Clinical Psychology

of the early childhood determinants of people’s person-
alities. The emotional problems of large numbers of
people may be influenced by poverty, unemployment,
job discrimination, racism, diminished educational
opportunities, sexism, andother social factors. Such
influences are hardly the ones proposed by psychoana-
lytic and other theories that seek answers in the internal
dynamics of the individual.

The Tenor of the Times. Perhaps as much as
anything, the sociopolitical events that saturated
the 1960s gave sustenance to the community
approach. The school desegregation ordered by
the Supreme Court in 1954 and the rise of the
civil rights movement pointed to discrimination in
all its malignant forms and raised the consciousness
of the entire country. For the first time, many
began to understand what social repression does to
the minds and emotions of its victims. At the same
time, civil rights activists proved that protests, ral-
lies, pressure, and occasionally even logic could
have an effect. The lessons of this era were not

lost on some of the persons who later became advo-

cates of a community approach to mental health.

KEY CONCEPTS

To this point, we have tried to sketch an overall

perspective and chronology of community psychol-

ogy. In the process, we have alluded to several

important concepts. Now, we take a closer look

at some of these concepts that are at the heart of

community psychology.

Ecological Levels of Analysis

One underlying principle of community psychol-

ogy is that individuals and society are interdepen-

dent. To understand and to enhance the lives of

others, it is essential that we consider a variety of

systems or levels of analysis (Bronfenbrenner, 1979;

Dalton et al., 2001; Trickett, 2009). Figure 16-2

presents these levels of analysis that are the subject

of research in community psychology.

Macrosystems

Localities

Organizations

Microsystems

Individuals

F I G U R E 16-2 Levels of analysis for community psychology

SOURCE: Dalton, Elias, and Wandersman (2001).Community psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

464 CHAPTER 16