Value Sets Conformity Tradition Security Self-direction Stimulation Hedonism Universalism Benevolence Power Achievement Conservation (1,2,3) vs. Openness to change (4,5,6) Self-transcendence (7,8) vs. Self-enhancement (6,9,10)

The Importance of Values “Desirable, transsituational goals, varying in importance, that serve as guiding principles in the life of a person or other social entity” Schwartz, 1994 Values are stable across time and context Values occur in sets that can be ordered and prioritized Weighting of values accounts for endless variations in individual, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural value orientations

Weighting Values Fascist, capitalist, socialist, and communist ideologies could be distinguished by their relative ranking of only two values: freedom and equality. Even if people could agree on a universal set of values, we would never agree on how to weight each one in a given situation.

Value Characteristics Sometimes elusive Operate at different levels Involve choice Pertain to the desirable and moral Refer to goals Motivate action Exist in ordered sets

Values in Community Psychology Context Context shapes values; well-being may depend on the congruence between personal values and the values in various contexts Diversity Other groups value different ways of thinking; lack of attention to spirituality impeded efforts to devise culturally valid and effective interventions Social Change Values direct and sustain social change; our values based social convictions enable us to pursue social justice Strengths Values are an important source of strength; spirituality and religion are sources of strength for many people and communities

Professional Ethics Ethical guidelines are professional principles established to protect the interests of group members and of the people they serve. APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx Institutional Review Board http://www.uml.edu/ora/institutionalcompliance

Individualism Stresses the importance of individuality, independence, autonomy, personal achievement and self-assertion Psychology stresses self-improvement, self- sufficiency, self-realization, self-fulfillment and self- esteem. Non-western cultures (70% of the world) are collectivist, where interdependences and interrelationships define the individual in a greater context Motivation by social achievement

Beyond the Individual Lewin - Behavior = f(Person, Environment) Barker - Behavior settings Moos - Social climate Sarason - Psychological sense of community Kelly - Ecological systems Bronfenbrenner - Ecological model

Barker’s Behavior Settings Behavior setting – small social systems in which prescribed behaviors unfold over time Genotype – groups of similar setting types Setting programs/scripts - the predictable behaviors within a setting Underpopulation - provides greater opportunities for fewer individuals Overpopluation - more competition, only the best get to participate Habitant-inhabitant bias - uneven distribution of people from different social groups across behavior settings Do opportunities coincide with the group’s needs

Moos’ Social Climate Social climate is the personality of a social setting: Relationship orientation Personal development orientation System maintenance/change orientation Response to change Social climate scales – 90-100 questions, Used to identify outcomes related to specific climates: High relationship – satisfaction, heightened self-esteem High development – acquire new skills Also used to determine person-environment fit – identify the differences between real and ideal environments to drive interventions, placements, and program changes.

Sarason’s Sense of Community The feeling that one belongs to a readily available, mutually supportive network of relationships on which one can depend. McMillan & Chavis identified four components: Group membership/Community spirit Mutual Influence Integration and need fulfillment Emotional connection PSC important for two reasons: Personal well-being Sense of community

Kelly’s Ecological Analogy Interdependence – the actions of one component have implications for all the others Adaptation – survival over time requires effective responses to changing character of the system Cycling of Resources – these resources include the talents and skills of community members and community characteristics Succession – Systems are constantly changing, some of the change is predictable as the components within the system move from one role/scenario to another

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model A framework and language that provides a method for examining settings at different levels and interactions between them. The basis is that individuals live within nested social systems. Individual/Microsystem – family, work, classroom, workplace Mesosystem – interactions between microsystems Exosystem – formal/informal structures that do not contain the individual Macrosystem – patterns of culture/subculture