1

THEORETICAL CONCEPTS OF
COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

1.1 Introduction
The presence of an individual on any social platform presents him/her as a
fgure in the backdrop of a community. Its existence and identity are derived
from connections in the community connections. Except in case of emotional
withdrawal, no one is alone in this world. Society and community hold us
through our life. Indeed, human beings are social animals. One cannot sim-
ply thrive in the world in isolation. This is because the individual and com-
munity lives are intertwined in nature. There is a necessity to understand
human behaviour in the context of the larger community as a whole, with
which the individual relates. This is because behaviour possesses its dynamic
community backdrop factor. The focus needs to be on the neighbourhood,
the community, and the society to promote a sense of well-being rather than
intervening only when problems arise. In fact, the present era is adorned by
strong linkages that reveal disease aetiology to arise out of behaviour in per-
sonal as well as community space (Detels & Breslow, 1997). Hence, in order
to achieve the target of illness prevention, the establishment of health-promo-
tive environments at the community level becomes palpable and should be the
focus of the current times. Progress in this fashion requires time, which nev-
ertheless would eventually solve several social problems step by step (Weick,
1984). Anyhow, sound theoretical analyses of key concepts like “health,”
“wellness,” “wellness promotion,” and “healthy environments” are essen-
tial prerequisites for developing effective environmental designs and public
policy programmes so as to create healthy surroundings (Webster, 1989).
Collective well-being and optimal state of wellness are terms often used
in modern parlance. Such concepts of health or wellness promotion differ

DOI: 10.4324/9781003452188-2
4 Theoretical Concepts of Community Psychology

essentially from disease-prevention orientation by providing greater empha-

sis on the role of individuals, groups, and organizations as active agents in
shaping health practices and policies. A dire necessity is felt to change the
individualistic perspective rather than their environments, organizations, or
institutions. Health habits and lifestyles are also getting modifed. The com-
munity as a whole needs to address their mental health. The present chapter
will attempt to explore the nuances of wellness and optimization of health by
using the psychological lens to focus on the community as a whole.

1.2 Fundamentals of Community Psychology

1.2.1 Community: A Conceptual Overview

A community is understood to be a social group of people belonging to a
specifed area who share common geography, culture, government, or per-
sonal characteristics. This is pictorially presented in Figure 1.1.
Warren (1977) opines different facets of the community which need to
be considered in perceiving a better comprehension of any community. They
provide a framework for comparing different communities as well as helping
to draw similarities (Kazdin, 2000). The various ways of understanding a
specifc community are as follows:

• The community as a space: This is defned as not only a physical space

but also a psychological space.
• The community as people who thrive in the space: The population of a
distinct community is defned by different demographic data available
with census boards (e.g., number and percentage of people hailing from
different ethnic and/ or racial groups, age, sex distributions, etc.).
• The community as shared institutions and values: A community may be
regarded as an institution that is shared by a unique pattern of living and

Interacting
Common population
interests (segment of
society)

Shared locality & Unified &

Government distinct body

Society as a whole

FIGURE 1.1 Diagrammatic illustration of community (developed by the authors).

 Theoretical Concepts of Community Psychology 5

value systems among individuals against a specifc cultural/sub-cultural

backdrop.
• The community as an interaction: The association of individuals with
each other is of great importance along with the behaviour associated
with different community institutions such as temples/churches, mosques,
schools, families, neighbourhood, and the like.
• The community as a distribution of power: It relates to the play of power
dynamics in a community set-up.
• The community as a social system: It involves taking into consideration
the communication patterns, boundary maintenance, systemic linkage or
interdependence of units in a particular community, socialization pro-
cesses, mechanisms of social control, institutionalization or predictability
of organization, and social actions in the community.

This may be explained by the ecological perspective, wherein the “person-

in-context” (where context is seen as being multilevel) is the unit of analysis
and change, and has become a guiding principle of community psychology.
Problems are seen as faulty adaptations to the natural environment rather
than solely as defciencies of individuals. This aids to develop new progres-
sive insights (Burton & Kagan, 2000; Levine & Perkins, 1997). Community
health professionals attempt to understand citizens amidst their societal
environment so as to promote quality of life for individuals as a whole.
The scientifc concern and practice of ecology is a relatively new enter-
prise, whose ideas have been stimulated from concepts of public health. A
social ecological perspective is an approach in health research which draws
upon concepts from multiple disciplines of medical and behavioural sci-
ences. Social ecological approach stresses on curative strategies that are pre-
sent throughout the community, for holistic wellness, and not just to work
in the purview of an individual. This perspective incorporates behavioural
and social science emphasis in such a manner that:

• Individuals and groups play an active role in modifying their own health,
behaviour, and well-being.
• Theoretical models describing people–environment transactions are
developed and tested.
• Evaluative studies are conducted to assess overall wellness and not just
illness-cure (Winett et al., 1989; Henderson & Scutchfeld, 1989).

The inter-relationships of the individual with the environment as a whole

may be schematically represented by the fowchart given in Figure 1.2.
It is to be noted that culture is the sum of the maintenance system, the
environments, and the inter-individual context. It virtually infuences every
aspect of our existence (Kim & Markus, 1999; Fiske et al., 1998). In other
6 Theoretical Concepts of Community Psychology

Environments
History Ecology

Inter-individual system (results

Maintenance of System in di˜erences in behaviour)
(of the self)

Biological
Gene°c system contribu°ng
inheritance
to innate pieces of behaviour Learned Behaviour

COMMUNITY
Projec°ve System

FIGURE 1.2 Individual self in relation to the environment (developed by the

authors).

words, cultures elaborate upon a variety of social organizations to deal with

basic life problems. Cultures can be conceptualized as providing a “tool
kit” of habits, skills, styles, perspectives, norms, roles, and values, out of
which each individual can construct a potentially unique strategy for action.
Trickett (1996) locates the development of human activities within a socio-
historical and cultural context of meanings and relationships. This has been
supported by Dalton et al. (2001). Behaviour can be understood better if the
context in which it takes place is comprehended (Figure 1.3).
In sum,
A community is understood to be a social group of people belonging to a
specifed area who shares common geography, culture, government, or per-
sonal characteristics. Community can be understood as (a) a space, (b) peo-
ple, (c) shared institutions, (d) an interaction, (e) the distribution of power,
and (f) a social system.

1.2.2 Community Ecology: A Foundation of Community Psychology

A community holds the interplay of varied forces which account for com-
munity dynamics that give it its distinct character. Many factors come into
play, some being community history, social action, advocacy, social change
movements, the ethnic composition of a specifc area, its crime rate, extent of
poverty, human rights, social policy, and sense of cohesion or belongingness
to the community (Prilleltensky & Nelson, 1997). Community is a cultural