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Fuzzy
Holistic Concepts, Principles and the Occasional Equation (Vicky Totikidis) |
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New
students of Community psychology will encounter an array of bewildering
concepts, principles and the occasional equation such as: ecological
approach, systems perspective, ‘nested systems’ (Bronfenbrenner,
1979), gestalt, ‘person in context and person environment fit’ (Orford,
1992), and ‘B = F (P,E)’ (Lewin, 1946). Although each of these has a
specific meaning, it is important not to consider them as too detached
from each other since all relate to the ‘whole’ or to a holistic way
of viewing the person and the environment. The first two principles and
the equation will be briefly discussed here. Lewin’s
famous equation B = f(P,E) can be translated as "behaviour is the
function of the person, the environment, and the interaction between the
two" (Orford, 1992, p5). Similarly, an ecological approach
acknowledges the role of environmental/situational influences on behaviour
and in the maintenance of social problems (Thomas & Veno, 1992).
Proponents of systems perspectives are concerned with understanding social
systems as a whole. They accept that social problems can involve multiple
causation that requires multiple levels of analysis and intervention
(Thomas & Veno, 1992). These principles and the equation suggest that
behaviour does not occur in a vacuum but in the context of the environment
and that one needs to understand and intervene in the broader forces or
systems surrounding the individual. |