Community psychology in the context of "Disempowered"

Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. Empowerment as action refers both to the process of self-empowerment and to professional support of people, which enables them to overcome their sense of powerlessness and lack of influence, and to recognize and use their resources.

As a term, empowerment originates from American community psychology and is associated with the social scientist Julian Rappaport (1981).

Applied psychology is the use of psychological methods and findings of scientific psychology to solve practical problems of human and animal behavior and experience. Educational and organizational psychology, business management, law, health, product design, ergonomics, behavioural psychology, psychology of motivation, psychoanalysis, neuropsychology, psychiatry and mental health are just a few of the areas that have been influenced by the application of psychological principles and scientific findings. Some of the areas of applied psychology include counseling psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, engineering psychology, occupational health psychology, legal psychology, school psychology, sports psychology, community psychology, neuropsychology, medical psychology and clinical psychology, evolutionary psychology, human factors, forensic psychology and traffic psychology. In addition, a number of specialized areas in the general area of psychology have applied branches (e.g., applied social psychology, applied cognitive psychology). However, the lines between sub-branch specializations and major applied psychology categories are often mixed or in some cases blurred.

For example, a human factors psychologist might use a cognitive psychology theory. This could be described as human factor psychology or as applied cognitive psychology. When applied psychology is used in the treatment of behavioral disorders there are many experimental approaches to try and treat an individual. This type of psychology can be found in many of the subbranches in other fields of psychology.

Julian Rappaport is an American psychologist who introduced the concept of empowerment into social work and social psychiatry. He is a recipient of the American Psychological Association's Division of Community Psychology Distinguished Career Award and of the Seymour B. Sarason Award for "novel and critical rethinking of basic assumptions and approaches to human services, education, and other areas of community research and action."

Rappaport is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. From 1977 he worked in the field of community psychology and social psychiatry in the context of the U.S. welfare crisis. His seminal work on empowerment is the 1984 book Studies in Empowerment. A famous quote by Rappaport concerning social inclusion is „Having rights but no resources and no services available is a cruel joke.“

School psychology is a field that applies principles from educational psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, community psychology, and behavior analysis to meet the learning and behavioral health needs of children and adolescents. It is an area of applied psychology practiced by a school psychologist. They often collaborate with educators, families, school leaders, community members, and other professionals to create safe and supportive school environments.

They carry out psychological testing, psychoeducational assessment, intervention, prevention, counseling, and consultation in the ethical, legal, and administrative codes of their profession.