James Anderson. (2024).
Technology Journal of Management,
Accounting and Economics, 12(4).
Abstract
Values are conceptions of good which enlighten and guide human analysis and action. Discounting noteworthy exceptions, community psychology has neglected making explicit and openly discussing its ethical and value dimensions. My aim in this paper to partially remedy such neglect by posing new sustantive values and approaches suitable for community practice. I suggest first changes in the deontological values to adapt them to the complexity and dynamism of community work. So I put forward shared or collective autonomy, that extends self-direction to the whole community, to substitue for individual disolving autonomy. I also introduce self-care (legitimate self-beneficence) to guarantee psychological and moral integrity of the practitioner as well as long term sustainability of communiy action. I describe, secondly, some core communitarian values. Human development which includes interaction and social bonding besides self-direction. Empowerment, an instrumental value, made of subjective consciousness, communication, and effective social action. Social justice, the main socio-communitarian value, consist of three components: a vital universal minimum, fair distribution of material and psychosocial goods and resources produced by society, and igualitarian personal treatment and relationship.
Here are some thoughts:
The article explores core communitarian values essential for effective community psychology practice, emphasizing the need to move beyond traditional deontological ethics toward a more socially grounded framework. It argues that community psychology has historically neglected explicit ethical discourse despite its intrinsic moral dimensions. To address this gap, the author proposes redefining autonomy as shared or collective autonomy , extending self-direction to the entire community rather than focusing solely on individuals. Additionally, self-care is introduced as a crucial value to sustain practitioners' psychological and moral integrity. The paper outlines three central socio-community values: human development , empowerment , and social justice . Human development integrates personal growth with social bonding, empowerment focuses on increasing individual and group capacity through awareness and action, and social justice is framed around three pillars—ensuring a vital minimum for all, equitable distribution of resources, and relational fairness. These values are intended to guide both ethical reflection and practical interventions in community settings.