Developing and applying concepts about community: Reflections from the field
✍ Scribed by Stephen J. Fyson
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 158 KB
- Volume
- 27
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0090-4392
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The author reflects on his 20 years of experience in applied community psychology, the last 12 years of which were spent in school settings. This experience provides the basis for the development of two integrated models of community based on community psychology, school organizational development, and theological literature. The models were developed as part of current, school-based, case-study material that focuses on preventing alienation for 10-to 14-year-old students. The first model furthers the theories of community as caring persons in its third position . It also posits that "transformational" community is when the tension between the "One" and the "Many" is resolved in such a way that meaning is added to the individual's and community's life because of a common calling to a vision. This vision is transcendental to the individual and community and is reflective of the concept of agency as the pursuit of truth . This framework is then used to present a community-development application of the components of transformational community, extending the community concepts of toward those similar to the empowerment-organizing features posited by , and the theoretical revisions of . Future reports will deal with the further applications of these concepts, particularly in developing ways of structuring schools to enhance the experience of transformational community for its student members.