Systems theory perspective and community psychology

Abstract

This article explores some implications of recent epistemological revisions in community psychology, beginning with the developments of the community perspective and proceeding through its subsequent transformations. The changes produced from the shift from cybernetic models to dialogical models generated a serious review of our understanding of community change processes. The major unanticipated questions resulting from these changes have generated many uncertainties in the field that are likely to alter our conceptions, our scientific methods, and our ability to impact community processes. These uncertainties create possibilities for new metaphors that may open up new ways to think about the design and implementation of community-based intervention. Some consequences of recent epistemological changes in the multidisciplinary field referred to as “community psychology” are explored in this article. In general, this field incorporates the perspectives of many social sciences that share an interest in the interconnections between “subjectiveness” and “social.” In its development, community psychology has spread beyond disciplinary boundaries, thus promoting the exploration of new conceptual metaphors, methods, and techniques. These explorations have yielded epistemological and theoretical changes as well as alterations in how one thinks about practice. In the systems theory perspective, the movement from “first order cybernetic” models to a “dialogical” position has significantly changed how one plans actions, how one thinks about the role of professionals in the context of community work, and how one defines genuine cooperation. The goal of the article is to examine the consequences of this ongoing process, which has yielded uncertainty and a range of unanticipated possibilities. Some steps which have already been taken will be explored and new steps which might be taken will be recommended. Naturally, some unanswered questions will, hopefully, engage readers in the examination of these issues. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.