Community Psychology Coverage in Introduction to Psychology Textbooks
The field of Community Psychology is approximately 50 years old, and it has become an active and invigorating source of ideas (e.g., prevention, ecological theory, sense of community, empowerment, participatory-based research, providing care to marginalized populations, etc.) for the overall field of Psychology. However, many undergraduates have never heard of this discipline in part because introductory Psychology textbooks are not providing adequate coverage of this field. The current study examined 53 introductory Psychology textbooks, published between 2010 and 2016, for their coverage of the field of Community Psychology. Findings indicated that only 17% of these textbooks contained an adequate representation of the discipline of Community Psychology. The lack of adequate coverage of this field in most introductory Psychology textbooks has significant implications for attracting undergraduates to this content area. Fifty percent of the textbook authors responded to an email that provided them information regarding the current study, and many indicated that new versions of their textbooks could include information from the field of Community Psychology. This positive response suggests that many authors are willing to better represent the field of Community Psychology in their introductory Psychology textbooks.
