Isaac Prilleltensky

Community Psychology Foundations:

Justice, Well-Being, and SPEC

www.specway.org isaac@miami.edu

Community Psychology Foundations:

Justice, Well-Being, and SPEC

www.specway.org isaac@miami.edu

Fact and Intuition

Intuition: justice must surely play a role in well-being

Fact: not many psychologists studying well-being share my intuition

JUSTICE AND WELL-BEING

Part I

Justice

“To each his or her due” (Miller, 1999) “Justice means giving people what they

deserve, giving each person his or her due” (Sandel, 2009)

Question: How do we ascertain what is due a person? Merit? Need? Equality?

Josh and John

Jill and Jane

The role of context

context should determine what criterion or criteria must be preferred in each case

In social conditions of inequality, we must accord preference to needs over merit and ability

Context of Relative Equality

Under conditions of relative equality, where the gap between classes is not very pronounced, it is possible to favor merit and effort over needs.

Context of Plenty of Opportunities In a context of plenty of

opportunities for everyone, it is possible that ability and effort will be the preferred choice.

Justice Out of Context

Societies aspiring to justice must seek equilibrium among all criteria

When context of inequality calls for need and equality, but culture favors effort, it’s because privileged groups benefit.

As a result, group interests that influence the choice of allocation pattern often disregard the context-specific situation.

Justice and Well-Being

Process of making

decisionsThe How of

Justice

Allocation of outcomes

The What of Justice

Justice and Well-Being

Justice and Well-Being

Justice and Well-Being

PARADIGMSPart II

From DRAIN to SPEC

From

DeficitsReactiveArroganceIndividual blame

To

StrengthsPreventionEmpowerment

Community Change

Strengths

Prevention

“No mass disorder, afflicting humankind, has ever been eliminated, or brought under control, by treating the affected individual”

Prevention saves money

For every $1 invested in prevention, we get up to $17 in return, but we invest only 3% of our budget on prevention.

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From Dennis Winters, Sept. 2007 http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/uploads/200709_Wintersprez.pdf

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From Cunha and Heckman, 2007

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From Cunha and Heckman, 2007

PREVENTION:Determinants of Health (by percent contribution)

http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/21/2/78

40

30

15

10

5

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Determinants of Health

Environmental Exposures

Medical Care

Social Circumstances

Genetic Predispositions

Behavioral Patterns

McGinnis et. al., 2002

US Spending on Health

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and U.S. Bureau of the Census.

National Health Spending (2005)

$1,661.40

$143.00

$126.80$56.60

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

$1,987.80

Per Capita Total

Government Public HealthActivities

Investment (Research andEquipment)

GovernmentAdministration and NetCost of Private HealthInsurance

Personal Health(Hospital/ClinicalServices, Nursing Home,Home Health Care,Medical Products)

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Better Beginnings, Better Futures: Goals

Prevention To reduce the incidence of serious, long-term

emotional and behavioral problems in children living in high risk

neighborhoods

Promotion To promote the optimal social, emotional, behavioral,

physical and educational development in children

Community Development To strengthen the ability of disadvantaged

communities to respond effectively to the social and economic needs of children and their families

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Better Beginnings, Better Futures: Outcomes

Significant positive impacts on teacher ratings of child behavior problems

Significant positive impacts on parent ratings of child behavior problems

Significant positive impacts on teachers and parent ratings of prosocial child behavior

At Grade 6, parents’ ratings of prosocial behavior and teacher ratings of self-control were significantly higher for Better Beginnings children and teacher ratings of hyperactivity-inattention were significantly lower

Empowerment

Empowerment can be a tool for social change and personal healing at the same time

Community Change

If Venice “is slowly being submerged, individual citizens cannot afford to ignore their collective fate, because, in the end, they all drown together if nothing is done.” (Badcock, 1982)

Quadrant IIIExamples:Crisis work, therapy, medications, symptom containment, case management

Quadrant IExamples:Community development, affordable housing policy, recreational opportunities, high quality schools and accessible health services

Quadrant IIExamples:Skill building, emotional literacy, fitness programs, personal improvement plans, resistance to peer pressure in drug and alcohol use

Quadrant IVExamples:Food banks, shelters for homeless people, charities, prison industrial complex

Collective

Proactive

Individual

Reactive

THIS IS WHERE WE ARE

THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE

Quadrant IExamples:Voice and choice in celebrating and building competencies, recognition of personal and collective resilience

Quadrant IIExamples:Voice and choice in deficit reduction approaches, participation in decisions how to treat affective disorders or physical disorders

Strength

Empowerment

Deficit

Detachment

Quadrant IIIExamples:Labeling and diagnosis, “patienthood” and clienthood,” citizens in passive role

Quadrant IVExamples:Just say no! You can do it! Cheerleading approaches, Make nice approaches

THIS IS WHERE WE ARE

THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE

PRACTICEPart III

STRENGTHS

FOR PERSONAL WELL BEING (your own and others) Celebrate talent, initiative, motivation, small wins Avoid deficit oriented labels

FOR ORGANIZATIONAL WELL BEING Build on assets, achievements, engagement, motivation Reduce stereotyping, gossiping, put downs, segregation

FOR COMMUNITY WELL BEING Identify community assets, natural leaders, build respect Do not engage in stereotypical thinking

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PREVENTION AND PROMOTION FOR PERSONAL WELL BEING (your own and

others) Prevent stress, minimize risk factors, take small steps Promote engagement, meaning making, social

support FOR ORGANIZATIONAL WELL BEING

Prevent burnout, fear, repetition, alienation Promote engagement, reflection, and support

FOR COMMUNITY WELL BEING Prevent drop out, child abuse, injustice, poverty Promote equality, universal health care, high quality

education

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EMPOWERMENT

FOR PERSONAL WELL BEING (your own and others) Sense of control over your life Voice and choice

FOR ORGANIZATIONAL WELL BEING Democratic participation Employee engagement and decision making

FOR COMMUNITY WELL BEING Name source of injustice, organize, lead Identify power inequalities, not blaming

community

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COMMUNITY CHANGE

FOR PERSONAL WELL BEING (your own and others) Volunteer, participate, vote Organize, analyze

FOR ORGANIZATIONAL WELL BEING Meaning making, Participation in social change

FOR COMMUNITY WELL BEING Discover ecological roots of problems Think and act systemically and sustainably

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Organizations with a Strength-based orientation

Perceive recipients of services and community members as having strengths

Recognize that service recipients learn to cope with difficult situations and develop resilience

Identify and build on individual and community assets, resilience, and ability to thrive in difficult situations

Organizations with a prevention orientation

Work to prevent problems before they occur

Identify and reduce risk factors and promote protective factors in individuals, families, and communities.

Take action to decrease the chances that a particular problem will affect a person, group, or an entire community

Organizations with an empowerment orientation

Believe community members should have voice and choice in issues and decisions that affect their lives

Aim to increase the power of individuals, groups, and entire communities

Encourage the sharing of decision-making power and control over resources with community members

Organizations with a community-change orientation

Believe that some of the problems that individuals and entire communities face result from community and living conditions

Remove barriers to services and supports Work to address the root causes of the

problems people and communities face Promote social policies that enhance

wellbeing and people’s ability to thrive Create new systems or structures that

enhance citizen participation and wellbeing

Amelioration vs. Transformation Amelioration

Population health Public education Prevent epidemics Provide basic

necessities Improve services

Transformation Support full

employment Eliminate poverty Universal health

insurance Universal family

support

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Amelioration Demand more

services Increased

participation in local politics

Funds for charity, research, and demonstration projects

Transformation Fight exploitation Sustainable

communities Promote culture of

equity Raise

consciousness about inequality

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Amelioration vs. Transformation

Applications in Counseling and Therapy

Applications in Policies

Values Policies

Self-determination Devise policies in consultation with community stakeholders

Health Facilitate access to health care services through universal and outreach programs

Personal growth Establish policies for teaching employment skills and for accessible recreational and educational opportunities

Social justice Implement equitable policies and taxation laws that provide adequate resources to the poor

Support for enabling community structures

Promote policies that strengthen high quality basic community services such as education, health and income security

Respect for diversity Promote inclusive work and social policies that do not discriminate on basis of marital status, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, culture, or any other source of social power

Collaboration and democratic participation

Promote educational policies that teach importance of civic duties and skills required for meaningful participation in democracy

Application in Programs

Self determination: Promote voice and choice of community members in selection and administration of programs Caring and compassion: Establish networks of support and create self-help groups Educational and personal development: Build into programs competency enhancing components for personal, educational and occupational growth Social justice: Offer comprehensive supports that meet the needs for housing and economic security of disadvantaged families Support for the community: Create awareness and support for creation and preservation of effective formal and informal supports Respect for diversity: Consult with diverse groups of stakeholders and develop inclusive and culturally sensitive programs based on partnerships with the community

Skills for Agents of Change

I VALUE IT Inclusive host Visionary Asset seeker Listener and sense

maker Unique solution finder Evaluator Implementer Trendsetter

True or False49

The best way to eliminate disease is through effective treatment