Critical Comparison Between Cp and Ph
IMPROVED ASSAY
This essay aims to critically compare and contrast the community psychology and public health approaches to social problems. It is imperative however to first explain what these two concepts mean before executing on how they compare and differ from each other. It would also be of significance to know how these concepts where established.
Definitions
Community psychology is that branch of psychology concerned with how people relate to community and society, and according to this approach there are multiple levels in which individuals connect to the community and this includes friends or family, workplace, religion, culture and society (as cited in Community Psychology Linking Individuals and Community, 2001).Psychologists working in this arena use collaborative research and action to try understand the life of individuals, communities, and society and as well to enhance the quality life. In their investigations, they tend to focus more on social structure that seem to affect the community and in turn the individuals such as cultural, economic, social, political and environmental issues (Community Psychology, 2001).
The approach also deals with community problems such as mental health and believes that this is not an individual issue but involves the community at large (New Perspectives In Community Psychology, 2002).The advocates of this approach such as Seedat, Cloete,& Shochet(cited in Community Psychology,2002) tend to ague the intrapsychic nature of mental illness by the mainstream psychology which suggest that the problem lies within the individual and ignoring social issues such as poverty, substance abuse, violence, and women-battering. The problem created by this model is its elitist and selective nature which seems to have failed to address the needs of majority in society and focused only in individuals. Hence community psychology seek to concern itself with the issues that involves the community and its collectiveness other
This essay aims to critically compare and contrast the community psychology and public health approaches to social problems. It is imperative however to first explain what these two concepts mean before executing on how they compare and differ from each other. It would also be of significance to know how these concepts where established.
Definitions
Community psychology is that branch of psychology concerned with how people relate to community and society, and according to this approach there are multiple levels in which individuals connect to the community and this includes friends or family, workplace, religion, culture and society (as cited in Community Psychology Linking Individuals and Community, 2001).Psychologists working in this arena use collaborative research and action to try understand the life of individuals, communities, and society and as well to enhance the quality life. In their investigations, they tend to focus more on social structure that seem to affect the community and in turn the individuals such as cultural, economic, social, political and environmental issues (Community Psychology, 2001).
The approach also deals with community problems such as mental health and believes that this is not an individual issue but involves the community at large (New Perspectives In Community Psychology, 2002).The advocates of this approach such as Seedat, Cloete,& Shochet(cited in Community Psychology,2002) tend to ague the intrapsychic nature of mental illness by the mainstream psychology which suggest that the problem lies within the individual and ignoring social issues such as poverty, substance abuse, violence, and women-battering. The problem created by this model is its elitist and selective nature which seems to have failed to address the needs of majority in society and focused only in individuals. Hence community psychology seek to concern itself with the issues that involves the community and its collectiveness other
References: 1. Butch, A.; Seedat, M. & Terre Blance, M.J. (2002). New Perspectives in Community Psychology: University of South Africa Muckleneuk. Pretoria. 2. Dalton, J. H.; Elias, M. J.; and Wandersman, A. (2001). Community Psychology: Linking Individuals and Communities. Stanford, CT: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, Inc. 5. Tutorial Letter 102 for PSYC4811(2012) COVERE PAGE