Psychodynamic Theory

Definition: Psychodynamic theory supports the idea that individual processes occurring internally (e.g., feelings/emotions, thoughts, needs, etc) influence and motivate human behavior. Experiences in childhood are defining moments that ultimately affect how a person's internal processes are constructed and how they operate on a regular basis--some of these activities may occur unconsciously. The theory also states that individuals will likely become overwhelmed by demands that are made from them and create defense mechanisms to avoid becoming bogged down by the demands. 

Application: This theory can be applied to community development work because community developers should work to understand the types of environments in which folks are growing up to better understand their behavior. Understanding the stressors that were present in the community and how that could/did affect their development. It is also a theory that can be applied to understand folks involvement or lack thereof within a program in regards to the level of demands it makes on a person's life. 

Adaptation: This theory can be adapted to other disciplines that are seeking to understand what motivates human behavior. Professionals working in program development would want to consider the issue of creating too many demands for participants. It is also a theory that would probably work best in a therapy setting.

Source:

http://web.augsburg.edu/socialwork/msw/pdfs/cheatsheet.pdf

Knowledge Gap

Definition: The knowledge gap theory discusses the discrepancy between highly and poorly educated individuals. It acknowledges that although information and education is thought to be accessible for all members of society, it is much easier for folks from higher SES backgrounds tend to access different types of knowledge and information than folks from lower SES backgrounds. Also, as a result, people from lower SES backgrounds tend to be less aware of current events, laws/policies, and other valuable types of information. These differences result in folks from higher SES backgrounds having more polished communication and literacy skills while folks form lower SES backgrounds are going to struggle with retaining information.

Application: This theory can be applied to community development work because stakeholders should be aware of education attainment rates in the community they are working with to make sure that the language/vocabulary they are using is accessible when doing outreach and work with community members. I think it would also be important to acknowledge the discrepancy between folks from high and low SES backgrounds and create programs as well as opportunities for children to access higher education. Community developers would also be able to work with adults to improve their communication and literacy skills.

Adaptation: This theory can adapted to other disciplines outside of social work or community development because the knowledge gap should be something that concerns any professional that works within the field of social welfare/public interest. It should be a theory that should be seriously considered in the public administration field because it is a systemic and institutional issue that federal and state policies should be addressing. It goes without saying that professionals in the education field (especially teachers) should not be taking this issue lately, which includes working on eliminating the school to prison pipeline.

Source:
https://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/knowledge_gap/

Theory of Planned Behavior/ Reasoned Action

Definition: The theory of planned behavior/ reasoned action is the idea that a person's behavior is heavily influenced and determined by their attitude towards the behavior/activity. Furthermore, the theory believes that behavior can be predicted by a person's intention as intention is a cognitive manifestation of how prepared someone is to complete a behavior. In addition, the manner in which a person perceives that people they care about are going to react to their behavior has a big influence on whether the behavior/action is carried out or not as well.

Application: This theory can be applied to community development work because social workers/social change agents should be aware of how folks may or may not feel about being involved in the project/organization that is being initiated. How a community will receive the community developer's PODS location is an important consideration, as well as considering what the community's relationship is like with other agencies. As a community developer, you will not only want the community to trust your initiative enough to use its service, but also trust it enough to get involved and have a stake in.

Adaptation: This theory can be adapted to all other disciplines besides social work or community development because assessing what motivates people to complete a behavior/action will increase the success of any initiative being taken. It would be helpful for people who are trying to increase awareness or participation in a cause.

Source: https://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Health%20Communication/theory_planned_behavior/

Language Expectancy Theory

Definition: The language expectancy theory explains how choices in vocabulary and tone can influence how persuasive a person/community/agency's message is. The reaction as well as response that the person receiving the message has can influence whether the person/entity delivering the message accomplishes their goal. This means that the person delivering the message has to be tactful and adopt strategies to produced the desired response. The theory was first developed by Brooks in 1970 and then further developed by Burgoon 1995.

Application: This theory can be applied to community development work because the language we use to interact with the community as change agents can make or break our relationship with a community. Critically choosing the words we use in our messages and considering how our tone can be perceived by communities could mean the difference between a successful or unsuccessful campaign.

Adaptation: I think this theory can be adapted to ALL other disciplines outside social work or community development. As individuals, we should be more conscious of the language and tone we use and the same applies to agencies/businesses. With how prevalent the use of social media is right now, it's especially important to be hyper-vigilant to avoid unfavorable reactions and/or "bad publicity" from folks receiving the messages.

Source: https://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Communication%20Processes/Language_Expectancy_Theory/

Critical Race Theory

Definition: Critical race theory (CRT) focuses on the personal experiences of people of color. Legal scholars developed CRT because they were aware of the racism occurring in society and they wanted to create a tool that challenged the oppressive structures that promote white supremacy. CRT challenges the belief that racism will be eliminated by color blindness, that racism is not a systemic issue, and that one can challenge racism without acknowledging other forms of oppression and isms.

Application: CRT can be applied to community development work because it is important to understand how social issues specifically affect people of color. Applying this theory will help community developers identify the actual cause of issues that affect people of color instead of believing the stereotypes that are held against people of color. CRT would help build rapport with folks in the community and help with identifying strengths as well as deficiencies. CRT can also help in community development by changing the public's perception of social problems, which will increase outside support of development projects.

Adaptation: CRT can be adapted to all other disciplines besides social work or community development that work with people of color. The education field can adapt CRT to better work with parents of color and to help understand children of color who perform differently than their peers.  It can also be adapted to the legal system to analyze rates of incarceration for people of color. Lastly, CRT can be used in the medical field to assess the relationship people of color have with medicine and/or doctors.

Reference:
Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23-44. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1756376/Critical_Race_Methodology_Counter-Storytelling_as_an_Analytical_Framework_for_Education_Research._Daniel_G._Solorzano_and_Tara_J._Yosso_Qualitative_Inquiry_2002