Community Psychology in Italy: Past developments and future perspectives (original) (raw)

Community Psychology in Italy: Introduction and Prospects

Journal of Prevention & Intervention in The Community, 2009

The history of community psychology in Italy is briefly reviewed. The field has developed extensively in universities and applied settings over the past 30 years. This issue presents 5 recent examples from different regions of Italy of preventive and other community psychological intervention studies. They include an evaluation of a program to increase the independent mobility of children walking to

Strengthening community psychology in Europe through increasing professional competencies for the new Territorial Community Psychologists

Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice

Author Biographies: Donata Francescato (www.donatafrancescato.it) was introduced to Community Psychology in 1970 doing an internship in Quincy Mass, and was an activist in the women's movement in Boston. After receiving her Ph.D. (U. of Houston 1972) she went back to Italy where she wrote the first Italian textbook on CP and funded Effe, a feminist magazine (1972-1982) now available online www.efferivistafemminista.it. She was the first Italian Full Professor of Community Psychology at Rome Sapienza University retiring in 2014. She also funded the European Network of Community Psychologists (ENCP) and the European Association Community Association (ECPA). In 2013 she was given an ECPA award for "advancing CP both in Italy and in Europe, and for her unique contribution to the development of specific intervention and research methods involving community profiles and organizational analysis". She is author of 24 books, 150 papers and of the chapter on globalization in the APA Handbook of CP. Email

Towards a European vision of Community Psychology: Theoretical references and applications

2019

This special issue intends to provide a broad overview on European-based Community Psychology (CP) and explore its perspectives, areas of interest, scope, theoretical approaches, methods, and social impact. We have therefore brought together a variety of contributions drawn from current European transnational research and intervention projects, developed with the support of EU funding and other sources within the national or transnational options available. The selected articles either address themes, social issues, and challenges of relevance to CP, or engage with and/or interrogate societal challenges through the lens of CP. The contributions originate in different European countries, and reflect a broad basis of initiatives related with the co-production of knowledge, acknowledging that different stakeholders may contribute towards individual and community change. We believe that this issue has the potential to contribute to broader critical and reflective international scholarsh...

From disciplinary approaches toward transdisciplinary perspectives: Conceptual and political frameworks of Community Psychology in Europe

2019

Community Psychology in this paper is analyzed as a system´s view towards global and local challenges. Based on the rich body of disciplinary knowledge and skills, transdisciplinary potentials and perspectives of community psychology will be outlined. The paper follows a line of arguments that community psychology has the option to play an important role to help to design a civil society based on trust, mutual support and individual and collective empowerment. Community psychology beyond disciplinary approaches has the potential for a new transdisciplinary science desperately needed to build the civil society of the future.

Community Psychology: Individuals and Interventions in Community Context

Community psychology has historically focused on understanding individual behavior in sociocultural context, assessing high-impact contexts, and working in and with communities to improve their resources and influence over their futures. This review adopts an ecological perspective on recent developments in the field, beginning with philosophy of science and progressing through a series of substantive research and intervention domains that characterize current work. These domains include research on the ecology of lives, the assessment of social settings and their impact on behavior, culture and diversity as expressed in the community research process, and community intervention. 395 Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2009.60:395-419. Downloaded from arjournals.annualreviews.org by Universitat de Barcelona on 09/25/09. For personal use only.

The many histories of community psychology: analyses of current trends and future prospects

Journal of Community Psychology, 2008

Forty years since the seminal Swampscott Conference, the principles of community psychology transcend multiple areas of action and research, as well as international boundaries. The extensive development of community psychology offers an opportunity to examine from where the field has come and where it is going. Yet, a systematic approach to creating a history of community psychology is required to avoid distorting or excluding the voices of its diverse members. This special issue provides eight articles that highlight the importance of a pluralistic approach to historical analysis of the field. Of particular importance is the recognition of often-underemphasized members of community psychology, including the important role of women, ethnic minorities, applied community psychologists, and international influences on the field.

Rethinking community psychology: Critical insights.

Journal, 2012

At first sight there appear to be, internationally, many diverse, radical, manifestations of community psychology. However, community psychology has gradually become decreasingly diverse and decreasingly radical the more it has become academically and professionally established and evangelised and it is now endangered as a critical alternative to the disciplinary ideologies, theories, procedures and practices of mainstream psychology. As a consequence, the interests of people whose lives are most characterised by immiseration, suffering, social injustice and oppression are increasingly blighted and increasingly threatened. However, these reactionary developments were and are not inevitable and can be reversed by those collectively committed to community critical psychology.