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P1: GCQ The Journal of Primary Prevention [jpp] PH020-297091 March 16, 2001 21:4 Style file version Nov. 19th, 1999
The Journal of Primary Prevention, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2001
Book Review Handbook of Community Psychology. Rappaport, J. and Seidman, E. (Eds.)New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0-306-46160-
9. Price: $170.
This is an important book in the history of community psychology. It tells thestories and provides the maps about where this field is, conceptually, empirically, strategically, analytically, professionally, and practically (with regard to a dozencontemporary social problem areas). It is a big book, which makes it difficult to convey its scope. For starters, it is over a thousand pages long, weighs about5 pounds, and has a crisp and well-designed look to it, with plenty of space for writing marginal notations. There are over one hundred contributors--a who's who ofcommunity psychology--whose efforts are divided into seven major sections with 38 chapters. These chapters run roughly between 3 or 4 pages (brief reports frompractitioners) to over 30 plus pages, and are quite readable--something important for teachers. The chapters have ample citations, some running from about 100 toover 200. There are also 28 pages of a detailed subject index. It is not error-free book, as the first line of the Table of Contents reveals, but it provides a great dealof good and provocative information. The price tag is steep, but on par with prices of other shorter texts and reference books.The Handbook provides what I would call point-of-view essays arguing for certain perspectives on the topic at hand. By reading several related chapters, onegets a more nearly complete picture of the theories, research studies, and practices that are operative at this time. For example, the First Part on conceptualframeworks, presents a number of specific perspectives, such as on empowerment, psychological wellness, behaviorism, cognitive theory, an ecological perspective.There is no specific attempt to integrate or connect these various perspectives, although the Part introductions by the editors provide some overview of the pos-sible relationships among chapters. The basic commonality is the attempt on the part of authors to connect their topics with community psychology, and in sodoing, to distinguish the clinical/individual-focused/treatment-oriented approach
69 0278-095X/01/0900-0069$19.50/0 Cr^ 2001 Human Sciences Press, Inc.
P1: GCQ The Journal of Primary Prevention [jpp] PH020-297091 March 16, 2001 21:4 Style file version Nov. 19th, 1999
70 Book Review from the community level/population-focused/prevention-oriented approach, eachwith their own distinctive conceptual (causal) models, strategies of intervention, and modes of evaluation (Felner, Felner, & Silverman, chapter 1; van Uchelen,chapter 3).
I will begin with a brief overview of the seven sections of the Handbook,followed by a brief summary assessment. PART 1 deals with conceptual terms and frameworks that map out the major working areas in community psychol-ogy. Zimmerman (chapter 2) discusses empowerment theory at three levels of analysis--the psychological (individual), the organizational, and the community--and as both a theory and a value orientation that redefines professional expert/client roles to one involving a facilitator/participant, working together and sharing re-sources towards the solution of a participant-defined challenge. Van Uchelen (chapter 3) continues the discussion on the implications of individualistic versuscollectivist orientations for community psychology, with the argument for greater collectivist perspective in community psychology. For Cowen (chapter 4), psycho-logical wellness enfolds other concepts like primary prevention, empowerment, competence, and resilience, and thus becomes a major orientation for commu-nity psychologists: how does wellness come about and how can we promote it? Bogat and Jason (chapter 5) suggest that the documented strengths of behaviorismcan be integrated with community psychology so as to customize interventions and achieve successive approximations toward large community goals. O'Neill(chapter 6) emphasizes the contributions of cognitive theory at individual, interpersonal, and community levels. What we (individually) think or feel about prob-lems or challenges, how we interact with others regarding problems/challenges, and what groups we identify with (at the community level) are all cognitive di-mensions of community psychology. Kelly, Ryan, Altman, & Stelzner (chapter 7) advocate for an ecological perspective in order to build a true community-basedcommunity psychology. They introduce eight concepts (on structure and process) in a conceptual framework for putting this ecological perspective into practice.In Part II, People in Context, we find more specific conceptual maps in connecting individual well-being with important social contexts. Zautra and Bachrach(chapter 8) argue for a balanced view of both health and illness indicators, not just psychiatric epidemiology (illness) alone. Social indicator approaches provideuseful insights into the strengths of peoples. Likewise, Sandler, Gensheimer, and Braver (chapter 9) consider stress and its reduction both in terms of individualand environmental factors for a multi-level analysis that most readily captures important parts of reality. Barrera (chapter 10) emphasizes the importance of socialsupports, in its many conceptual and measurement forms. Wandersman and Florin (chapter 11) discuss the dimensions of citizen participation in a model they pro-pose that is useful in summarizing the literature in this area. Participation appears as central to many other terms in community psychology, such as "senseof community," and "empowerment." Klein, Ralls, Smith-Major, and Douglas
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Book Review 71 (chapter 12) continue this discussion of participation in connection with power(and empowerment) in the workplace.
Part III, Intervention Strategies and Tactics, deals with action, but only inthe context of understanding. Trickett, Barone, and Watts (chapter 13) discuss consultation as an ecological tool for magnifying change (as compared to indi-vidual clinical work), while Berkowitz (chapter 14) emphasizes neighborhood organization as an important tool in community organization, and offers a largenumber of propositions as to how this may come about, such as an organizing attempt will be more successful if the community organizer is seen as credible,both in general and on the particular issue. Cherniss and Deegan (chapter 15) argue for the usefulness of alternative settings that create new ways of deal-ing with old problems, even though these utopian visions are difficult to create and sustain in a conventional world. McAlister (chapter 16) offers a view onaction-oriented mass communication, from the efforts to reduce drunk driving (by means of promoting the designated driver concept) to community-wide projects(like the Stanford three-community study on preventing predictable problems). Phillips (chapter 17) discusses social policy and scientific community psychology,both as a tension-filled relationship and an opportunity for affecting large-scale changes. Both public policy makers and scientists need each other's strengths, ifthey can avoid each other's limitations. Mayer and Davidson (chapter 18) consider the state of knowledge on disseminating innovations, an important con-cern as community psychologists seek to have the knowledge they generate used by people in the community, as well as understanding the processes of socialchange.
Part IV involves the social systems in which all of the activities of commu-nity psychologists are manifested, and which necessarily affect those activities, both the mental health systems (Heller, Jenkins, Steffen, and Swindle, chapter 19)and the physical health systems (Revenson and Schiaffino, chapter 20). Pargament and Maton (chapter 21) discuss religious systems in America, while Melton(chapter 22) discusses the legal system. Knitzer (chapter 23) considers the welfare system (with particular reference to children at risk for school and life failure),while Oxley (chapter 24) considers the educational system (and its reform). Levy (chapter 25) focuses on self-help groups as a systems context for the work of com-munity psychology, while Shinn and Perkins (chapter 26) discuss organizations and their systemic impact on health and mental health.Part V touches on methodological issues as they relate to concepts in community psychology. Linney (chapter 27) considers ways in which measures areproxies for concepts, such as measures of temporal patterns as indicators of social regularities. Shinn and Rapkin (chapter 28) grapple with the complexities of mea-suring human behavior in multiple (cross-level) context, while Tanaka (chapter 29) considers statistical models for change. Stewart (chapter 30) discussing qualitativeresearch in the context of community psychology.
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72 Book Review
Part VI looks at professional and cross-cultural issues through the eyes ofpractitioners who are involved in well-established operations. In chapter 31, Wolff includes discussions by Morgan in Virginia, Snow and Meyers in Connecticut,Schelkun in Michigan, Swift in Kansas, Berkowitz and Wolff in Massachusetts, and Chavis in Maryland--all with exemplary programs. The next chapters include dis-cussions of community psychology from international perspectives (Wingenfeld and Newbrough, chapter 32), and with special reference to work for peace (Roeschand Carr, chapter 33). Snowden, Martinez, and Morris (chapter 34) consider community psychology efforts with regard to ethnically diverse populations, whileSwift, Bond, and Serrano-Garcia (chapter 35) review community psychology's first 25 years with regard to women's empowerment. They all report mixed find-ings, some forward steps, some steps not taken. The agenda for the future is full. Snow, Grady, and Goyette-Ewing (chapter 36) take on ethical issues in communitypsychology--the values, goals, and processes involved in the field, along with issues of informed consent and the use of evidence. These are complex issues, andwill also have to be further addressed in the future. This Part concludes with some personal reflections of Sarason on community change, both in the problems thatemerged during change, and the ways in which community psychologists must be (become) involved in dealing with change in constructive ways. Good things donot happen in communities by accident; neither do bad things.
The last Part of the book (VII) involves a dozen contemporary social problemsand concerns, from the urban poor (Allen) to people living with physical disabilities (White and Fawcett). These involve the presentation of key research andaction questions, and are part of the future agenda for community psychology (and society).These brief, often one-line, summaries of complex chapters in no way approximate the sophisticated discussions of these chapters. The point of providing abrief overview is to give a sense of the range of topics considered by contemporary community psychologists, particularly as they are involved in primary prevention.These chapters, along with their often detailed lists of references, provide an excellent point of departure for understanding where we are now and where we arelikely to be headed (or ought to be headed). For this, the Handbook of Community Psychology will serve an invaluable service.
Martin BloomUniversity of Connecticut
Copyright (c) 2001 Human Sciences Press, Inc.