Community Development: Theories and Application

Definition:  Psychodynamic theory supports the idea that individual processes occurring internally (e.g., feelings/emotions, thoughts, needs...

Definition: The knowledge gap theory discusses the discrepancy between highly and poorly educated individuals. It acknowledges that although...

Definition: The theory of planned behavior/ reasoned action is the idea that a person's behavior is heavily influenced and determined by...

Definition: Intelligence and experience and other cognitive resources are factors in leadership success Application: For example, W...

Definition: Leaders are born, not made and g reat leaders will arise when there is a great need. Application: There is not a manual o...

Definition: When there is limited resources, then this leads to conflict, prejudice and discrimination between groups who seek that commo...

Definition: The communication without words. The face is used a great deal. Hand signals, shrugs, head movements, etc. also are used.  ...

Definition: When people perceive that they are being prevented from achieving a goal, their frustration is likely to turn to aggression. ...

Definition: If a stimulus that results in an emotional response is repeated alongside another stimulus which does not cause an emotional ...

Definition: In any relationship, the person who has the least interest in continuing the relationship has the greatest power. Applic...

The Minimalist theory of J.M. Carroll is a framework for the design of instruction, especially training materials for computer users. The t...

Social Support is associated with how networking helps people cope with stressful events. Besides it can enhance psychological well-being....

Definition: Strategic contingencies theory says that Intraorganizational power depends on three factors: problem skills, actor centrality...

Definition: The ability to get others to change their behavior even if they do not wish to do so. Power comes from rank, knowledge, resour...

Definition: Our judgments are not cold and logical: they are biased by our moods.  Application: A community developer wants to help b...

The phrase " spiral of silence " actually refers to how people tend to remain silent when they feel that their views are in the m...

Gatekeeping - The gatekeeper decides which information will go forward, and which will not. In other words a gatekeeper in a social system...

Diffusion of Innovations Theory research centers on the conditions which increase or decrease the likelihood that a new idea, product, or p...

The theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning says basically that persons-in-conversation construct their own social realities. Pearce a...

Cognitive dissonance is a communication theory adopted from social psychology. The title gives the concept: cognitive is thinking or the m...

The Attraction-Selection-Attrition framework states ‘attributes of people, not the nature of external environment, or organizational techn...

Agenda-setting is the creation of public awareness and concern of salient issues by the news media. Two basic assumptions underlie most re...

Adaptive Structuration Theory is based on Anthony Giddens' structuration theory. AST criticizes the technocentric view of technology u...

Structural Change Theory Definition:" Structural change is a complex, intertwined phenomenon, not only because economic growth brings...

Basic crisis theory Definition:  "theory and intervention directed toward sufferers of loss/grief.  Normal grief behaviors include:  ...

Constructivist Theory Definition: " learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their ...

Reception Theory Definition: " Jauss argued that literary works are received against an existing horizon of expectations consisting o...

1    Endogenous Growth Theory http://wp.aae.wisc.edu/ced/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/07/economic-growth-on-line-for-CNRED.pdf Defi...

Define: Often known as systems theory, dynamic systems theory addresses system transformation, and includes related theories such as cyberne...

Define: Community Development Theory focuses on a "community" of persons which can be defined in a variety of ways: geographical, ...

1.        International Dependence Models Define: This model states that underdevelopment exists in "Third World" countries due...

Definition: The triangular theory of love was developed by psychologist Robert Sternberg; it suggests that "true" love has three m...

1.        Theory of Coordination Failure Define: The theory of coordination failure is an economic development theory which describes whe...

Ah, a return to why nothing really matters. Define: "Society is a human product. Society is an objective reality. Man is a social pro...

Definition: Dualism refers to the philosophical principal within a given category there consists two oppositional or binary parts.  Applic...

Dualistic Development Theory  Define : Dualistic development theory recognizes the divergences that exist and which are growing between pe...

Definition: Essentialism is the idea that within any object, group or identity, there is are a set of inherent, immutable characteristics wh...

Definition: Small world theory is the idea that amongst any two people, there are likely to be some overlapping social networks. (Also calle...

Define : Emancipatory Action Research (EAR) is described as creating "theory in action and action from theory" (p. 78) and involve...

Elite Theory Definition: "   the generalization that nearly all political power is held by a relatively small and wealthy group of pe...

Definition: Confirmation bias is a theory which describes the psychological inclination to see evidence which supports our theory, and to ig...

Structural Strain Theory Definition: The theory is apart of the functionalist perspective on deviance, it explains if an individual does n...

Define : Black Identity Development Theory is a stage based model of identity development focused on the social construct of understanding...