one another. Community Psychology according to The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology is defined as “a branch of applied psychology that focuses on person-environment interactions usually at the level of the community and is aimed at improving the general quality of life within a community” (Matsumoto, 2009). The Public Health model also consists of efforts to improve the health of communities and according to The Acheson Report, is defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society” (Department of health, 1998). History and core concepts Community psychology in South Africa followed a very close development likened to the American development and gained its momentum at a time where social disorder was present due to the lack of credible resources and treatment facilities. A shift in attention displayed the effects of social variables like “…poverty and alienation on mental health” (Butchart & Seedat, 1990).
Social Psychology Definition Paper 1 Social Psychology Definition Paper September 11, 2012 Social Psychology Definition Paper 2 Social interaction plays a major role in defining social psychology because social psychology includes areas that include: psychology, evolutionary theories, and physiology. These areas according to Harold, (2000) are components of uncultivated areas of the social sciences. The principles of natural selection and adaptation can explain the biological theories that explain human hair color to choices for reproducing. At the same time sociology explains the choices of social structuring and how humans organize socially. However, social psychology has the job of explaining what people think about, how the thought affect people, and how the thoughts will interact with each other on the biological, psychological, and social levels (Myers, 2008).
Collaboration between health professionals and various services provided a new approach to individually treat people with mental illness within their community. This new approach assisted with reducing the related stigma for people who attend mental health services. However, today barriers and gaps still exist within the health care system and the community that are not ideal and these flaws can reduce access for the consumer and carer to obtain support and care from services. Within this essay, I will endeavour to examine potential barriers and gaps that consumers and carers have to negotiate in order to obtain service. Through research I will provide possible strategies to overcome various problems with integration, coordination and continuity of care so that mental health care needs are met and people are fully supported
Community psychology (CP), as a discipline, began in 1965 in Swampscott, Massachusetts, during a meeting of psychologists discussing training for community mental health. This group identified CP to be distinct from clinical psychology and community mental health. The original focus was on social and cultural influences on mental health, and it has since widened, with CP now being a discipline within psychology that examines ecological issues beyond the individual level, explores the value of diversity, challenges narrow unidimensional measures of health, and validates psychologists as agents of social changes. A public health approach was used to help provide the burgeoning field with an alternative to the medical model used in clinical psychology that focuses on illness, treatment, and recovery. This helped establish prevention as a founding principle of the field.
Erikson’s Stages of Development Summary: An eight stage theory of identity and psychosocial development Erik Erikson (1902 -1994), a German-born American psychoanalyst. Key Terms: Erikson’s stages, psychosocial, development Erikson’s Stages of Development Erik Erikson, a German psychoanalyst heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud, explored three aspects of identity: the ego identity (self), personal identity (the personal idiosyncrasies that distinguish a person from another, social/cultural identity (the collection of social roles a person might play). Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development considers the impact of external factors, parents and society on personality development from childhood to adulthood. According to Erikson’s theory, every person must pass through a series of eight interrelated stages over the entire life cycle. 1.
Group formation, Cohesion, and Behaviors Matthew Gambrell Mid-Continent University Louisville 18 Group Dynamics PSY 3413 Professor Guy Nelson 04-19-2012 Abstract The purpose of this research is to identify the importance of understanding how groups come together, group cohesiveness, and why we should understand the influences of groups upon our own individual behavior. The first phase of this project involved researching different academic books, journals, and publications to find the facts needed to support my topic. Next, I watched the movie, “Die Welle (The Wave)” to get a better understanding of a story based on the true life events on the effects of group behavior upon and individual’s actions. By combining the scholarly research with what I learned from the video I will express my understanding of the subject matter and conclude what we can learn from a better understanding of group dynamics. Groups are a part of most people’s everyday lives.
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF THE CARIBBEAN INSTITUTE FOR THEOLOGICAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT NAME: ANA-SHAREE DALIKA COHEN PROGRAMME: BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PYSCHOLOGY COURSE: COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY YEAR: 2 LECTURER’S NAME: MS DONNA MILLER DATE GIVEN: FEBRUARY 5, 2013 DUE DATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2013 (ONE WEEK EXTENTION) ID NUMBER: 1102C0149 NO. OF HOURS: 45 ASSIGNMENT QUESTION: Write 6-8 pages essay that a) Outline the development of Community Psychology b) Discusses the current and future applications as well as implications of community psychology in a Caribbean. Abstract In order to successfully complete this essay, careful planning and consideration was done, mainly because; there are many fields in psychology that focuses on many different aspects of our lives. Therefore I had to scan through materials, eliminate unnecessary literature to focus on the development of community psychology as well as discussing the current and future applications as well as implications of community psychology in a Caribbean. I had to ensure that my sources were related to the assigned topic and I had to prudently evaluate my sources based on credibility, reliability and validity.