Importance of Globalization in Engaging Community Psychology

Why it is important to learn international context? According to the book of introduction to community of psychology, international work can sharpen a person’s community psychology skill and globalization can help address the root causes of local social problem. Therefore, globalization is the factor that bridges the local context and international perspective, so in the essay “Importance of globalization” the role of knowing international community psychology is discussed. 

Life begins outside one’s comfort zone. Opening one’s self out of the unknown can shape and build the person’s goal. Think about of doing Community Psychology work in a country you know little about. This is called International Community Psychology, and it occurs when community psychologists from one country work or train in a country other than their own. It is like getting out of the box and starting to learn things that you never knew before and would make you realized how much more you need to learn in a diverse environment and context. 

The world is becoming more interconnected via communications technology, travel, immigration, and trade. While trade is occurring in money, goods, and services, trade is also occurring in symbols, morality, cultural values, governmental systems, and most importantly, people. We live in an ever-increasingly global community where we must consider the global context to address the root causes of local social problems. International relations have used globalization to reach its goal of understanding cultures. International relations focus on how countries, people and organizations interact and globalization is making a profound effect on International relations.

Today globalization is constant and even irreversible. Globalization influences to changing cultural patterns too. In addition, there is happening a mutual penetration of various trends in art and their exchange. Globalization describes the acceleration of the integration of nations into the global system. It contributes to the expansion of cultural ties between the peoples and human migration.

The importance of adopting international perspective is that it opens a wide opportunity to local community through globalization. It also helps the context to address the root causes of local social problems and provides solution to the existing problems. This also makes the local community globally competitive by adapting the international perspective. Community psychologists understand that existing power structures and institutionalized injustice can make it difficult to bring about change. Therefore, transforming communities, changing lives, and promoting equity and social justice through action will often require us to gain an understanding of how power manifests itself within a global context.

The reason why we need to study international community psychology is that it promotes and intensifies values and goal that is outside of the local context and the need to consider global context through globalization to address the root of social problems. Community Psychology practices must be informed by global perspectives to understand the contexts in which people live. Currently, globalization contributes to the exchange of cultural values. It contributes to the expansion of cultural ties between local and international community. International Community Psychology is not different in kind from domestic Community Psychology, but it does differ in scope, logistics, open-mindedness, power dynamics, expressiveness, and sensitivity. The most obvious differences when working in another country is its culture. Broadly, culture is the “way things are done around here” (Shweder, 1990). Which mean that it is essential to learn the culture of different county in engaging in international psychology.

I have learned the importance of globalization and how it is a factor in engaging in international community. International community does not only help the community alone but also the community psychologist by providing a wider range of opportunities in which he or she can expand her practice. Adapting an international perspective is beneficial for both the community and individual for it provides an international access to varieties of aspect. Globalization that links the local and international community shape and accommodate the local community to be globally-competitive. In order to have a wider perspective, engaging in international community is a must for it can provide an opportunity to see how the other things are.

To sum it up, globalization is a factor that leads one to engage in community psychology because as the world is constantly changing and improving there is a need for the local community to cope up and be a globally competitive community. International psychology is the only way to achieve that goal, because internal community provides a diverse environment in which we can learn more about how to improve and help local community.

References

• Amirkhanyan, L. (2011). Globalization and international relation. Cultural Diplomacy.Org. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/content/pdf/participant-papers/2011-12-cdac/Globalization-and-International-Relations-Lianna-Amirkhanyan.pdf
• Fetterman, D., & Wandersman, A. (2007). Empowerment evaluation: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. American Journal of Evaluation, 28(2), 179–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214007301350
• Harvey, R. (2019, June 21). International Perspectives – Introduction to Community Psychology. Pressbooks. https://press.rebus.community/introductiontocommunitypsychology/chapter/international-community-psychology/
• Raikhan, S.,Moldakhmet, M., Raizkeldy, M., & Alua, M. (2013). The interaction of globalization and culture in the modern world. Science Direct.
• Shweder, R. (1990). Cultural Psychology – what is it? In J. Stigler, R. Schweder, & G.
• Herdt (Eds.), Cultural Psychology: Essays on Comparative Human Development (pp. 1-44). Cambridge University Press. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/content/pdf/participant-papers/2011-12-cdac/Globalization-and-International-Relations-Lianna-Amirkhanyan.pdf