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Communities are basic vital social units that provide the contexts in which people learn to live together to their mutual benefit. They are crucial to providing a richer and more fulfilling framework than we currently have for understanding and improving the quality of life for individuals and groups alike. The author defines what exactly prosocial communities are, identifying its elements and relevant interrelationships, and providing the available evidence in support of those conclusions. This work shows why a prosocial community is essential to the accomplishment of the goals of community psychology and its related fields, as well as how to create such communities.
List of contents
Definitions and Background Issues.- Psychosocial Integration: The Theoretical Framework.- The Current Situation: Psychologists' Approaches to Community Change.- The Prosocial Effect of Changing One Aspect of a Community.- The Prosocial Effect of Coordinating Change in Two Aspects of a Community.- A Guide for Establishing Prosocial Communities.- Questscope: A Comprehensive Prosocial Community Program.
Summary
Communities are basic vital social units that provide the contexts in which people learn to live together to their mutual benefit. They are crucial to providing a richer and more fulfilling framework than we currently have for understanding and improving the quality of life for individuals and groups alike. The author defines what exactly prosocial communities are, identifying its elements and relevant interrelationships, and providing the available evidence in support of those conclusions. This work shows why a prosocial community is essential to the accomplishment of the goals of community psychology and its related fields, as well as how to create such communities.
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From the reviews:
"Developing Prosocial Communities Across Cultures dares to take a step toward the daunting task of repairing communities broken down by ‘antisocial’ … attitudes and behaviors. … the beauty of this work is in its groundbreaking consideration of the complexities of individuals and their behaviors, integrated within social, economic, and political systems. … This is an important work for students of social capital, social psychology, and community-based organizations seeking the benefits but difficulties of collective change in the form of risk reduction or community problem solving." (Tanya Telfair Sharpe, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 53 (17), April, 2008)
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From the reviews:
"Developing Prosocial Communities Across Cultures dares to take a step toward the daunting task of repairing communities broken down by 'antisocial' ... attitudes and behaviors. ... the beauty of this work is in its groundbreaking consideration of the complexities of individuals and their behaviors, integrated within social, economic, and political systems. ... This is an important work for students of social capital, social psychology, and community-based organizations seeking the benefits but difficulties of collective change in the form of risk reduction or community problem solving." (Tanya Telfair Sharpe, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 53 (17), April, 2008)
