Teaching Community Psychology into Obscurity: A Reflection on Community Psychology in South Africa

Abstract

The terms “community” and “community psychology” need to be examined within the context of human diversity in order to understand the apparent marginalisation of community psychology in South Africa. Community psychology might be marginalized as the term “community” tends to be associated with black, poor individuals. Current teaching practices in community psychology in South Africa may unwittingly reinforce these stereotypes by having predominantly junior, black and female staff teach community psychology, by generally introducing community psychology at post-graduate level only, and by making community psychology courses predominantly elective. These common teaching practices might contribute to producing raced, gendered and classed student perceptions of community psychology which would devalue psychological activity in communities as less important than individual psychotherapeutic practice in middle class communities. South African psychology would be better able adequately prepare psychologists for public mental health service with a more thoughtful infusion of community psychology teaching into most graduate programmes. Some of the ways in which our teaching can challenge our own and others' views about community psychology in local and international perspectives are discussed.