Promoting Liberation and Wellbeing through Social Justice:
Towards a Critical Community
Psychology
l Isaac Prilleltensky, University of Miami,
Miami, U.S.A.
Overview
 COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY: WHERE WE ARE AND
WHERE WE’RE GOING
 Where We Are
 Where We’re Going
 CRITICAL COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY: VALUES,
SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND PRAXIS
 Values
 Social Justice
Definition and Questions for Social Justice
Working Definition of Social Justice
The Consequences of Social Injustice
 Praxis
Based on Prilleltensky, I., & Nelson, G. (in press). Community
psychology: Advancing social justice. In D. Fox, I.
Prilleltensky, & S. Austin (Eds.). Critical psychology: An
introduction (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Community Psychology: Where We
Are and Where We’re Going
Dimension
Where We Are
Where We’re
Going
Explanatory
framework
Ecological
(person, micro,
meso, macro, but
macro is in the
background),
focus on
risk/protective
factors,
contextualized
but depoliticized
Oppression,
liberation, wellbeing (multilevel, ecological
analysis),
contextualized
and politicized
Community Psychology: Where We
Are and Where We’re Going
Dimension
Where We Are
Where We’re
Going
Place of values
and ethics
Value-laden (the
influence of
multiple values is
noted), increased
attention to
ethics at the
community level
Value-driven,
social ethics
(primacy of value
of social justice)
Community Psychology: Where We
Are and Where We’re Going
Dimension
Where We Are
Where We’re
Going
Research
Communitybased, primarily
positivist,
relatively minor
emphasis on
constructivism
Critical
constructivist
and postpositivist,
participatory,
action-oriented,
and communitybased
Community Psychology: Where We
Are and Where We’re Going
Dimension
Where We Are
Where We’re
Going
Focus of
intervention
Focus on
competence and
strengths,
prevention of
problems in
living for
populations
Focus on
liberation and
well-being for
individuals,
organizations,
and societies
Community Psychology: Where We
Are and Where We’re Going
Dimension
Where We Are
Where We’re
Going
Relationship
between
disadvantaged
community
members and CP
professional
Collaborative
model with
multiple
community
stakeholders
Accompaniment,
solidarity
between
professionals and
disadvantaged
community
members in their
struggle for
liberation and
well-being
through praxis
Critical Community Psychology
Carolyn Kagan and Mark Burton’s definition of community
psychology captures well what we mean by critical community
psychology:

Community psychology offers a framework for working with
those marginalized by the social system that leads to selfaware social change with an emphasis on value-based
participatory work and the forging of alliances. It is a way of
working that is pragmatic and reflexive, whilst not wedded to
any particular orthodoxy of method. As such community
psychology is one alternative to the dominant individualistic
psychology typically taught and practiced in the higher
income countries. It is community psychology because it
emphasizes a level of analysis and intervention other than the
individual and their immediate interpersonal context. It is
community psychology because it is nevertheless concerned
with how people feel, think, experience, and act as they work
together, resisting oppression and struggling to create a
better world. (Burton et al., 2007; 219)
Critical Community Psychology
For us, critical community psychology is:
 Ecological in nature, recognizing the need
to concentrate simultaneously on
individuals, relationships, and communities
 Value-driven
 Guided by the central value of social justice
 Praxis-oriented in its efforts to overcome
social injustice through social action in
partnership with disadvantaged people
Critical Community
Psychology
Ecological
Spheres
Well being
Values
Oppression
and Social
Justice
Individual
Absence of
disorder
Health
Unequal
Health
distribution of
promotion and
health problems prevention
and exposure to
risk
Selfdetermination
and
participation
Disempowerme
nt and
internalized
oppression
Positive
subjective well
being
Voice, choice
and control
Perceptions of
control, self
efficacy and
mastery
Citizen
participation
Empowerment
Praxis
Consciousness
raising
Transformation
of settings
Critical Community
Psychology
Ecological
Spheres
Well being
Values
Oppression
and Social
Justice
Relational
Positive social
relations
Caring and
compassion
Social exclusion Informal
supports
Positive identity
Diversity
Racism,
sexism,
heterosexism,
ableism, and
classism
Pride
Transformation
of settings
Elimination of
stigma
Praxis
Celebration of
strengths and
diversity
Confronting
racism, sexism,
heterosexism,
ableism and
classism
Critical Community
Psychology
Ecological
Spheres
Well being
Values
Oppression
and Social
Justice
Praxis
Collective
Accessible
social programs
Support for
community
structures
Barriers to
resources
Advocacy for
universal
services
Social capital
and sense of
community
Elimination of
poverty
Low social
capital
Distributive
justice
Extreme
economic
inequality
Community
capacity
building
Social change
Investment in
human and
community
economic
development