Community Psychology and Public Health Essay

This essay discusses the similarities and departures between two approaches companionship psychological science and familiar wellness that atomic number 18 related to social problems. Each method acting approaches social problems other than however there are certain overlapping features. Each method also has its specific strengths and weaknesses. All of these factors volition be discussed in this essay. partnership psychology and national wellness The foundation of public health rests on the practical implementation of attempts to protect and improve a communitys health by applying preventative medicine, sanitary methods, and social science. The goal of public health is to prevent disease and distress from occurring. And here is the first difference between public health and community psychology. Where public health focuses on specific problems, community psychology focuses on the overall quality of biography of the soulfulnesss within a community.The goal of community psychology is to understand the relationships of the single with his or her community and society through research and to improve the individuals life through certain actions. The ideas that drive community psychology are inspiring and motivational, but the ideas have proven to be grueling to put into action items in order to implement them. This is one of the weaknesses of community psychology and one of the causes of the many failed attempts at transforming a community.However, there are also cases of political factors obstructing the implementation of solutions to social problems, as described by Professor Albee in Guernina (1995, p. 85), and when Reagan was elected the message went out to the National bring of Mental Health from the White House saying, We will no longish support any research into the social causes of mental illness we will only support research into the biological, genetic organic causes. Thus it seems the like community psychology is deemed the impractica l, unnecessary approach that is too concerned with sociology to begin a practical impact on a community.In contrast, the public health approach, that highlights biological and engineering methods, has proven to effectively prevent sundry(a) diseases and socially abusive behaviours from spreading widely. For example, under the public health regulations in South Africa, the management of human uncivilised in public places was find out and implemented during the 19th century.However, this approach isnt perfect either, because although the human waste was effectively managed in public places, the problem arose when human waste occurred in terms of intimate actions, such as bathing and toilet hygiene. uncomplete of the approaches is perfect and both approaches have qualities that place potentially transform a community. In this sense, the merging of the best qualities of both approaches is best described by Gilbert, The close affinity between sociology and public health is in term s of unit of study, theory, and method.They consider a common concern with populations of individuals, a speculative orientation toward abstract generalisations and a similar methodological approach. They also share a problem focus. To a large extent public health problems are social problems. The social forces that determine whether a health given will be viewed as a public health problem, are similar to those that define a social problem. (1995, p. 81) ConclusionPublic health can do for a little more of the human abut as experienced in community psychology. And community psychology can benefit from the practical methods as seen in public health solutions. fortuitously this is happening in the socio-ecological approach, which is based on a holistic intellect of the individual, the community, diseases, and health as the outcome of the intricate behaviour patterns that are instilled in individuals and groups through socialization, and who then understand the ways as being norm al.