Introduction to Individual and Context

The course outlines the ways in which cultural processes organize emotional processes and emotional experience and how these processes are basic for the formation of the self and are influenced by the self as the mediator between culture and behaviour. The course also aims at providing an advanced introduction to community psychology and its historical development as a sub-discipline of psychology in various contexts. The course provides an introduction to the values, perspectives and theoretical traditions of community psychology. The course covers and appraises the basic theoretical community approaches of intervention, treatment, health and safety promotion, and local community research within the field of Western and Eastern community psychology. Topics include: social support, stress and coping, research strategies in community psychology, health and safety promotion within a community psychology approach and other community change strategies and objective attributes of community as a basic socio-cultural unit.

The course will provide the basis conceptual tools for the understanding of the interplay between the individual and its cultural context. The subject also will provide an introduction into preventive work, counseling models, consulting methods as well as methods for evaluation of community psychological efforts.

Lectures and seminars. Presentations. The course is reserved for students admitted to the MPhil in Human Development. Exchange students interested in the course must consult the Department for possible admission.