Community Psychology: Linking Individuals and Communities

Dalton, Elias, and Wandersman have answered the challenge of taking an abstract, theoretical topic and making it lively and understandable with concrete examples so students can understand the concepts and be excited. The authors do this through consistent pedagogy across the book, and most importantly, create opportunities for students to practice applying these concepts, bringing them alive for students. After introducing community psychology and its history, the authors describe methods of community research, and discuss how to understand communities from the perspectives of ecological diversity, sense of community, coping, and social support. The focus then shift to community programs and actions: preventing problem behavior and promoting social competence, citizen participation, organizing for community an social change, and program evaluation and development.