ERIC EJ876492: Broadening the Boundaries of Psychology through Community Psychology

2008·0.05 MB·English

by  ERIC

Broadening the boundaries of psychology
through community psychology
Carolyn Kagan
T
HIS PAPER argues for community riculum governing body for higher educa-
psychology to be included within the tion in England) benchmarking statements
discipline boundaries of psychology. In about psychology.
doing this, it will enable psychology to begin The nearest the benchmarking statement
to address some of the large scale social gets to community psychology is to anchor
issues affecting people’s well-being. It will be the social end of the discipline in ‘... inter-
necessary, however, to incorporate aspects of group relations ... social constructionism’
other disciplines, make explicit the political (Section 4 a III Examples of topic areas within
dimensions of psychological knowledge and core domains).... Whilst the draft statement
practice and adopt an action-oriented more gave some cause for optimism that ‘students
student-centred approach to learning. The should also be exposed to novel develop-
paper will draw on student experiences to ments in the discipline, including those that
illustrate the value of community psychology at present do not command consensus’
learning. (draft statement, Section 4.a.ii Knowledge
Radford (2008) raised a number of issues domains), the final statement has replaced
challenging the boundaries of the discipline this with the more conservative ‘though stu-
of psychology and the relevance of an educa- dents will be exposed to other areas as well’
tion in psychology as overseen by the British (Section 4 a II Knowledge domains). There is
Psychological Society. In this paper I will fur- no mention in the nine pages of the bench-
ther the case for a psychology that addresses marking statement of community psychology
real world issues and goes beyond its current theory, applications or perspectives (QAA,
boundaries. In doing this I will explore the 2004a). Indeed, there is no mention of the
extent to which community psychology is organisational, societal and ideological levels
contained within the boundary of psychol- of analysis as Doise (1978) suggests are essen-
ogy; the challenges that an emergent com- tial if psychology is to be relevant to real
munity psychology might make to the parent world issues. Doise identifies four levels of
discipline; and the benefits to students of explanation in social psychology. As Him-
community based learning of community melweit and Gaskell (1992:19) say:
psychology. ‘he makes a convincing case that his first two levels,
the interpersonal and the intergroup, are incomplete
Discipline boundaries unless one relates them to the other levels largely
As Radford (2008) pointed out, the current ignored by social psychology: the social structural
boundaries of an education in psychology in and institutional and the ideological’.
the UK do not include community psychol- As I have argued elsewhere (Kagan, 2006),
ogy. The reasons for its invisibility have been an insight, perhaps, into a more comfortable
explored elsewhere (Burton & Kagan, 2003; discipline base for community psychology in
Burton, Kagan, Boyle & Harris, 2007). They the UK is given in the benchmarking state-
are closely intertwined with the boundaries ments for Social Administration and Social
drawn by the Society over the undergraduate Work. Here, there is an expectation that there
curriculum, reinforced by the QAA (the cur- will be study of ‘approaches and methods of
28 Psychology Teaching Review Vol 14 No 2
© The British Psychological Society 2008
Broadening the boundaries of psychology through community psychology
intervention in a range of community based and children; population movements and
settings ... at individual, group and commu- displacement: and so on? What can and does
nity levels’ (Section 3.1.4 Social work theory). psychology contribute to the rhetoric of
Skills to be acquired within this discipline choice and involvement in public policy,
include ‘employment of understanding of especially amongst those most affected, the
human agency at the macro (societal) mezzo poor and the marginalised? What can and
(organisational and community) and micro does psychology contribute to the vision
(inter- and intrapersonal) levels’ and ‘analyse held by regeneration professionals and pol-
and take account of the impact of inequality icy makers of the so called mixed social econ-
and discrimination in work with people in omy – where middle class families will live
particular contexts and problem situations’ happily alongside drug users and ‘neigh-
(Section 3.2.2.3 Subject skills and other skills: bours from hell’ who have previously been
Management and problem solving: Analysis and confined to the peripheral ghettos of coun-
synthesis) and ‘Act with others to increase cil estates? If the answer is that these issues
social justice by identifying and responding to are not within the boundary of psychology,
prejudice, institutional discrimination and the repost must be: why not when they have
structural inequality’ (Section 3.2.4 Subject a fundamental impact on so many people’s
skills and other skills: Skills of working with others) experience, wellbeing and quality of life?
(QAA, 2004b). It might be that introducing community
Radford (2008) reminds us that other psychology into psychology education and
disciplines also offer perspectives on the training will help make explicit the role of
understanding of human behaviour, and the psychology in relation to these questions.
boundaries around community psychology However, it will also be important to recognise
knowledge and practice would extend that to do so is to challenge and make explicit,
beyond those formally drawn around psy- through our curricula and learning processes,
chology to embrace the knowledge and skill not only the moral dimensions underlying
base of parts of social administration. The psychology but also the political ones. At the
risks of failing to widen the discipline in this heart of the human causes and consequences
way include marginalising psychology from of contemporary social problems are issues of
many contemporary human concerns and power and powerlessness; of dominance and
rendering the discipline and its practitioners oppression; of wealth and poverty; of exploita-
invisible to policy makers at local and global tion and resistance. Not only do we – and our
levels. And yet surely psychology should be students – need to understand our ‘position-
of relevance to such matters. Radford recog- ality’ (see, e.g. Rose, 1997), we also need to
nises this when he says: become reflective and reflexive as practition-
‘Most of the threats to human progress or even sur- ers and learners, and to be aware of our over-
vival are, after all, from human behaviour itself, lapping roles as citizens, experts and workers
from global warming to AIDS, to over population, to (Burton & Kagan, 2008). To do this will prob-
war, to famine, to totalitarianism and various forms ably require an approach to learning and
of extremism, and so on’. teaching that moves beyond pedagogic,
(Radford, 2008:46) didactic approaches to androgogic, critical
In a more immediate sense, I reiterate approaches.
some of the questions I posed in 2006:
Where is psychology’s visibility in the social Student experience
exclusion analyses and debates; world At Manchester Metropolitan University
poverty; war, conflict resolution and recuper- we teach community psychology, through
ation; the soul destroying effects of the impo- action learning, wherein students work on
sition of neo-liberal economic and social real change issues in collaboration with com-
policies world wide; violence towards women munity groups and organisations (Duggan,
Psychology Teaching Review Vol 14 No 2 29
Carolyn Kagan
Hollway, Kagan, Knowles, Lawthom, 2000). complexity – like knowing when to intervene, work-
Due to the strictures of the BPS curriculum ing within the constraints of the community’s pace
required for eligibility for the Graduate and yet still meeting time limits.’
basis for Registration with the Society, the Another reflected on the kind of learn-
course is offered as a final year optional ing that could only be obtained out of the
course (although we do offer a full com- classroom:
munity psychology, unaccredited route at ‘I have developed skills and competencies I didn’t
Masters’ level). realise I had. There were times when I felt out of my
The relationship between tutors and depth ... but (visiting people in their own homes) made
students is explicitly an androgogic one me aware of how deprived many of the areas are in
(Knowles, 2002, 2004): rather than vessels to Manchester, as only seeing for myself could have done.
be filled, students are seen as active learners, I feel I have improved my confidence and abilities.’
building on and reflecting upon their Community psychology does enable
own experiences. As Southern and Barr understanding of the contexts identified by
(2002:3) say Radford (2008) – cultural, social and per-
‘Androgogy assumes, or perhaps demands, that the sonal contexts. This student highlighted the
learners themselves bring some experience and exist- relevance to her of working at the level of sys-
ing knowledge to the learning situation’ tems, rather than individual change.
(Southern & Barr, 2002:3) ‘CP represented a new way of looking at problems
This is a particularly important stance for and their solutions. Firstly, that when working on a
students of psychology, working with real project that implements change there will usually be
world issues, as they are, themselves, actors resistance, and that to overcome it you need to be
in the process, and have relevant direct or very focused, work together and use the wide range
indirect experience upon which to draw. We of skills you own as a group.
encourage students to identify and reflect on ‘Secondly, that because people are parts of systems
their existing and emerging skills, and it is and structures, it is important to work with them
clear that their learning is profound (Kagan, inside of these structures, in order to create a richer
Lawthom, Siddiquee, Duckett, Knowles, picture of the problem and, in turn, the solution.’
2007). Nearly all report being stretched, This type of learning enables students to
beyond their comfort zones. A mature, part develop their critical awareness not only of
time student, working with a citizen advocacy psychology but also of the world around
group, said: them One group of students summarised
‘Partaking in this project has taken me right out of their development: some students develop
my comfort zone. I knew nothing of citizen advocacy, high levels of critical awareness.
how it operated or what was involved. I have never ‘We believe our development as Community psychol-
communicated at this level before – with the cogs and ogists can best be conceptualised through Freire’s
wheels of the health authority and social services. I notion of critical consciousness. We have developed
have learnt to plan beforehand what I want to get out all of what Ira Shor describes as the four qualities of
of a meeting .. And now have a tool in order to critical consciousness (Shor & Freire, 1987):
understand how the whole system works – and this 1. Power analysis – the knowledge that society and
helps me understand why and how alliances form.’ history can be made and remade by human
Another full time student identified action and organised groups. (via participation
more conventional ‘transferable skill’ devel- in the course and the change project)
opment, but with added value: 2. Critical literacy: development of skills such as ana-
‘(I) have gone through a learning curve, developing lytic habits of thinking, reading, writing and dis-
new interpersonal skills like written and verbal cussing (via course discussions and project work).
communication skills, mediating skills, working at 3. Recognising and challenging myths, value sys-
different settings. Developing research and evalua- tems and ultimately behaviour which operate in
tion skills. I have experienced and have dealt with society (via project work and class activities).
30 Psychology Teaching Review Vol 14 No 2
Broadening the boundaries of psychology through community psychology
4. Self-organisation and self-education – taking the would open the door to more community
initiative to transform the way in which both based learning and grappling with large
education and development are undertaken scale issues affecting people’s wellbeing as
(moving away from the unequal distribution of part of a psychology degree, and the devel-
power in learning.’ opment of reflective learners with a range of
transferable skills and experiences. Retain-
ing the narrow boundaries to psychology
Conclusion risks marginalising the discipline.
I have argued that for a really relevant social
psychology, the boundaries of the discipline Address for correspondence
could be broadened, as suggested by Rad- Professor Carolyn Kagan, Manchester Metro-
ford (2008) to include community psychol- politan University, All Saints, Manchester
ogy. This would entail embracing some of M15 6BH.
the discipline of social administration, and E-mail: [email protected]
confronting the political nature of contem-
porary social problems. However to do so,
References
Burton, M., Kagan, C., Boyle, S. & Harris, C. (2007). szczanin(Ed.)Community psychology; Social change
History of community psychology in the UK. In in solidarity.Poland: University Opole.
S.M. Reich, M. Riemer, I. Prilleltensky & Knowles, M. (1980). The modern practice of adult educa-
M. Montero (Eds.) International community tion: From pedagagoy to androgogy. New York: Cam-
psychology history and theories. London: Palgrave. bridge Books.
Burton, M. & Kagan, C. (2003). Community psychol- Knowles, M.S. & Associates. (1984). Androgogy in
ogy: Why the gap in Britain? History and Philoso- action.London: Jossey Bass.
phy of Psychology, 4(2), 10–23. QAA. (2004a). Subject benchmarking statement: Psychology.
Burton, M. & Kagan, C. (2008). Making the psychologi- London: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher
cal political – challenges for community psychology. Education. Retrieved 12 January 2005 from
Paper presented to symposium on Psychology www.qaa.ac.uk/c rntwork/b enc-hmark/phase2/
and Politics. 2nd World Congress Community psychology.pdf.
Psychology, Lisbon. QAA. (2004b). Subject benchmarking statement: Social
Doise, W. (1978). Groups and individuals: Explanations administration and social work. London: Quality
in social psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
University Press. Retrieved 12 January 2005 from
Duggan, K., Holloway, N., Kagan, C., Knowles, K. & www.qaa.ac.uk/crntwork/benchmark/
Lawthom, R. (2000). Pushing the boundaries? socialwork.pdf.
Community psychology as part of the undergrad- Radford, J. (2008). Psychology in its place. Psychology
uate curriculum. In C. Kagan (Ed.) Collective Teaching Review, 14(1), 38–50.
action and social change. Manchester: IOD Rose, G. (1997). Situating knowledges: Positionality,
Research Group. reflexivities and other tactics. Progress in Human
Himmelweit, H. (1992). Societal psychology: Implica- Geography, 21(3), 305–320.
tions and scope. In G. Gaskell & H. Himmelwiet Shor, & Freire, P. (1987). A pedagogy for liberation: Dia-
(Eds.) Societal Psychology. London: Sage. logues on transforming education. Westport, Con-
Kagan, C. (2006). Boundary critique: Psychology as mar- necticut: Begin and Garvey.
ginalising and as marginalised. Paper delivered to Southern, G. & Barr, S. (2002). The ‘quasi-
BPS Annual Conference, Prizewinners Sympo- consultancy’ approach to learning: Case studies from
sium. Cardiff. Glasgow. BEST Workshop, Dublin. Retried 26
Kagan, C., Lawthom, R., Siddiquee, A., Duckett, P. & June 2008 from www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/
Knowles, K. (2007). Community psychology events/ presentations/484_barr.doc.
through community action learning. In A. Bok-
Psychology Teaching Review Vol 14 No 2 31